Mesh-ups

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Mesh-up, the new all plastic "chair," is flexible, elastic, easily and quickly attached to the mesh without ties. Above all it's capable of returning the mesh approximately to its original position after being subjected to the loads commonly encountered while placing the mesh in the forms and spreading the concrete.
.....The flexible plastic support chair Mesh-up helps solve the problems of concrete slabs at grade will:

Plastic Springs
.....It should be explained to the mechanics who place the chairs that Mesh-ups are plastic springs and when placed properly on rnesh can produce excellent results with little effort. They are not magic and after deflection they must be allowed to rebound.

Mesh-Ups are Easily Applied
.....Mesh-ups are attached where wires intersect so they will not rotate or fall off. The lower slot in the Mesh-ups is to receive the lower wire at the intersection. This seems minor, but it should be pointed out so that units will be applied properly the first time. Use 4" high 4" x 4" blocks or larger, to elevate the wire to facilitate Mesh-up application.

Wire Should Be Straight
.....To position wire properly, it must be straight with no tendency to curl. If the wire is not adequately straightened, the inspector should be on the lookout for "low" spots where an additional Mesh-up might be necessary. And at "high" spots of little stress, a unit can be removed.

Use Top Rebar
..... In design where slabs are poured monolithically with thickened beams, the mesh should be shown lying on top of the top reinforcing steel beam for additional support (any conduit and plumbing must be located under the wire).

With a Few Precautions - A Better Job
..... Tie wire at splice, tie wire to proper elevation at external forms, internal dividers, vertical projections ( plumbing, standpipe, vertical conduit, etc).

................Installation not recommended in subfreezing temperature.

Mesh-up suggested spacing chart

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Rolled wire at best is difficult to straighten by hand. Presently, it is placed in a concrete slab in two unacceptable ways:

1. The wire rolled on the ground with the curve side down. One man stands on the end of the wire so that it will not rewind on itself and the heavier wires require two men to push the roll along the ground to unroll it. About 20 to 30 feet out, the wire is cut and turned over with great effort so that it will not roll back on itself. The ends are then pulled up, back and over on itself to
   endeavor to take the curl out of the wire. At best, this is a very time consuming and dangerous method.
   
   
2. Method two is also in common use but should not be acceptable and does not satisfy even the most meager requirements of mesh in concrete. This is the common practice of rolling the mesh curl side down as in the former. The curl stress in the wire is not removed, but the wire is forced against the ground by the curling action and looks straight. At the end of the form, it is cut and tied so that it will not curl back on itself. When an attempt is made to lift the wire using a “hook man”, there is a tendency (the curl side is down) of the wire to push itself back to the bottom of the wet concrete

There is only one acceptable, adequate, inexpensive, and labor-saving way to straighten mesh at the job site - with a LOTEL WIRE STRAIGHTENER. This unit is designed to straighten 5’ rolls of #6, 8, 10 wire. A roll of wire is placed on the ground and rolled beneath the machine. The roll is then lifted 6 to 8 inches and latched in place. The mesh is pulled through the machine by the operator and laid in the forms, perfectly flat and easily tied in place. You will find it much simpler and above all much safer than the older method.

This entire operation is accomplished in minutes as compared with the forty-five minutes required by three men to lay out a roll under commonly used methods (see#1).

Mesh can be pulled through and straightened by attaching the bar and chain to the end of the mesh and pulling the wire with a pickup truck or other mobile equipment thus unrolling, straightening and laying out 750 square feet of mesh with minimal manual handling.

The development of this versatile piece of construction equipment is expected to reduce the difficulty in the handling of wire mesh and result in securing properly reinforced slabs much more economically than in the past.

DON’T FORGET MESH-UPS.