STEEL

Introduction
• Alloy of Iron and Carbon
• Most widely used Engineering and Construction material
• Can be designed into various forms
• Can be recycled over and over again without loss of properties
Carbon Content
• Pig Iron (4-5%)
• Cast Iron (2-4.5%)
• Carbon steel (<2%)
• High Carbon Steel (0.6-1.4%) (High ductility – Nuts, bolts, sheets etc)
• Medium Carbon Steel(0.25-0.6%) (High Strength – Machinery, automobile
and Agri parts)
• Low Carbon Steel(<0.25%)(Hardest, Strongest and least ductile- Cutting tools,
cables etc)
• Wrought Iron(<0.1%) (High Ductility – Thin wires)
Properties of steel
• Hardness – Ability to withstand friction and abrasion
• Toughness – Ability to absorb energy without fracturing or rupturing
• Yield Strength – Force required to start the deformation of the material
• Tensile strength – Force required to break the material
• Ductility (Elongation) – Degree to which the material can be stretched before it breaks
• Fatigue – Highest stress that a material can withstand for a given number of cycles
without breaking
• Corrosion – Irreversible deterioration due to chemical/ electrochemical reaction of
surface and environmental factors such as acid, moisture and oxygen
• Plasticity – Non reversible change of shape in response to applied forces
• Malleability – Ability to be drawn into thin sheets or wires without rupturing
Properties of steel
• Density of Steel – 7850 kg/m3(Al = Steel/ 3 = 2700 kg/m3)
• E – 2 x 105 MPa (EAl = ESteel/3 = 0.7 x 105 MPa)
• Thermal Coefficient (Steel = Concrete =12 x 10-6 /o C
Steel in Construction
• Rebars
• Structural Steel
• I-beam
• Z-beam
• HSS-beam
• L-beam (angle)
• T-beam
• Rail profile
• Bars, rods, plates
• Structural channel (C-beam, cross-section)
• Open joist of the web etc

• Light gauge Steel

STEEL AS REINFORCING MATERIAL
Steel Reinforcement is in the form of rebar or wire of steel, which is utilized in
concrete members to resist primarily tensile forces
• Highly ductile
• High tensile strength
• Youngs modulus of elasticity equal in both tension and compression
• Coeffient of thermal expansion same for both steel and concrete. Ensures better bond
• Develops good bond with concrete. During setting, cement concrete shrinks and grips
the rebars perfectly. This effect develops a perfect bond between concrete and steel
and enables concrete to transfer its stresses to steel 
• Widely and cheaply available compared to other ductile materials
• Coating of cement concrete around steel bars protects the steel from corrosion and
other atmospheric effects
• Can be recycled easily
Advantages of using Steel Reinforcement Bars
• Modulus of Elasticity: Steel has high modulus of Elasticity i.e. 200GPa (200 x 10⁹ N/m²).
This helps the steel to stretch in tension(upto 200GPa) without breaking and regain its
shape on removal of load.
• Ductility of Steel: Ductility of steel is high. i.e. Steel rebar will behave ductile under
higher loads.
• Coefficient of Thermal Expansion: Steel and concrete has almost same coefficient of
thermal expansion (change in dimension due to temperatures). Due to this both
(concrete and steel) will experience same length changes in high temperatures.
• Resistance: Steel is resistant to rough conditions during transport, storage, bundling and
placing on construction site. If minor damage happens, it does not significantly affect its
performance.
• Strength: It is strong enough to withstand high impact load.
• Readily Available: Structural Steel industry has enough production capacity to meet the
demands of construction industry and is available at ease for any house construction.
• Steel can be recycled easily.
Disadvantages of using Steel Rebar
• High Cost: Steel is expensive and considerably increases the cost of
structure.
• High Temperatures: Steel show tendency to melt in extremely high
temperatures. This is also one of the reasons; steel is tied and not welded.
• Reaction: Too little concrete cover allows the water to penetrate and
react with steel rebars causing concrete to crack. Occasionally concrete
aggregates react with steel causing concrete to spall.
• Rust: Steel exposed to weather rusts and reduces the strength of
reinforced concrete. When rusts start building up around the steel rebars,
it causes severe internal pressure on the surrounding concrete, leading to
cracks in concrete.
• Weight: It is not a light weight material.
 Rebars
Plain - The steel in use till these
days for construction purposes
was Plain mild steel bars. As per 
IS 432 (PART – I), It is designated
as Fe-250
Mild steel reinforcement has
proved to be a better choice for
impact and suddenly applied
loads
Deformed reinforcements are
steel rebar or steel wire having
deformation on the surface.
Purpose - To enhance the bond
and friction between the
concrete and the bar or wire
Mild Steel (MS)
• These bars have a plain and smooth surface without any ribs. The diameter
of mild steel bars varies from 6 mm to 50 mm. These bars cannot develop a
good bond with concrete hence hooks are essentially required at the ends
• As per IS 432 (PART – I), It is designated as Fe-250
• Mild steel reinforcement has proved to be a better choice for impact and
suddenly applied loads
• With the introduction of deformed and twisted bars, the use of mild steel
bars in construction is rapidly decreasing.
• They are now only used in column spirals, dowels at expansion joints,
contraction joints in roads, and runways.
HYSD (IS 1786: 2008)
• High Yield Strength Deformed Steel Bars were introduced in India in
1967. They completely replaced mild steel bars except in a few
situations.
• Has lugs, ribs or deformation on the surface which inhibit longitudinal
movement of the bars relative to the surrounding concrete
• Have high tensile strength, yield strength, and bond strength
• Higher strength in steel can be obtained by increasing carbon content,
Microalloying, Cold twisting or thermomechanical Treatment. In India,
the TMT Process and Cold Twisting are used in the production of High
Yield Strength Deformed Steel Bars
HYSD (IS 1786: 2008)
• Grades
(i) Fe 415, Fe 415D
(ii) Fe 500, Fe 500D
(iii) Fe 550, Fe 550D
(iv) Fe 600
Fe – Ferrous meaning Iron which is the main component of steel
Figure after Fe indicates minimum 0.2% proof Stress or Yield Stress in N/mm2
D indicates that it is more Ductile. Ductile bars are usually used when buildings
are constructed for better seismic performance and Earthquake resistant.
 CTD Bars and TMT Bars
• Cold twisted bars (CTD) are high-strength deformed bars (HSD) whose
quality is improved by various processes of cold working (stretching and twisting
• One major drawback, there are surface stress and visible cracks due to cold
twisting which leads to lower ductility, higher corrosion rate, and a reduction in
elongation percent from 24% to 13%.
• in India CTD Bars were commonly used up to 1992. Cold Twisted Deformed Bars
(CTD Bars) were sold in India under the brand name “TOR STEEL”.
• TMT or thermo mechanical treatment is an advanced process in which red hot
rebars are quenched through a series of water jets making a hardened outer layer
surface surrounding a softer core.
• TMT bars are produced in various grades by Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL) and
TATA Steel. The trade names of these bars are known as SAIL – TMT and TISCON –
TMT respectively
• Carbon Steel Rebar referred to as a black bar due to its carbon color.  It
corrodes easily.
• Epoxy Coated Rebar black steel rebar having an epoxy coat over it. Ideal for
structures that are exposed to saltwater or where there is an increased risk
of corrosion. Corrosion resistance from 70 to 1,700 times that of black bar.
• Stainless Steel Rebars have high corrosion resistance is desirable or where
repair is difficult and expensive. 1500 times more corrosion resistant than
black bars. At least 8 times more costlier than epoxy-coated rebars
• Galvanized Rebars protective layer of Zinc (Zn) metal, 40 times more
corrosion resistance than carbon steel
• Corrosion resistant (TMT – HCR) rebars The latest development of reinforcing bar
are the thermo – mechanically treated high – strength corrosion resistant (TMT –
HCR) rebars.The chemistry of TMT – HCR rebar is appropriately designed for
substantially reducing atmospheric and marine corrosion.
• Glass-Fiber-Reinforced-Polymer (GFRP) Rebars have lower weight,
better non-conductive electrical properties and thermal insulator
properties than steel rebar but have low E value
Wire Reinforcement

• Hard-drawn Steel Wire Fabrics are made by a series of wires arranged at

right angles to each other. According to IS 1566, There are two types of Hard-drawn
Steel Wire Fabrics,
(i) Oblong Mesh
(ii) Square Mesh
• According to IS 432 (PART II): 1982, the diameter of hard-drawn wire is 3 mm, 4
mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, 8 mm and 10 mm.
• Welded Deformed wire is fabricated from a series of wires arranged at right
angles to each other and welded at all intersection.
• Welded Wire fabrics are used for floor slabs on well-compacted ground, road and
runway pavements, culverts and small canal linings.
Prestressing Steel

The Steel is stressed under high-tensile forces either before the

concrete is cast (Pretensioned) or after the concrete is cast and has
hardened (Posttensioned). It consists of wires, bars, strands or bundles
of such elements.
• Medium Tensile Steel Bars The steel reinforcement having an
ultimate tensile strength more than 540 N/mm2 is categorized as
Medium tensile steel Bars
• High tensile steel (1000-2200MPa) is an alloy steel used in
Prestressed concrete have minimum tensile strength of 980 N/mm2
(IS 2090-1983)
Field test at Site to Check Steel

• Steel bundle should have tag giving details of batch/lot details which
confirms that supplied material is as per the requirement of relevant
Indian Standard code
• Check the brand, the grade, and the diameter on the bar.
• Color – Deep greyish, No rust should be there.
• ISI Mark
• Compare the manufacturer test certificate. This gives the actual
properties
• Randomly check the dia of bar using “Vernier Caliper”
Field test at Site to Check Steel
• Check for mass per meter run. Compare the result with the tabulated value of theoretical
weight given in IS 1786. Check if the variation observed within the limit as per the standard
code. Weight per meter (w/m)-for any steel reinforcement bar weight per running meter is
equal to d2/162 kg, where d is diameter of bar in mm.
• TOLERANCE CHECKING (IS 1786)
up to & including 10mm                        → ±7%
More than 10mm & including 16mm → ±5%
Over 16mm                                               → ±3%
• Bend Test
Bend the bar at 180° & observe the behavior of the rebar.
• Re-Bend Test
Bend the bar at 135° & observe the behavior of the rebar.
Place it in 100°C hot water for 30 mins. Then bend at 157.5° & observe the behavior of the
rebar.
Test Specimen – As per IS 1786 - 2008
 Chemical Analysis Test
• Cross section wise 50mm/60mm length sample cutting from TMT Re-bars by abrasives,
grinded and polished one side is used for chemical composition testing in a spectrometer.
The spectrometer takes 10 to 15 seconds to give results in printed form of a maximum of
26 elements in the TMT. The spectrometer mainly gives the results of the percentages of
carbon, sulphur, and phosphorus which are important as per BIS. In case of micro alloyed
grade TMT, percentages of chromium, copper, manganese etc. are also shown by the
spectrometer.
• The maximum allowable percentages of different elements as mentioned in the IS: 1786-
2008 are as below: