Is reinforced concrete, as a construction material, flawless or has it got its disadvantages?

Is reinforced concrete, as a construction material, flawless or has it got its disadvantages?

As is well known, reinforced concrete (commonly: béton armé) is a combination of concrete (a mixture of cement and aggregates) reinforced by steel rods.

This combination was devised precisely to be exploited in an optimum way, but also at the same time, under loading, the compressive strength of the concrete with the tensile strength of steel.

It is given and really has been proven that according to the construction experience to date, reinforced concrete is an economical construction material, so it is very popular. It is widely used in many kinds of constructions worldwide. 

However, along with its many advantages, reinforced concrete shows some disadvantages, possibly unknown and/or simply not been realised by the general public, although one might say that the consequences of some of them are being experienced in our daily lives. 

Because the aim of this text is mainly to highlight the disadvantages of this reliable material – so reliable that even for outside our planet constructions there are concepts and relevant studies to use it with a little different composition is true (e.g. adding a regolith simulation, molten pure sulfur and glass fibers) for shielding against radiation – I choose below to settle them before the advantages. 

Some main disadvantages of reinforced concrete 

• Its tensile strength is approximately 1/10 of its compressive strength
• The influence of the production process (mixing, casting and curing) of reinforced concrete during the construction on the final resistance
• The relatively high cost of the casting forms
• Regarding tall structures (e.g. multi-storied buildings) the static required height of reinforced concrete columns is greater compared to the corresponding metal columns
• Reinforced concrete undergoes shrinkage (physical property of concrete), causing cracking and ultimately reducing the strength 

Some main advantages of reinforced concrete 

• Reinforced concrete has a high compressive strength compared to other building materials
• Due to the provided reinforcement (from the steel bars), reinforced concrete can also withstand a satisfactory tensile stress
• Adequate fire and environmental impact
• Reinforced concrete constructions are more durable than any other, where other materials have been used
• Reinforced concrete, as a fluid material, at the beginning of the production, can be moulded in an economical way and of course using any type/shape of forms
• The maintenance cost of reinforced concrete is very low
• For difficult and big structures, such as foundations, dams, port works, etc. reinforced concrete is the most economical construction material
• Even in cases of complex structures, their components which are of reinforced concrete act with minimum deflection
• As reinforced concrete can be moulded into any type/shape of form required, it is widely used in precast structural components. It provides rigid members with minimum apparent deflection
• Compared to metal, reinforced concrete structures require less skilled labour force