Reinforced concrete is what construction workers refer to when they use the term concrete. Reinforced concrete is a mix of concrete and a reinforced steel cage. The steel adds the adequate amount of tension to the structure while the concrete helps to absorb the pressure and weight of the structure. To make reinforced concrete, an expert is usually consulted. There is an entire section under construction workers called concrete mix designers, who expertise in the field of making the perfect concrete for the site. Based on the dimensions given by site engineer, a mould is created with the cement to accommodate the steel structure. The steel structure is in the form of an enclosed cage, which looks somewhat like a cage. This cage-like resemblance is the reason why the steel structure is called the reinforced cage. Once the mould is finished, the structure needs to be enclosed in concrete. This concrete needs to the right mix depending on the specifications given by the site engineer.
The mix contains sand, stone chips and cement, this mix is inexpensive and can be manufactured on the site. In a cement maker, the ingredients of the mix are put in along with water. Once the concrete is ready, it is poured over the erect cage and allowed to dry. It takes about a month for the reinforced concrete to set, and this is why most construction sites keep the structure covered. Water plays a key role in this whole process; it is applied on the structure to ensure that the concrete cures and the application of water is because water induces chemical reactions to occur on the surface of the concrete.
Reinforced concrete is measured in the strength it has; there are three standard mixes in the market. They are M20, M30 and M40, so what this means is that the site engineer requires the concrete mix designer to create the concrete according to the specified strength. So for example, M30 would represent that the concrete has a strength of 30 Newton per square millimetre. The two other specifications that will be given to the concrete mix designer is the flow index and the maximum aggregate size of the stone chips. So this is how the instructions will look like stiff M20/30 N/mm2 which means that the site engineer wants the strength of the concrete to be 20 N/mm2 with an aggregate stone chip size of 30mm and that the concrete should be stiff and not too runny.
The reason why reinforced concrete is utilised so abundantly in the construction world is that it is inexpensive and can be produced on site easily.