Welded Wire Fabric
The application of welded wire fabric that first comes to mind for most engineers and contractors is the reinforcement of nonstructural slabs on grade with rolls of “building fabric.” This is usually light mesh designated 6×6 W1.4xW1.4. The first pair of numbers indicates the spacing of the wires in inches. The second pair gives the size of the respective wires in cross-sectional area.
The amount of wire depends on the load on the slab, the slab thickness and the spacing of the joints. The Portland Cement Association in the publication “Concrete Floors on Ground” provides a selection chart for distributed steel that is a good guide to the designer. When longer joint spacing is desired to reduce the number of joints more steel is required. Concrete pipe manufacturers depend on welded wire fabric, either smooth or deformed wire, to meet the criteria of the industry’s ASTM standards. Its ability to delay the concrete from cracking under test loads has made it the selected reinforcement for concrete pipe of all sizes and shapes.
