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Reinforcement ´carpets´

As an alternative to welded steel fabric reinforcement, which is available in sheets of limited size, one system offers reinforcing bars in the form of a ‘carpet’ or roll. The system is suitable for large areas of floor. The required arrangement of reinforcing bars is rationalised, to reduce variations in bar sizes and spacing. Bars of the required diameter are welded at the necessary pitch to flexible strips in a special machine, the output being a roll of reinforcement. This is transported to site and lifted into position by crane, being placed at one end of the required area. It is then rolled out like a carpet; generally only two operatives are required for a 10 tonne roll. Obviously this approach only provides reinforcement in one direction; a second roll of reinforcement is required for the orthogonal steel. One limitation with this method is the high local loads imposed on the formwork and falsework by the roll before it is spread out.

Acknowledgement: The Concrete Society