The following write up basically is in consideration with the history of concrete and reinforcing steel that was taken as an excerpt from the ironworkers reinforcing manual.

“Concrete as a substance as such is a rock created through artificial means, and is one of the most essential and lasting material used in construction of buildings.

It is an Historical proven fact that concrete is such significant importance that its durability was noticed and used in the Roman era for construction of the Pantheon which was built at or around 117-124 B.C. — which about 2,000 years ago. This ancient piece was built surrounded with circular walls which is as thick at 20 feet and has a hemispherical dome at imaginable 142 feet. In that era the concrete that was used would be a conglomeration of soft volcanic rock, a mixture of lime and some portion of the local earth or clay which is called the “puzzolana” that was found in close proximity of the region.

A chronology of amusing facts about reinforcing steel and cement are mentioned below:

1756 (approximately) —John Smeaton, who was an English engineer, got his hands in making the very first hydraulic cementing material, which is a kind of a special material, which has a tendency to become hard when placed under water. As for the present day this product is known as “hydraulic lime”.

1824 — In Portland the cement was patented by Joseph Aspdin of Leeds, England. The name Portland as such was rightly used with the remarkable resemblance it has of the hardened cement to the building stone quarried on the Isle of Portland.

1850 — there was a Frenchman named Lambot who happened to construct a small boat using the reinforced concrete.

1854 — there was man by name W.B. Willkinson of England who patented a true reinforced concrete in the form of a floor slab.

1861 — Francis Goignat had published a statement which defined the principals of this new innovative construction method.

1861 — Joseph Monier, who was a Parisian gardener, brought about ways to use the metal frames as reinforcement for making gardening based equipments like the garden tubs and pots.

1897- During this stage there were two German engineers by name Wayss and Bauschinger who investigated a report on the “Monier System.” Before to this stage, there was relatively very little construction of this sort.

Way back in the 1890’s there were few Austrian Engineers who had been successful in making greater progress and development not just on paper but in strong practical form as well which brought about the utilization of the steel shapes as a reinforcement. And somewhere around the same span, François Hennebique of France and Ernest L. Ransome of the United States were the first ones to employ reinforced concrete in constructing buildings. A man by name Ransome, in his initial experiments, initiated the twisted square bar from which innumerable designs of deformed or disfigured bars. The success story of these two men imbibed confidence for further research on this subject, eventually resulting in several options of reinforcement that could be introduced both in North America and Europe.

 A gentleman by name A.P. Turner of Minneapolis had formulated a girder more of less that less or flat slab called the “Mushroom Slab” in 1906. Somehow up until that time the usage of reinforced concrete was becoming certainly very prominent and had pulled up from year to year up until today.

Concrete as such has very less pliable capability. Thus, it should be strengthened in such a way that it will for sure bring about little resistance to being damaged, ruptured or being broken. Construction is one such aspect that bounds to get the last nerve to get anxious and the procedure of reinforcing the steel to be integrated into the concrete to stand strong and hold on for long. The usage of concrete combined with steel is termed what is called “reinforced concrete”. It is accumulation of both concrete and steel being utilized together in the best possible way with both their properties such as resistance of the steel, strength of the concrete etc.

Concrete by itself has very little pliant strength. However, it may be strengthened in more or less some manner which will assure against the rupture that can be caused. While the construction is on the tensed state is very apprehensible and valid in such a situation where it is brought about in the concrete form to withstand it all. The utilization of concrete and steel combined is known as “reinforced concrete.” The state of reinforced concrete is a mixture of concrete and steel utilizing the most important and impressive properties such as the resistance to the tension and strength of concrete.

The structural properties of steel bars are studied and placed to carry on the tensile stresses. The concrete, other than the property of supplying compressive strength, is also known for supplying the steel with constant protection from being damaged and fire. There were Qualified Engineers who set design for the reinforced concrete related structures, and made drawings that were set to show the location and size of the reinforcing steel.

The period was the early 1900’s when the Iron Workers had initiated a jurisdiction over the handling, installation and unloading of reinforcing steel for the construction using concrete. It wasn’t that long when the Iron Workers had developed the skills in laying the reinforced steel. The Companies then had found the most effective and reliable way to perform a job that required the use of this particular material and was made to hire members from the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers. And as it is known to all, the name of the union was further on changed to the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Ironworkers.

As time passed by the demand for more buildings had grown rapidly, and construction increased throughout the United States and Canada, so also the requirement of more skilled ironworkers. Certainly many buildings had been constructed of steel, there were however many others that were of reinforced concrete. The number of skilled workers in this branch of the iron working trade has been rising and today, there are so many buildings, bridges are designed in such a way that it not only is meant to withstand huge amount of weight, but in addition, it also goes hand in hand with the modern day Architecture.”

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