There is a number of building materials that have been found to be exceptional when used in the construction of buildings. One of these exceptional building materials is steel reinforced concrete. Steel reinforced concrete is a specific type of concrete that has had strong steel rebar or fibers added to it while wet, creating a very strong type of concrete that is able to withstand almost anything when it has dried. Because the results of using steel reinforced concrete are so good for the strength of the building, most modern buildings today use steel reinforced concrete in the construction process.



The advantages of using steel reinforced concrete in building construction was first discovered in the mid 1800's by a man by the name of Joseph Louis Lambot. He found that by adding thin steel bars or steel fibers to concrete, he could greatly increase the strength of the concrete, making it better for use in a variety of applications. In the early years, reinforced concrete was used for making a number of items, such as reinforced garden tubs, road guardrails, and reinforced concrete beams. There were a number of different types of reinforced concrete products on the market because construction firms all wanted to use the product, but no standard method of production had yet been developed.

Over time, many different companies tried their hand at creating the perfect type of steel reinforced concrete. Through much trial and error, the best versions of steel reinforced concrete became widely known while the lesser brands slowly faded away. Buildings that used reinforced concrete in their construction began popping up all over the world, especially in the United States, Canada and Europe. This caused the buildings to have stronger support and last longer, allowing constructors to begin building upward and reducing limitations on weight and height for the buildings. One company in Europe completed over 7,000 buildings using steel reinforced concrete during its first ten years of operation.

In 1878, the first reinforced concrete system was patented in the United States by an American by the name of Thaddeus Hyatt. The Pacific Coast Borax Company refinery, located in Alameda, California, was the first building constructed in the United States using this new system. The popularity of the process skyrocketed in the early 1900's and soon, a majority of the developers in the country were using steel reinforced concrete in the construction of their steel buildings. The process has been refined over the years, constantly changing and improving the formula for making high-quality steel reinforced concrete.

Today, many of the buildings located in industrialized nations use steel reinforced concrete to make the buildings stronger and better able to withstand the ravages of time and the weather. Reinforcing the concrete that will be used on the building adds tensile strength to the concrete, making it much stronger and more flexible that regular concrete, which helps prevent cracking and breakage. Steel reinforced concrete can be used in a number of building applications, including floors, beams, supports, walls, and frames.