TESTING FOR REINFORCING STEEL BAR

Steel reinforcing bars or rebar is used in concrete construction to provide tensile strength,
complementing concrete's excellent compressive properties. Rebar also helps maintain structural
integrity as concrete cracks from expansion and contraction cycles. The tensile strength of rebar
steel and the tensile rebar-concrete bond strength are extremely important properties of rebar.
Tensile testing of rebar is relatively straightforward. No modifications to the material geometry
are necessary as lengths of the actual rebar used are necessary to determine the strength and
elongation of the rebar. Typically a gage length and intermediate gage marks are marked using a
punch, so efforts must be taken to create light marks that will not affect test results. Testing the
concrete-rebar bond strength is a more involved process as reinforced concrete samples must be
poured and cured, ensuring a consistent bond length between samples. The concrete specimens
are then secured and a tensile load applied by clamping and pulling on the exposed rebar end,
using a test machine.
ASTM and other industry standards organizations have specified standard test methods to test
the tensile properties of steel reinforcing bars. Along with characterizing the properties of the
plain rebar, these methods attempt to simulate the use of rebar in construction and measure the
strength in these conditions. Popular test standards are ASTM A370 for steel products and ASTM
A944 for the bond strength of steel rebar and concrete.
Machines and tensile grips for tensile testing of steel reinforcing bars must be capable of
applying very high loads. Based on ASTM specifications for the ultimate strength of various
grades rebar, breaking forces can range from 11 kip (50 kN) for #3 rebar to loads up to 135,000
lb (600 kN) and more.
Reinforcing steel bars play a key role as a construction material whose properties must be known
to the users before being applied for design or construction purposes. Steel reinforcing bars
available in the Nigerias Construction Industry are obtained from both internal and external
sources. The internal sources come mainly from both the indigenous major plants and the mini
mills located in different parts of the country. Imported steel bars coming into the country are
mainly from Russia and Ukraine. Others are those procured for specific uses by multinational
companies for some specific projects, and are imported directly by the multinational company
concerned. Most local construction companies in Nigeria make all their reinforcing steel
procurements from the open local markets with-out any technical information that guide users on
the appropriate use. A general survey on steel at random from the accessible companies was
carried out on these samples. Out of the nineteen (19) samples from where specimens were
collected, one (1) sample failed completely the bend test and five (5) samples failed out of the
nineteen for the elongation. Many of them are foreign samples. Thus, the need for testing
reinforcing bars so as to obtain information on their properties prior to use cannot be over
emphasized.
A general survey of all Steel rolling mills in the country was undertaken and samples from those
into production were taken for these tests. From the survey, it was observed that the idea that
led to the development of Iron and Steel Industry in Nigeria was born in 1958 by the Federal
Government. That the steel rolling mills in the country can be classified in three phases or
divisions as follows: (a) Ajaokuta Steel (b) Delta Steel Company with inland rolling mills at
Katsina, Jos and Osogbo. Last group is (c) the private mini mills combined together. While
Ajaokuta is yet to be completed, Deltas concept is to process and pass billets as raw materials
for Katsina, Jos and Osogbo rolling mills. Then the mini mills which are mainly foreign dominated
are privately owned with many of them being in operation before the establishment of the ones
earlier stated Above Code Value

SCOPE: These methods cover procedures for testing reinforcing steel such as deformed bars and
welded wire fabric. The tension test, described in this DOH relates to the mechanical testing of
steel products, performed by subjecting a specimen of the material to a measured load that is
sufficient to cause fracture of the material or yielding. The testing is performed to determine the
quality of the reinforced steel bars/ welded fabric. This includes tensile testing, bend test, control
of dimensions and geometry and shear test.