JLC • JULY 1994
The steel reinforcing that we all know
as "rebar" is a critical component of
quality concrete construction. By
enabling concrete to resist bending
forces, rebar allows concrete to be used
for overhead spans like freeway
overpasses or multilevel parking garages.
In residential use, rebar enables slender
concrete foundation walls to resist
horizontal soil pressures, and gives piers,
grade beams, and slabs the strength to
support the weight of a home.
Anyone who's had to break out a
concrete structure knows that a slab or
wall poured without steel is much easier
to demolish than one with even a few
pieces of rebar. It's no coincidence that
bomb shelters and missile silos are made
of steel-reinforced