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Welded Fabrics
Welded Fabrics
Welded Fabrics
Welded Fabric
1.0 Introduction
Standard fabrics are designated by their Stock sheet Length 4.8m Width 2.4m Area
mesh type, and the area of the 11.52 m2
longitudinal reinforcement contained Table 1
within, measured in mm2/m.
be manufactured to comply with
Example of ribbed cold rolled wire BS4449, must be incorporated into
welded fabric manufactured to
BS4483:2005. This type of fabric is
common in some European countries.
It is a requirement of BS 4483,
that all fabric should be electrical
resistance welded. A minimum
weld shear strength is specified at the
welded intersection. In addition, the
welded wires must meet the tensile
Figure 2 Courtesy of R-Tech Services and rebend properties specified in the
parent material specification.
Thus A252 is an A type mesh, with a steel. The majority of this material is
nominal area of longitudinal wires of produced by the cold rolling process
252 mm2/m. route (see Part 2 of this Guide). 2.2 Purpose-made fabrics
This material is ribbed, generally with
The standard size of welded fabric sheets three rows of transverse ribs, (Figure 2). In addition to the standard fabrics listed
is 4.8m x 2.4m. Merchant size sheets are in Table 1, BS 4483 also makes provision
also available in a standard size of 3.6 x BS4483:1998 allows fabric to be made for purpose-made fabrics. These may
2.0m. Special fabrics may be from plain wire to BS4482, which has have any combination of wire sizes and
manufactured up to sizes of 12.0 x 3.3m. been drawn, rather than rolled. spacing in either direction. In addition,
This product is excluded from the bars or wires in these fabrics may be
BS 4483:1998 allows for bars and wires European design code, EC2. The use of staggered. It is an important requirement
used for the longitudinal and transverse indented wire in welded fabric is very that the same grade of reinforcing steel
reinforcement in welded fabrics to be to rare in the UK. Hot rolled bar, which may should be used in each direction.
the following specifications:
3.0 Process routes 4.0 Testing a more extensive batch testing regime.
The manufacturing process route for In addition to testing conducted on the The weld shear test requirement of BS
bar and wire to BS4449 or BS 4482 constituent wires, welded fabric is 4483 is defined in the particular revision
has been described in Part 2 of this tested according to the requirements of of that standard.
Guide. Since welded fabric is BS 4483 for tensile properties, rebend
generally produced only in sizes up to properties and weld shear strength. If required by the customer,
16mm diameter, the feedstock for the manufacturers of welded fabric may
fabric making process is normally The test unit is 50 tonnes of the same issue a certificate of conformity for the
reinforcing bar in coil. Fabric type of fabric from a single welding batch, although the CARES approved
manufacturers in the UK normally machine. Tests are performed on two status of fabric producers obviates the
have their own cold rolling operation, longitudinal wires and two transverse need for such a provision, as this
in which plain hot rolled rod is rolled wires from the test unit. The tensile capability is required by CARES and is
to ribbed wire. The coil may be fed properties are measured on samples audited at regular intervals.
directly into the fabric-welding containing at least one welded
machine from spools, for both the intersection in the gauge length.
longitudinal and transverse wires. This ensures that the presence of the 5.0 Bending of fabric
This may be regarded as the common weld has not led to deterioration in the
method for standard fabrics. properties of the parent wire. Sheets of welded fabric can be bent by
Alternatively, the wire may be the reinforcement fabricator. The shape
straightened off-line, usually by As with the parent materials, there is a codes applied to the bending of fabric in
decoiling, and cut to length. The cut requirement for the long-term quality BS 8666 are the same as those for the
lengths are then fed to the welding level to be assessed. The characteristic bending of bar. Almost all shapes can be
machine from hoppers. A standard value of tensile properties measured supplied in fabric, but care must be
welding machine may have up to 24 over 3 months production must meet taken when specifying “closed” shapes.
longitudinal wires (Figure 4). The the long-term characteristic
spacing of both transverse and requirement. Under the CARES Product
longitudinal wires is adjustable. Certification Scheme, these results are 5.1 Scheduling
verified by CARES. Where material is
The longitudinal and transverse wires not covered by such a third party BS 8666 gives requirements for the
are fed into position under the product certification scheme, BS 4483 scheduling of standard and purpose-
welding heads, which consist of requires that welded fabric be subject to made fabric.
Cu/Cr electrodes. These clamp the
wires, and then pass the welding
current. The electrical resistance at
the interface between the two wires
Bending of Fabric Reinforcement
causes local heating due to the Joule
effect. The combination of the heat
produced and the pressure applied or
produces a solid-state weld i.e. where
no melting of material takes place. An The direction of bending relative to the transverse wires
example of a typical electric
L
resistance weld is given in Figure 5.
L or
The process is fully automated, and a
modern machine may weld at a rate
The direction of longitudinal wires of the sheet to ensure bending about the correct axis
of 120 transverse wires per minute,
with up to 24 welds per wire. 0x 0y 0y
A = not
After welding, coil fed fabrics are
sheared to length, and then stacked. The correct orientation of an asymmetric sheet to ensure the correct setting out of bending dimensions
Normally each alternate sheet is
inverted, in order to ‘nest’ the sheets,
so that the volume for transportation 4d min
is reduced. After stacking, bundles are
tied, normally with tying wire, labelled,
and then despatched. Bundles are
normally 1.5 tonnes in weight. They 4d min
are generally wire tied. It is vitally 4d min
important, including from a Health and
Safety point of view, that the bundles Position of welded transverse wires
Standard fabrics are ordered by their 7.0 Handling of fabric. 5. “Steel for the reinforcement of
designation in BS 4483, e.g. A193. If a concrete Appendix 4. Quality and
specific grade of bar or wire is required, It is vitally important, both from a quality operations schedule for welded
then this should be added after the and safety point of view that reinforcing fabric to BS 4483” UK CARES.
standard designation, using the notation fabric is handled correctly at all points in
of BS 8666 (see part 4 of the Guide). the supply chain but particularly from 6. BRITISH STANDARDS
delivery vehicles at construction sites. INSTITUTION. BS 4482:1985
Where bent fabric is to be scheduled, a Poor handling can damage wires and the “Cold reduced steel wire for the
sketch should be included on the welds between them and create reinforcement of concrete”.
schedule to show the orientation of the problems when fixing. From a safety
bend with respect to the welds. For point of view, the movement of 7. BRITISH STANDARDS
example, the transverse wires may be on reinforcement fabric should be the INSTITUTION. BS 4482:2005
the inside or outside of the bend (Figure subject of risk assessment and safe “Steel wire for the reinforcement of
6). BS 8666 specifically requires that system of work. It is not the purpose of concrete products - Specification”.
bends are at least 4 wire diameters away this guide to expand on this. A code of
from the nearest welded intersection. practice for users, hauliers and suppliers 8. BRITISH STANDARDS
has been produced by the UK fabric INSTITUTION. BS 4449:1997
producers however, under the trade “Carbon steel bars for the
association, BAR. A copy of this can be reinforcement of concrete”.
6.0 The CARES scheme obtained via BAR members.
for welded fabric 9. BRITISH STANDARDS
INSTITUTION. BS 4449:2005 “Steel
The operation of the CARES Steel for the
8.0 References for the reinforcement of concrete –
Reinforcement of Concrete scheme has
Weldable reinforcing steel - Bar, coil
been described in Part 1 of this Guide.
1. BRITISH STANDARDS and decoiled product - Specification”.
The scheme operates in a similar way for
INSTITUTION. BS 4483:1998
welded fabric to that described for
“Steel fabric for the reinforcement of 10. “Eurocode 2: Design of concrete
reinforcing bars, incorporating quality
concrete”. structures-Part 1-1: General rules and
systems assessment, independent
rules for buildings” EN1992-1-1:2004
product testing, and full traceability
2. BRITISH STANDARDS
throughout the supply chain.
INSTITUTION. BS 4483:2005 11 “The CARES guide to reinforcing
The CARES list of approved “Steel fabric for the reinforcement of steels: Part 2 Processes”.
manufacturers, which appears on the concrete - Specification”. UK CARES.
CARES web-site (www.ukcares.com),
includes a list of approved manufacturers 3. “Economic assembly of 12 “The CARES guide to reinforcing
of welded fabric, along with details of reinforcement” D F H Bennett, steels: Part 1 The product
their scope of approval. L A M MacDonald, BCA, Wexham certification scheme for steel for the
Springs 1992. reinforcement of concrete”.
As with the other schemes, specification UK CARES.
of CARES approved welded fabric gives 4 “Concrete industrial ground floors -
specifiers and users the confidence that a guide to their design and 13. “The safe off-loading of
the material complies with the purchase construction” Concrete Society Reinforcement Fabric. A code of
specification. The requirements for costly Technical Report 34. practice for users, hauliers and
batch acceptance testing are avoided. Concrete Society, Slough 1994. suppliers”. BAR.
UK CARES
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