STEEL BAR

1.1 Abstract
Rebar (short for reinforcing bar), known when massed as reinforcing steel or reinforcement
steel, is a steel bar or mesh of steel wires used as a tension device in reinforced concrete and
reinforced masonry structures to strengthen and aid the concrete under tension. Concrete is strong
under compression, but has weak tensile strength. Rebar significantly increases the tensile strength
of the structure. Rebar's surface is often "deformed" with ribs, lugs or indentations to promote a
better bond with the concrete and reduce the risk of slippage. Steel bars are commonly used for
construction such as multi-storey buildings, bridges, highways, even ports or airports. because the
steel bar structure has a durable quality and is the most economical material. A rebar, or reinforcing
bar, is a common steel bar, and is generally used in reinforced concrete structures. Mild steel rebars
are the most common, as its price is relatively low while it provides material properties that are
acceptable for many applications. Low carbon steel contains approximately 0.05–0.15% carbon
and mild steel contains 0.16–0.29% carbon, therefore it is neither brittle nor ductile. Mild steel
rebars have a relatively low tensile strength, but it is cheap and malleable. The strength, versatility,
and affordability of steel bar make it one of the most widely used manufacturing/construction
materials in the world.
Concrete is strong in compression but weak in tension. This is the reason we place steel in
concrete. It allows the concrete to withstand tensile forces that would otherwise crack apart
unreinforced concrete. Concrete is said to be reinforced when it contains steel bar. The amount,
size, configuration, pattern, and the format for tying the bars together all effect the concrete’s
ability to with stand these forces. Reinforcing bar (or rebar as it’s known) must be totally encased
in concrete to a minimum depth of 50mm or 2″ to prevent contact with water and subsequent
rusting of the steel which over time would structurally weaken the concrete posing a significant
safety hazard for the millions of people that interact with modern infrastructure which
predominantly is made of reinforced concrete and structural steel. Some bar is actually coated in
epoxy to further protect it from rusting and weakening the structure.
Some concrete is even poured around tubes that have tensioned cables running through it to
increase the compressive force acting on a beam for instance, in a process known as pre-tensioning.
By tensioning the cables, then pouring the concrete in the forms and releasing the tension on the
cables after the concrete has set (typically seven days with full design strength reached after 28
days) they effectively place the beam in permanent compression thus reducing the amount of
deflection in the beam and greatly increasing it’s design load strength-the amount of dead and live
load that it can withstand safely without ever coming close to failing structurally. Engineers design
lots of safety redundancy into the structures that architects design. It is most often the engineer that
decides whether a certain structure CAN be built with the desired materials.
1.2 Type and Price of Steel Bar in The Market
1. Hot rolled steel square bar
Hot rolled steel square bar is used in numerous types of industrial applications, including:
  Ramps
 Structural support
 Trailers
 Walkways
 General fabrication

ASTM 36 Square Bar Steel Characteristics

HR steel square bar provides a wide variety of beneficial features, including :

 Slightly rounded edges and corner (duet o shrinkage)

 Slight distortions, where cooling may leave slightly trapezoidal forms rather than perfectly
squared ang,es.
 Scaled surfaces duet o the extreme temperature cooling process.

Price in the market : S$ 21,90 (304mm × 5mm)

2. Hot rolled steel round bar

A36 is a low carbon steel that maintains less than a 0.3% carbon content by weight. The
low carbon content within A36 allows it to be easily machined, formed and welded, which allows it
to be used for a wide range of applications. However, since hot rolled ASTM A36 round bar does
not contain large amounts of chromium and nickel it only provides average corrosion resistance.
Some of the industries that regularly utilize A36 hot rolled steel, include: 

 Bridge construction
 Automotive
 Construction
 Heavy equipment
 Oil & gas

Price in the market : $41,72 (D = 1, L = 20)

3. Hot rolled steel rectangle bar

Hot rolled steel rectangular bar is used in numerous types of industrial applications,
including:

 Truck frames
 Agriculture equipment
 Shelving
 Guard rails
 Structural support
 Trailers
  General fabrication

Price in the market : S$29,43 (304mm × 8mm × 7mm)

4. Steel Hex Bar

Steel hex bar is used in numerous types of industrial applications, including:

 Pins
 Rods
 Spindles
 Shafts
 Sprocket assemblies
 Component parts

Price in the market : S$ 32,29

5. Twisted Steel Bar

Add flair to you wrought iron project by incorporating unique and distinct twisted metal
bars. Using twisted material can add a stunning effect to any project.
Price in the market : US$450/Ton (6mm-25mm)
1.3 The Use and Challenges of Steel Bars
Steel bar or mesh of steel wires used as a tension device in reinforced concrete and
reinforced masonry structures to strengthen and aid the concrete under tension. Concrete is strong
under compression, but has weak tensile strength. Rebar significantly increases the tensile strength
of the structure. Rebar's surface is often "deformed" with ribs, lugs or indentations to promote a
better bond with the concrete and reduce the risk of slippage.

Steel
bar in concrete slab basement floor
Source:https://www.researchgate.net/
The challenge of using steel bars in a simple / standard house is maintenance costs,
generally steel material is very susceptible to corrosion if left in contact with air and water so it
needs to be painted periodically. susceptible to buckling, the more direct a compressive element is,
the greater the danger of buckling. as already stated that steel has a high strength per unit weight
and if used to strengthen the column against buckling. fatigue, the strength of the steel will
decrease if it gets cyclic burden. in the design it is necessary to reduce the strength if cyclical load
will occur on the structural elements.

Reference :
Peiris, J. S. R., & Coorey, R. V. (2010). Study of Elastic Properties of Reinforcing Steel Bars.
In Proceedings of the Technical Sessions (Vol. 26, pp. 67-74).
Naeem, K., Ullah, M., Tariq, A., Maqsood, S., Akhtar, R., Nawaz, R., & Hussain, I. (2016).
Optimization of steel bar manufacturing process using six sigma. Chinese Journal of
Mechanical Engineering, 29(2), 332-341.