What is Yield Point ?
Definition of Yield Point in Construction:
The point of failure, or permanent deformation, of a component, due to a specific amount of force. The failure occurs at the yield point of the material, measured in force ( pounds of pressure ). All materials have different yield points, and these yield points are an important characteristic which determines how a material is used as a construction component. There are specific tests performed in labs that determine the individual yield points of various materials. Engineers, combine materials to create components that withstand forces without yielding, by understanding the stresses imposed on a structural component. For example the yield point of concrete when subjected to a shear or tensile stress is very low, however the same stresses in a bar of steel exhibit a much greater yield strength. These different yield points are used to determine the placement of rebar within a concrete beam or column, by placing the strongest materials with the highest yield point, in the proper place within the structural element. Steel has a high yield point to shear and tensile, therefore it is used in the bottom third of a reinforced concrete beam. Concrete has a high yield point in compression, therefore it is basically relied on at the upper portion of a properly loaded concrete beam to withstand the compressive forces of the upper portion of the beam. Yield point is an extremely important structural characteristic and is used extensively in structural design and engineering.