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www.dbh.govt.nz
December 2009
This Practice Advisory replaces Practice Advisory 1, Practice Advisory 7 and the Quick guide for
designers, building consent authorities and contractors.
Guidance information has been consolidated and is presented as follows:
Section A: Summary of properties and characteristics
Section B: Minimum bend diameters (from NZS 3101:2006)
Section C: Fabrication processes Advice
Section D: Good practice guide
Main points
Bend diameters: The minimum bend diameters in NZS 3101:2006 are adequate for Grade 500E
MA and QT for in-service temperatures greater than minus 10oC for 25mm and 32mm diameter
bars, and minus 20oC for 20mm and smaller bars.
Bar ductility: Grade 500E MA and QT bars tested show similar resilience when bent and
straightened (simulating the demands of the bars in an earthquake).
Cold re-bending/straightening of Grade 500E MA and QT are not permitted by NZS 3109.
Welding of Grade 500E QT is not permitted by NZS 3109.
Site welding of Grade 500E MA should be avoided.
Tack welding: AS/NZS 1554.3 Clause 3.3.1 does not permit tack welding to any reinforcing steel
used for structural / seismic purposes, be it Grade 500E or Grade 300E.
Shop welding (but not tack welding) of Grade 500E MA is considered acceptable provided that
evidence is presented that the procedures used do not affect compliance of the reinforcement
with AS/NZS 4671. Means of demonstrating compliance are provided in AS/NZS 1554.3
Structural Steel Welding Welding of Reinforcing Steel.
Bendometer: A picture has been included to promote correct bending of reinforcement.
Technical information and good practice guide: The presentation has been simplified and the scope
extended.
Background
Starting in 2003, when concerns were raised about the performance of Grade 500E reinforcing steel,
the Building Industry Authority and then the Department led investigations and informed industry
about the characteristics of the material and good practice in its use. Publications issued included
Report on Grade 500E Reinforcement (July 2005); Practice Advisory No. 1 Bend the bar but not the
rules (July 2005, revised December 2005); Practice Advisory No. 7 Use with care (July 2005); and a
chart: Reinforcing Steel in New Zealand A quick guide for designers, building consent authorities and
contractors (June 2005, revised on Department of Building and Housing website March 2006); and a
Codewords article: Grade 500E reinforcing steel (July 2006).
Since this material was issued there have been significant changes in the supply market of Grade
500E reinforcement, making the information on the chart out of date. Research, commissioned by
the Department, into the effect of bend diameter and temperature on the ductility of Grade 500E
reinforcement was recently completed. This has confirmed the adequacy of bend diameters specified
in NZS 3101, at least for temperatures down to minus 10oC and applies to both micro-alloy (MA) and
quenched and tempered (QT) types.
The Department has prepared a detailed paper describing the recent research. This paper is on the
Departments website and was published in the Journal of the Structural Engineering Society of New
Zealand, Volume 21, No.2, September 2008.
Further information
Further information is available from the Department, including the following sources:
1. Department of Building and Housing, 2008. Grade 500E Reinforcing Steel Tests on Micro-alloy
and Quenched and Tempered samples available in New Zealand. Report available on DBH website
at:
http://www.dbh.govt.nz/UserFiles/File/Building/information%20for/grade-500E-reinforcing-steel.pdf
2. Department of Building and Housing, 2005. Report on Grade 500E Reinforcement, July. ISBN
0-478-28867-0.
3. Beca Consultants, 2004. The Use of Grade 500E Reinforcing Steel in NZ; A Review of Current
Standards. Report prepared for Building Industry Authority, July.
References Standards
AS/NZS 1554. Part 3: 2008: Structural steel welding Welding of reinforcing steel
NZS 3101:2006: Concrete Structures Standard
NZS 3109: 1997 Concrete Construction
AS/NZS 4671: 2001: Steel reinforcing materials
Note that this Practice Advisory is issued as Guidance Information in accordance with Section 175 of
the Building Act 2004 and if used, does not relieve any person of the obligation to consider any matter
to which the information relates according to the circumstances of the particular case.
Manufacturing process
Key characteristics
Grade 500E QT
Grade 300E
1.15 to 1.40
1.15 to 1.50
10% minimum
15% minimum
Dimensional properties
1.40
1.25
Columns
1.35
1.25
Bar db (mm)
Plain
Deformed
300 or 500
6 to 20
5db
5db
24 to 40
6db
6db
Galvanised
6 to 16
5db
20 to 40
8db
Bar db (mm)
Plain
Deformed
300 or 500
6 to 20
2db
4db
24 to 40
3db
6db
Galvanised
6 to 16
5db
20 to 40
8db
Notes
1
Deformations can cause stress concentrations during bending, hence the requirement for larger bend diameters for
deformed bars.
For galvanised bars, larger diameters are needed to reduce strain ageing effects and avoid hydrogen embrittlement. This
applies whether bars are bent before or after galvanising.
Grade 500E QT
Grade 300E
Not permitted*
(See Note 2)
Not permitted*
(See Note 2)
Avoid*
(See Note 2)
Butt welding
Avoid*
(See Note 3)
Not permitted*
(See Note 3)
Avoid*
(See Note 3)
Lap welding
Avoid*
(See Note 3)
Not permitted*
(See Note 3)
Avoid*
(See Note 3)
Not permitted*
(See Note 4)
Not permitted*
(See Note 4)
Not permitted*
(See Note 4)
Avoid*
(See Note 6)
Initial bending
(to NZS 3101)
Re-bending or
straightening
(Cold)
Recent research conducted for the Department (refer www.dbh.govt.nz/technical-reports) showed ductile behaviour of
Grade 500E bars that had been bent at above 10oC. Bending at temperatures likely to be experienced on New Zealand sites
is not expected to have a significant influence on mechanical properties.
Strength and ductility cannot be relied upon after cold re-bending or straightening of either 500E MA or 500E QT. Special
procedures are available to hot re-bend 500E MA (refer NZS 3109) but require careful control and supervision beyond that
normally available on construction sites. Grade 300E is more tolerant of bending because of its higher uniform elongation
capability and lower work hardening rate. NZS 3109 permits the cold re-bending of Grade 300E, but the Department is not
aware of any tests showing that the strength and ductility after bending comply with the requirements of AS/NZS 4671.
All welding must comply with AS/NZS 1554.3. Note particularly the requirements of Appendix E of AS/NZS 1554.3.
Compliance with AS/NZS 1554.3 is difficult to achieve on construction sites, and site welding should be avoided. If site
welding becomes necessary, special efforts need to be made to achieve compliance. Welding of Grade 500E MA and Grade
300E may be permitted provided the processes used show consistently that, after welding, the reinforcing steel, including
the weld material, complies with NZS 4671. Welding of Grade 500E QT is not permitted by NZS 3109 because of its nonuniform cross-section - the effect on strength and ductility is hard to predict.
AS/NZS 1554.3 Clause 3.3.1 requires that welding shall not substantially reduce the cross-section of the reinforcing steel
nor adversely affect its strength. The same applies to ductility. Tack welds are almost certain to adversely affect critical
steel reinforcement properties and should be regarded as not permitted on Grade 500E or Grade 300E reinforcement which
is intended to resist structural or seismic actions. Tack welding requires special care and, if unavoidable, should be confined
to bars that are not critical to structural performance.
Verify with manufacturers of the Grade 500E (MA or QT) or Grade 300E steel that properties are unaffected by the particular
galvanising process to be used. For example, for 500E QT the self-tempering temperature during manufacture must exceed
the galvanising temperature.
Threading of any bar reduces the nett area available and may introduce stress concentrations. Because the outer section
of QT steel bars is different from the core material, the effect of threading on the overall properties of the bar is difficult to
determine with confidence.
Compliance with New Zealand Standards: Not permitted means that the practice is not permitted by the relevant NZ
Standard. Avoid means that the practice is permitted by the relevant NZ Standard in certain circumstances, but should be
avoided in normal construction practice.
Correct Grade
of Steel?
MA or QT?
Adequate
strength and
ductility?
Effect of low
temperature?
Note
The strains induced during the bending process reduce available ductility. This underlines the importance of
bending to correct diameters and the dangers of re-bending. The bending operation should be performed
at reasonable ambient temperatures, say 20oC. Within a range of -10oC and + 100oC the temperature of the
bending operation is not expected to have a significant influence on mechanical properties.
Correct bend
diameters?
Re-bending?
Welding?
Problems?
Welded wire
fabric? (mesh)