Design of RC Structure: Basic Concept Diploma, B.Tech, SSC-JE GATECE

Where do the steel bars actually go in a beam? Most students memorise it. You don't have to — one sentence decides it every time: "Steel goes wherever the concrete is being pulled apart." Simply supported beam → bars at the bottom. Cantilever → bars at the TOP. (This is the most-missed MCQ in the chapter.) Continuous beam → bottom at mid-span, top over the supports. This is Piece 1 of Design of RCC Structures, starting from the very beginning: why concrete needs steel at all, the anatomy of an RC section (b, D, d and cover), functional versus structural design, and the two design philosophies — Working Stress Method and Limit State Method. Common to BOTH streams: Diploma (WBSCTE, Sem 5, Unit 1) and B.Tech (MAKAUT CE(PC)501, Module 1). Examinable in SSC-JE, PSU and AE. Codes referenced: IS 456 : 2000 · SP 16 · SP 34 · IS 875 · IS 13920 📘 Free Study Notes and 📝 a 25-question MCQ practice paper for this topic: https://t.me/learncivileasy Next in the series — Loads on Structures: IS 875 and IS 1893. Subscribe for the full 26-piece series:    / @learncivileasy   #LearnCivilEasy #RCC #CivilEngineering #SSCJE #GATECE #DiplomaCivil #IS456 © 2026 Learn Civil Easy. Free for personal study. Resale or redistribution for profit is prohibited.