Modern road construction, with its high-quality implementation, is not complete without road steel nets. The mesh is used to improve the strength characteristics of roads under construction, as well as for the reinforcement of asphalt pavements, in bridge building, the construction of airfields, warehouse sites and in other industries where a stronger road surface, its reliability and durability is required. Reinforcement of roads, which are laid on not dense sandy soils, in places with a variable bearing surface, depending on the season (swampy and humid terrain), is also relevant, and reinforcement of individual, heavily loaded sections of the road is also possible.
The additional costs of using a steel mesh road will pay off after several years of operation.
The studies carried out show that reinforcement with road steel mesh significantly reduces the occurrence of cracking of the pavement than on unreinforced road sections. Good results were obtained experimentally with the smallest asphalt thickness (about 5.0 cm) and the use of a reinforcing mesh, but in this case it is recommended to arrange a two-layer pavement using dense asphalt concrete. As the study showed, the cost of a layer of reinforced asphalt concrete pavement with a thickness of 75 - 80 mm is not higher than the cost of an unreinforced road pavement with a layer thickness of 95 - 100 mm.
The depth of the steel reinforcing mesh can fluctuate and depend on the requirements for the quality of the asphalt concrete pavement and the characteristics of the road layers. However, according to the technology, the reinforcing mesh must be laid between two asphalt-bitumen layers.
Welded road mesh is made of low carbon wire BP-I by the method of its spot cross welding, wire diameter from 4.0 to 6.0 mm, mesh size 150x150mm. Road mesh GOST 23279-85 is supplied in rolls or cards.
The use of steel road mesh in modern road construction greatly increases the bearing capacity of the asphalt concrete pavement, especially on soft soils, and reduces the formation of rutting and cracks in the pavement. Having high strength, the road mesh is best suited to reduce deformation of the pavement, while increasing its service life, as well as reducing its thickness, which affects the further cost of its operation and maintenance.
