Substitue for reinforcing bar

[hungng]

Hi, I have been given a heap of steel rod that I was thinking of using instead of Rebar in my foundation and stand.. Its about 15mm thick and is solid. (not tube)
Does anyone see any problem with using it?

[nissanneill]

Re: Substitue for reinforcing bar

So long as it is not crusty/flakey rusty (surface rust is OK).
The smoother surface will not 'grip' the concrete as the deformed reinforcing, but so long as you keep in within the concrete slab, no worries.

Cheers.


Neill

[Neil2]

Re: Substitue for reinforcing bar

Back on the farm, we used to scour the local dumps (landfills) for old bed frames to use as reinforcing for barn slabs.

As votavidone notes, bend or hook the ends. (This should also be done for regular rebar.)

[david s]

Re: Substitue for reinforcing bar

There are lots of different fibres that can also be added to replace reo, simply add to your mix.

[deejayoh]

Re: Substitue for reinforcing bar

Where ever you want the concrete to have tensile strength, bend the ends of your bar to a right angle. This will give it a bit of grip, otherwise the rod will slide inside the concrete and impart very little resistance to bending.

Just curious as I have never seen this recommended for rebar. I guess that is what the ridges are for? Is the bend to make up for the lack of ridges when using a smooth piece of rod steel?

I will say rebar was surprisingly expensive at the Home Depot. I am sure there must be cheaper places. Lucky for me, my neighbor had a 10' piece of 5/8" rebar laying along our comment fence. he was happy to get rid of it, and I was even happier to use it in my hearth!