To give strength to the construction, you must first make reinforced concrete by using steel reinforcement bars. Reinforced concrete is used in a variety of ways by engineers, including floors, walls, and other building structures. We will use a reinforced wall as an example to better explain to you the process of reinforcing concrete.
1. Everything starts with steels, which are ordered to meet the structure’s engineering requirements.
2. Steel fixers design steel frames using engineering drawings to join the steel bars together in a wall that will become the steel reinforcement.
3. On the outside of the structure, shuttering carpenters fix layers of treated plywood. They must be firmly fastened.
4. Steel reinforcements run through the wall in a mould formation, resulting in a steel-reinforced wall. Forms must be linked together and are normally bolstered by struts of various kinds to ensure that the building is stable. Otherwise, as the concrete pours and compresses, it will push them apart.
5. The concrete is then poured into the mould.
6. Concrete finishers use floats to smooth the concrete and ensure that its surface is perfectly even. Concrete is corrosive, therefore there are strict safety precautions regarding personal protective equipment or simply PPE.
7. Shuttering carpenters remove the plywood after the concrete has been set.
8. The bolts that secured it are removed, and any steel that protrudes is trimmed away. Any holes where the bolts were removed will be filled by concrete finishers.
Why reinforced concrete is used?
Concrete is quite robust when crushed, but it can fracture if bent or stretched. Steel (or plastic) reinforcement is added to help it avoid bending. Steel is sturdy and won’t bend, but it can be brittle. That’s why it’s much more robust when steel reinforcement bars are encased in concrete. The steel is in there, sheltered from rust and fire by the concrete, so the two materials work together to transfer the forces.
Concrete hardens (cures) in a few days; instead of “drying out,” it absorbs water. The more time it needs to cure, the more powerful it gets. At G8 builds, our teams build reinforced concrete walls and floors. For the electrification of railway tracks or smart motorways, we’ve erected hardstandings for the overhead gantries.
Cement vs Concrete
Cement is one of the components used in the production of concrete. You can make concrete by combining sand and gravel or crushed stone with water and portland cement paste. If you’re wearing the appropriate PPE and working carefully, it’s very unlikely that you’ll be harmed. Concrete is corrosive, and you don’t want to touch or breathe it in.
What equipment do we use?
We recommend that people on site wear personal protectiveequipment, such as waterproof boots and robust coveralls. They ensure that individuals don’t come into direct unprotected contact with the concrete – otherwise, it could severely burn their skin. Workers who deal with concrete must also wear face-fitted dust masks to avoid breathing in or ingesting the dangerous cement or silica dust. Our G8 builds team is regularly tested to ensure that people are wearing their protective masks correctly.
