1892: Hennebique Method of Reinforced Concrete

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Innovation: Hennebique System of Reinforced Concrete
Location: France
Year: 1892
By: Francois Hennebique

Francois Hennebique was a French engineer who made a major contribution to the construction industry; he devised a way of strengthening concrete.  This system was designed to withstand the tensile forces against which ordinary concrete is weak.  Hennebique’s idea of strengthening concrete consists of steel reinforcing bars that are embedded within the bottom face of the concrete slab.  The idea of reinforcing concrete originated on a house project in Belgium in 1879 where Hennebique used concrete as a fireproof protection for wrought iron beams.  He patented his reinforced-concrete system in 1892 and the first concrete bridge using this method of reinforcement was built in 1894 in Wiggen, Switzerland.  The Hennebique system of reinforced-concrete has played a huge in role in construction today and is widely used throughout.  `

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