Steel Quality Field Test

It is essential for the constructors to have good quality material for their building project. Compromises in the quality of construction material can cause severe results leading to serious repercussions. One of the most important materials of a building is the steel reinforcements used in concrete columns, beams, and other structures.

The quality of steel received on site determines the strength of the structure with steel reinforcements inside it; so it is imperative that you check the steel quality right on the project site to ensure that your building will be made out of materials capable of handling the load.

Observations on Steel on Site:

1. Cleanliness: The reinforcements that you receive in the field must be clean ones. Dust, rust, earth, mild scales, paint, oil, grease or any similar coating clinging to the bars is detrimental to the bonding between reinforcement and concrete. Also, these contaminants can cause corrosion in the structure. For this reason, you must make sure that the steel bars and other reinforcements you receive are clean. Point to note: a little rusting on the bars is considered to be helpful in forming better bonds with the concrete. But excessive rusting and/or scaling is absolutely harmful for the building.

2. Manufacturer Marking: The bars should have their steel grade, manufacturer name/logo, brand name, diameter etc should be embossed on themselves. Do check if you have received everything of the same type as you expected.

3. Bending the Bars: When satisfied with the above, proceed to the Bend Test to examine the actual capabilities of the steel you have received on site, under realistic strain.

a. Bend Test: This test should be carried out as per the specifications in IS 1599 and you should use mandrels of size specified in IS 1786. The rebar sample should be bent in 180 degrees, results recorded, and then proceed to bending it 180 degrees.

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Published By
Rajib Dey
www.constructioncost.co
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