Steel-reinforced concrete is concrete into which reinforcing steel bars, plates, or fibers have been incorporated to construct an otherwise brittle material. In industrialized countries, almost all the concrete used in construction is reinforced concrete.

There are a number of building materials that have proven to be exceptional when used in building construction. One of these exceptional building materials is steel concrete. Steel-reinforced bridges are also among the most common types of bridges built. In fact, the vast majority of highway bridges are of this type and are most often found along interstate highways. For added strength and support, the concrete used in the construction of these bridges is often reinforced with embedded steel bars that are commonly called rebar.

Steel concrete is a specific type that has strong steel reinforcing bars or fibers added to it while dripping, creating a very strong type of concrete that can withstand almost anything when it has dried. Because the results of using reinforced steel are so good for the strength of the building, most modern buildings today use steel-reinforced concrete in the construction process.

Steel concrete can fail due to insufficient strength, leading to mechanical failure, or due to a reduction in its durability. Corrosion and freezing can damage poorly designed or constructed reinforced concrete.

Physical characteristics of steel-reinforced concrete:

o The coefficient of thermal expansion of concrete is similar to that of steel, eliminating internal stresses due to differences in thermal expansion or contraction.

o When the cement paste within the concrete hardens, it conforms to the details of the steel surface, allowing any stress to be transmitted efficiently between the different materials.

o The alkaline chemical environment provided by calcium carbonate causes a passivating film to form on the surface of the steel, making it much more resistant to corrosion than it would be under neutral or acidic conditions.

Fiber concrete is also becoming an increasingly popular construction material due to its improved mechanical properties over unreinforced concrete and its ability to improve the mechanical performance of conventional reinforced concrete.