Is concrete weak in tension?

Concrete is indeed known to be weak in tension due to its material properties. When concrete is subjected to tensile forces, it tends to crack and fracture because it lacks the ability to withstand these forces effectively. This weakness results from the way concrete is composed; it is strong when being compressed but doesn’t have the same level of tensile strength.

The tensile strength of concrete is typically only about 10-15% of its compressive strength. This characteristic is why reinforcing materials, such as steel bars (rebar), are commonly placed in concrete structures. The rebar takes on the tensile loads, allowing the concrete to perform well under a combination of forces. Therefore, understanding this property of concrete is crucial for engineers and builders when designing structures to ensure they can adequately support expected loads and resist failure.