STUDY OF THE MICROSTRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF STEEL REBARS LOCALLY PRODUCED IN GHANA

The structural integrity of engineered structures depends highly on the materials used. In recent times, increase in the collapse of buildings in Ghana has allegedly been attributed to the poor engineering properties of locally produced steel rebars, an indication that they do not meet the requirements set by the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA). This project studied the metallurgy of different rebars randomly sourced in Ghana, with a view to determine their suitability for structural applications. The study involved determining the chemical composition of the various diameters of rebars, analyzing microstructure and mechanical properties of the rebars and the obtained results compared with GSA values. The diameters measured gave average values which were close to that of the standard values. The chemical compositions of the rebars were good as they were all within the mild steel range but a few noticeable inconsistencies were observed in the chemical composition. The average tensile and yield strength for the samples were 545.11 MPa and 453.55 MPa which were above the GSA values of 400 MPa and 300 MPa minimum respectively. The rebars were quite ductile as standards for both elongation and area reduction were exceeded. This showed that the selected rebars met the GSA standards.