PCC and RCC | Types of concrete used for building construction

Difference between RCC and PCC: 

When simple concrete or plain cement concrete (PCC) is made strong by providing steel bars, called reinforcement bars,it is called RCC. It is much stronger and able to sustain huge amount of tension as compared with plane cement concrete.

When any structural member is supposed to bear bending moment and tensile stress, it is designed as RCC by structural engineer i. e. Calculations are made for steel bars requirements ( Dia., nos, positions) in cement concrete members to sustain stresses members are subject to. Pcc i. e. Plain cement concrete is not good enough to bear tensile stress however if steel bars are placed within the concrete i. e. If it is reinforced with steel, it can bear stresses. Thus pcc if reinforced, it is called RCC.

Use of RCC in building construction: 

RCC is a composite material made up of concrete and steel reinforcement. Again, concrete itself is a composite material of cement and aggregates. Building structures undergo compressive and tensile stresses. Concrete is efficient in resisting compression stresses but weak under tensile stresses, therefore concrete is reinforced with steel bars which are efficient in resisting tensile stresses, therefore the term reinforced cement concrete.

Further cement concrete can also be pre-tensioned or post-tensioned using cables or bars having high tensile strength to take stresses.