The Pontifical and Royal

University of Santo Tomas

The Catholic University of the Philippines
Faculty of Engineering
Department of Civil Engineering Lab 6, Ground Floor, Fr. Roque Ruaño Bldg., España
Boulevard, Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines 1500
CE 414L: Testing of materials (632)406-1611 loc. 8516

EXPERIMENT NO. 13
TENSILE STRENGTH OF REINFORCING BAR

INTRODUCTION:
Concrete has high compressive strength but has a very low tensile strength. In order to properly
counteract the tension produced by the load imposed on a structure, welded wire fabric, bars or pre-stressing
tendons are used to reinforce the concrete since steel is strong in tension.

Table 13.1 – Standard values for deformed steel bars based on Philippine National Standards (PNS 49:2002).
Grade and Diameter
Grade Nominal Diameter, mm
230 10 12 16 20 25 --- --- --- --- ---
275 10 12 16 20 25 28 32 36 40 ---
415 10 12 16 20 25 28 32 36 40 50
Plain Round Bars
Grade Nominal Diameter, mm
All 10 12 16 20 25 28 32 36 40 50
Commercial Lengths for Deformed Bars
Grade Commercial Lengths, m Special Lengths, m
All 6.0 7.5 9.0 10.5 12.0 13.5 15.0
Nominal Unit Mass
Nominal Unit 10 12 16 20 25 28 32 36 40
Mass, kg/m 0.616 0.888 1.578 2.466 3.853 4.834 6.313 7.990 9.855

OBJECTIVE:
This experiment aims to study and describe the behavior of a reinforcing bar under an applied tension
load.

SPECIMEN:
2 pieces 10mm diameter by 12 mm length corrugated bars
2 pieces 12mm diameter by 12 mm length corrugated bars

PART 1: PREPARATION OF SPECIMEN

APPARATUS AND SUPPLIES:

1 Steel Saw
1 Pair of gloves
1 Meter stick
1 Caliper
1 Pentel pen
Balance
CE 414L: Testing of Materials | Experiment No. 13: Tensile Strength of Reinforcing Bar
PROCEDURES:
1. Get 1 piece of corrugated bar and look for its markings. Record the manufacturer’s logo, number of dots,
and strength specification of the bar.
2. Measure 20 inches length and mark the ends with pentel pen. Be sure that there are no defects and bends
along the 20-inch length.
3. Using the steel saw cut the ends of the 20 inches marking.
4. Measure and mark 6 -inch length from each end of the bar. The remaining 8 inches length at the middle part
is the gage length.
5. Get the weight of the bar and label it properly.
6. Prepare 2 pieces of 10mm-diameter bar and 2 pieces of 12mm-diameter bar.

Figure 13.1 – Specimen for Tensile Strength of a Reinforcement Bar

PART 2: TESTING OF SPECIMEN

APPARATUS AND SUPPLIES:

1 Universal Testing Machine (Universal Testing Machine)
1 Extensometer
1 Meter stick

PROCEDURES:
1. Turn on the power of the UTM and the computer. Be sure that all cables are properly connected.
2. Get 1 piece of the specimen and grip it on the UTM by clamping. Be sure that the specimen is properly
clamped vertically.
3. Input all the required dimensions of the specimen such as actual average diameter and initial
gauge length in the WinWaw user interface.
4. Open the inlet valve of the UTM to load the specimen and at the same time. Click the ‘Test Start’ button in
the computer to record all the desired data.
5. Choose a curve graph, i.e. Displacement-Load Curve, at the WinWaw user interface. Wait until the
specimen breaks taking note of the yield point, maximum load and breaking point.
6. After the specimen has been broken, measure the over-all length or final gauge length and final diameter
(break point) of the bar.
7. Sketch the actual failure of the bar.
8. Plot the stress-strain diagram and/or the chosen curve graph.
9. Repeat steps (1) to (8).
10. Tabulate all data.

CE 414L: Testing of Materials | Experiment No. 13: Tensile

Tensile Strength
Strength of
of Reinforcing
Reinforcing Bar
Bar
 The Pontifical and Royal
University of Santo Tomas
The Catholic University of the Philippines
Faculty of Engineering
Department of Civil Engineering Lab 6, Ground Floor, Fr. Roque Ruaño Bldg., España
Boulevard, Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines 1500
CE 414L: Testing of materials (632)406-1611 loc. 8516

EXPERIMENT NO. 13
TENSILE STRENGTH OF REINFORCING BAR

Year and Section Date Started

Group Number Date Finished
Group Members Date Submitted

DATA AND RESULTS:

Table 13.2 – Construction Materials, Properties and Testing Standards

Specimen
Trial 1 2 Average
Nominal Diameter, mm
Nominal Cross-sectional Area, mm2
Actual Average Diameter, mm
Actual Cross-Sectional Area, mm2
Final Cross-Sectional Area, mm2
Initial Gauge Length, mm
Final Gauge Length, mm
Lug Spacing, mm
Lug height, mm
Summation of Gaps, mm
Mass of Rebar, g
Nominal Unit Mass, kg/m
Actual Unit Mass, kg/m
Minimum Yield Strength, MPa
Maximum Yield Strength, MPa
Tensile Strength, MPa
TS / YS Ratio
Percent Elongation, %

CE 414L: Testing of Materials | Experiment No. 13: Tensile

Tensile Strength
Strength of
of Reinforcing
Reinforcing Bar
Bar
Table 13.3 – Construction Materials, Properties and Testing Standards
Specimen
Trial 1 2 Average
Nominal Diameter, mm
Nominal Cross-sectional Area, mm2
Actual Average Diameter, mm
Actual Cross-Sectional Area, mm2
Final Cross-Sectional Area, mm2
Initial Gauge Length, mm
Final Gauge Length, mm
Lug Spacing, mm
Lug height, mm
Summation of Gaps, mm
Mass of Rebar, g
Nominal Unit Mass, kg/m
Actual Unit Mass, kg/m
Minimum Yield Strength, MPa
Maximum Yield Strength, MPa
Tensile Strength, MPa
TS / YS Ratio
Percent Elongation, %

CE 414L: Testing of Materials | Experiment No. 13: Tensile

Tensile Strength
Strength of
of Reinforcing
Reinforcing Bar
Bar
FORMULAS AND COMPUTATIONS:
DRAWINGS/SKETCHES/DIAGRAMS/GRAPHS:

CE 414L: Testing of Materials | Experiment No. 13: Tensile

Tensile Strength
Strength of
of Reinforcing
Reinforcing Bar
Bar
FORMULAS AND COMPUTATIONS:
DRAWINGS/SKETCHES/DIAGRAMS/GRAPHS:

CE 414L: Testing of Materials | Experiment No. 13: Tensile Strength of Reinforcing Bar
SOURCES OF ERRORS:
DOCUMENTATION:

CONCLUSION AND REMARKS:

CE 414L: Testing of Materials | Experiment No. 13: Tensile

Tensile Strength
Strength of
of Reinforcing
Reinforcing Bar
Bar
SOURCES OF ERRORS:
DOCUMENTATION:

CE 414L: Testing of Materials | Experiment No. 13: Tensile

Tensile Strength
Strength of
of Reinforcing
Reinforcing Bar
Bar
CE 414L: Testing of Materials | Experiment No. 13: Tensile Strength of Reinforcing Bar