AU596444B2 - Reinforcement mesh - Google Patents

Description

lsr 596444 This document contains the amendments made under Section 49 and is correct for printing, B e' i l COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA The Patents Act 1952-1969 Name of Applicant s) Athur William SHEPHERD Address of Applicant0) Actual Inventor(s S71 Bellata Street THE GAP Queensland 4061 Australia Arthur William SHEPHERD G.R. CULLEN COMPANY Dalgety House 79 Eagle Street BRISBANE QLD. 4000

AUSTRALIA.

li ii 1i 4 44 1 Address for service: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED: "REINFORCEMENT MESH" The following statement is a full description of the invention including the best method of performing it known to us: -2- THIS INVENTION relates to a reinforcement mresh for use in concrete slabs and concrete walls.

Hitherto, the reinforcement of concrete has L comprised the selective positioning therein of reinforcement rods or wires. The reinforcement rods were usually supported by a plurality of bar chairs. Each bar chair comprised a yoke or cradle supported by a plurality of legs. Usually a plurality of said chairs were laid in a spaced relationship in a series of rows in a trench adapted to receive liquid concrete. The reinforcement rods were then secured or tied to the yoke of each bar chair before I.t the pouring of the concrete occurred.

t When use was made of conventional bar chairs as described above often the feet or base portions of the legs i t i .15 of the bar chairs protruded into a supporting layer of sand Ir 4 1 in the trench. This often resulted in corrosion of the legs of the bar chairs which initiated cracks in the concrete slab reducing markedly its strength. To prevent this it was ac usually necessary to either dip the legs of the bar chairs S 20 in molten plastics materials or manufacture the bar chair from galvanized iron or stainless steel.

From the foregoing it was also to be appreciated that individual bar chairs were rather expensive, especially when made from galvanised iron or stainless steel. The cost of using such bar chairs therefore multiplied when relatively large numbers were required.

Also installation of the bar chairs as described -3above was very time consuming because it was necessary to initially locate the bar chairs in the trench and subsequently attach them to the reinforcement rods.

It was also to be appreciated that certain predetermined spacings were normally required for concrete constructions such as concrete footings for buildings, whereby depending upon the particular soil type and application, there may be laid down standards in regard to spacing of mesh comprising reinforcement rods or wires.

Often maintaining such spacing was a difficult process which required frequent cross checks from the installer. This added to the time spent in installation and also to the cost of installation.

An alternative to the use of bar chairs was to manually position the reinforcement rods in a layer of poured concrete before adding additional concrete. Such So" manual installation often involved the installer(s) walking on the liquid concrete to push the reinforcement rods below a top surface of the concrete. This method proved to be difficult and messy. It further resulted in inconsistent and often incorrect spacing of the reinforcement rods.

There also existed the risk that rods positioned by such a method could protrude below the concrete and thereby be exposed to the dangers of corrosion.

It was also to be appreciated that metal mesh was often used in the manufacture of concrete slabs. However the problem in regard to installation of such mesh was -4spacing the mesh an appropriate distance from the top and bottom surface of the concrete slab.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a reinforcement mesh which at least minimizes some of the disadvantages referred to above.

The reinforcement mesh of the invention comprises a network of intersecting longitudinal reinforcement rods and transverse reinforcement rods, said rods being integral with or attached to each other at their points of intersection characterised in that said network is provided with a 0 0"0 plurality of arrays of support lugs with each extending in a 4 e common direction at right angles to the plane of the network and the lugs in each array being attached to either a single longitudinal reinforcement only or a single transverse j o reinforcement rod only said plurality of arrays consisting o:o only of arrays of lugs attached to a longitudinal reinforcement rod or only of arrays attached to transverse reinforcement rods.

Suitably each of the longitudinal rods are parallel 4" to each other and oriented at right angles to the transverse rods which also are suitably parallel to each other.

Preferably the longitudinal and transverse Sf- reinforcement rods are welded together to form sheets of Sreinforcement mesh.

Suitably the support lugs may all extend outwardly from selected longitudinal rods. However they may also be integral with or otherwise attached to spaced transverse rods.

The support lugs in one form may comprise legs or arms spaced from the plane of the reinforcement mesh, each having a free 4aend. Alternatively, each support lug may comprise a plurality of legs or arms all projecting from a common intersection p ~p p pp..

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Alternatively each support lug may comprise a support loop which may be curved or rectangular.

Reference may now be made to a preferred embodiment of the invention shown in accompanying drawings wherein:- FIG 1 shows in elevation, a sheet of reinforcement mesh constructed in accordance with the present invention embedded in a L.ayer of concrete; FIG 2 shows in plan, a sheet of reinforcement mesh constructed in accordance with the present invention; and, FIG 3 shows a perspective view of the s1=et of mesh shown in FIGS 1 or 2.

In FIG 1 there is shown a sheet of reinforcement mesh 1 comprising a plurality of longitudinal reinforcement rods 2 and transverse reinforcement rods 3 welded together to form said sheet. Depending downwardly from longitudinal reinforcement rod 2 is a support lug 4. The support lug 4 r* comprises an arcuate length of wire the free ends 5 of which are spot welded to the longitudinal reinforcement rod 2 at 5A. The reinforcement mesh 1 is contained in a layer of 4& t 20 concrete 6 and is supported above a layer of sand 7 by support lugs 4.

In FIG 2 the reinforcement mesh 1 has intersection points 8 as shown and support lugs are shown interposed between a pair of adjacent intersection points 8. Each support lug 4 extends from selected longitudinal rods 2 as shown although they may a.so extend from selected transverse rods 3 if desired. FIG 3 shows a perspective view of the sheet of reinforcement mesh 1.

-6- Thus having regard to the prior art discussed above, the advantages to be attained in use by the sheets of reinforcement mesh of the invention include a substantial reduction in the time required to assemble and place the mesh owing to the supporting lugs being already attached or integral with the reinforcement rods.

Thus in use the sheet of reinforcement mesh, including the associated support lugs may be carried to the construction site and simply laid across the floor of the trench in which the concrete is to be poured.

It is also appreciated that such construction lends itself to more accurate and consistent spacing of reinforcement rods throughout the concrete.

Further, the sheet of reinforcement mesh may be 15 made from a galvanised material and therefore eliminate the dangers resulting from possible corrosion of the I 4* reinforcement mesh.

To those skilled it shall be apparent that such ti prefabricated reinforcement mesh and associated support lugs 20 is not limited to merely horizontal applications. The support lugs may be used to space the sheet of reinforcement mesh away from a vertical or inclined wall.

It is also within the scope of the invention especially where the reinforcement mesh is to be used in regard to a vertical or inclined wall that the support lugs may extend outwardly on each side of the reinforcement mesh.

Thus, both broad surfaces of the sheet of reinforcement mesh may have support lugs extending outwardly therefrom.

Claims (4)

1. Reinforcement mesh comprising a network of intersecting longitudinal reinforcement rods and transverse reinforcement rods, said ;ods being integral with or attached to each other at their points of intersection characterised in that said network is provided with a plurality of arrays of support lugs with each extending in a common direction at right angles to the plane of the network and the lugs in each array being attached to either a single longitudinal A reinforcement only or a single transverse reinforcement rod only said plurality of arrays consisting only of arrays of A lugs attached to a longitudinal reinforcement rod or only of arrays attached to transveyse reinforcement rods.

2. Reinforcement mesh as claimed in claim 1 wherein S each support lug comprises an open loop having a pair of ends A t which are spaced from each other and attached to one of said longitudinal rods or one of said transverse rods.

3. Reinforcement mesh as claimed in claim 1 wherein each support lug comprises support legs each having a free t' end.

4. Reinforcement mesh as claimed in claim 3 wherein each of said support legs have a common intersection point. Reinforcement mesh substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this Tenth day of January, 1990. ARTHUR WILLIAM SHEPHERD by his Patent Attorneys G.P. CULLEN CO.