ABSTRACT
There are many excellent books on all aspects of the design and use of reinforced concrete. It is not the intention of this chapter to attempt to summarise such a wide subject in a few pages. Its purpose is, after a brief historical perspective, to act as an introduction to the following chapters on prestressed concrete, and to highlight specifi c aspects of the subject particularly relevant to the design of bridges, and which the author in his practice has concluded are inadequately understood by many engineers.
