AU2019200155A1 - Method and apparatus for assembling reinforcement mesh - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for assembling a reinforcement mesh on a prepared surface is disclosed. A plurality of height adjustable support rails are positioned on a first section of the prepared surface, wherein a height of each support rail is adjustable such that 5 each support rail has a raised configuration and a lowered configuration. A first series of transverse reinforcing rods are positioned on said support rails, bar chair supports are attached to the transverse reinforcing rods and a first series of longitudinal reinforcing rods are positioned on and connected to said first series of transverse reinforcing rods to form an orthogonal reinforcement mesh. The height of the support rails is adjusted 10 such that said orthogonal reinforcement mesh is supported on the first section of the prepared surface by the bar chair supports and the support rails are withdrawn from under said orthogonal reinforcement mesh.

Description

Method and apparatus for assembling reinforcement mesh

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for assembling reinforcement. The present invention particularly relates to a method and apparatus for assembling and laying reinforcement, especially reinforcement used in the construction of roads, most especially reinforced concrete roads.

Background of the invention

Reinforced concrete roads conventionally comprise a foundation layer, the so10 called sub-base, usually of un-reinforced concrete, and the pavement or so-called base slab, which is reinforced, and is poured directly onto the sub-base.

Typically, the base slab is reinforced by a rectangular grid of steel reinforcing rods comprising a plurality of spaced apart longitudinal rods extending in the direction of the road and a plurality of spaced apart transverse rods extending athwart the 15 longitudinal rods and tied thereto at each crossing point in the mesh. The longitudinal rods are individually fairly short, say 12 metres long, but successive longitudinal rods are spliced together, that is to say, overlapped and tied to each other, to form a continuous ribbon of mesh extending along the road. That ribbon is supported from the sub-base by plastic or other bar chairs to ensure that the reinforcement is at the correct 20 altitude in the finished pavement.

In some cases, rollmats or reinforcing bar ‘carpets’, which are rolls of reinforcing bars connected together at desired spacing, are used in the laying and assembling of reinforcement. When it is time to install the reinforcement, the rolls of reinforcing bars are placed at an appropriate position and simply unrolled. Thus, installation is very 25 quick. Moreover, the spacing and the thickness of the reinforcing rods can be determined for each application using appropriate design criteria and the reinforcing rolls utilising the required rod thickness and spacing can be preassembled at a factory for subsequent delivery to the site.

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One example of this technology is BAMTEC technology, with BAMTEC being a registered trade mark of Bam AG. This technology connects the reinforcing bars together by welding each bar to flexible steel straps at the desired spacing. Another example is Rollmax, which is a registered trade mark of the Australian Steel Company 5 (Operations) Pty Ltd. Similar rolls of reinforcing bars (or rollmats) may be produced by wire-tying each bar at the desired spacing, as is done for example by Pedax’s SpinMaster.

Reference to any prior art in the specification is not an acknowledgment or suggestion that this prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in any 10 jurisdiction or that this prior art could reasonably be expected to be understood, regarded as relevant, and/or combined with other pieces of prior art by a skilled person in the art.

Summary of the invention

In a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for assembling a reinforcement mesh on a prepared surface comprising the steps of: positioning a plurality of height adjustable support rails on a first section of the prepared surface such that said support rails are aligned generally parallel to one another in a longitudinal direction are spaced apart from one another in a transverse direction generally perpendicular to said longitudinal direction, wherein a height of each support >0 rail is adjustable such that each support rail has a raised configuration and a lowered configuration; positioning a first series of transverse reinforcing rods on said support rails, said transverse reinforcing rods being spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the support rails and aligned generally parallel to the transverse direction of the support rails; attaching bar chair supports to the transverse reinforcing rods; positioning a first 25 series of longitudinal reinforcing rods on said first series of transverse reinforcing rods, said longitudinal reinforcing rods being spaced apart in the transverse direction of the support rails and aligned generally parallel to the longitudinal direction of the support rails; connecting said first series of longitudinal reinforcing rods to at least one of said first series of transverse reinforcing rods to form an orthogonal reinforcement mesh;

adjusting the height of the support rails such that said orthogonal reinforcement mesh is supported on the first section of the prepared surface by the bar chair supports; and withdrawing the support rails from under said reinforcement mesh.

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In a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a support rail for use in a method for assembling a reinforcement mesh on a prepared surface, the support rail comprising: an upper beam having a surface on which the reinforcement mesh can be assembled; and height adjustable support means for supporting the upper 5 beam on the prepared surface, wherein the height adjustable support means is operable to move the upper beam between a raised configuration, in which the upper beam is positioned at a height above the prepared surface greater than a height of a vertical support atop which the reinforcement mesh is to rest, and a lowered configuration, in which the upper beam is positioned at a height above the prepared 10 surface less than the height of the vertical support atop which the reinforcement mesh is to rest.

As used herein, except where the context requires otherwise, the term comprise and variations of the term, such as comprising, comprises and comprised, are not intended to exclude further additives, components, integers or 15 steps.

Further aspects of the present invention and further embodiments of the aspects described in the preceding paragraphs will become apparent from the following description, given by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief description of the drawings ’0 Figures 1 to 6 are perspective views of various steps of a method in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figures 7A and 7B show side views of a section of support rail in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, in its raised and lowered configurations, respectively;

Figures 8A and 8B show plan views of the section of support rail depicted in

Figures 7A and 7B, in its raised and lowered configurations, respectively; and

Figure 9 is an end view of a support rail in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, in its lowered configuration.

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Detailed description of the embodiments

The following description and accompanying drawings attached to this specification are provided for the purpose of illustrating preferred embodiments of the present invention. It is to be understood that the invention should not be considered to be limited to the features described and disclosed in those drawings. Similar components between the embodiments are identified by the same reference numerals.

Figures 1 to 6 are perspective views of various steps of a method for assembling a reinforcement mesh on a prepared surface 1. In this embodiment, the prepared surface 1 is a subsurface slab of roadway under construction.

A first step of this method involves positioning a plurality of height adjustable support rails 10 on a first section of the prepared surface 1. As depicted in Figure 1, said support rails 10 are positioned on the first section of the prepared surface 1 such that they are spaced apart in their transverse direction X and aligned generally parallel in their longitudinal direction Y, which is generally perpendicular to said transverse direction X. Each support rail 10 has a height that is adjustable such that the respective support rail 10 has a raised configuration and a lowered configuration, which will be discussed later in more detail.

Once the support rails 10 are in position, a first series of transverse reinforcing rods 12 is positioned on said support rails 10. As depicted in Figure 3, each transverse ’0 reinforcing rod 12 in the first series of transverse reinforcing rods runs in the transverse direction X (and is thus supported by the plurality of height adjustable support rails 10) and is spaced apart from neighbouring/adjacent transverse reinforcing rod(s) 12 in the longitudinal direction Y.

In this embodiment, the first series of transverse reinforcing rods 12 is provided in 25 the form of a roll 14 of rods connected together by flexible connecting elements. It will be appreciated that, in alternative embodiments, alternatively grouped reinforcing rods may be provided or loose rods may be manually positioned individually to form the first series of transverse reinforcing rods 12. However, as discussed above with respect to the background of the invention, such rolls of rods connected together by flexible

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2019200155 10 Jan 2019 connecting elements are commercially available and are often easier to transport and handle than the same number of loose rods.

Where the first series of transverse reinforcing rods 12 is provided in the form of a roll 14 of rods, the roll 14 is initially positioned across the plurality of support rails 10 at 5 a first longitudinal end of the first section of the prepared surface 1. This positioning may be effected in any generally known manner, e.g. craning into position, rolling off the transport means such as the back of a truck, etc. The roll 14 is then unrolled in the longitudinal direction Y of the support rails 10 to a second longitudinal end of the first section of the prepared surface 1 so as to position the transverse reinforcing rods 12 in I0 their spaced apart relationship shown in Figure 3. In this embodiment, the roll 14 is only partially unrolled when it reaches the second longitudinal end, as it further comprises at least a second series of transverse reinforcing rods, which will be discussed later in more detail.

Once the transverse reinforcing rods 12 of the first series are positioned in their spaced apart relationship, bar chair supports 16 are then attached to said transverse reinforcing rods 12 as can be seen in Figure 3. Typical bar chairs may be used for this purpose, or any vertical support capable of supporting the reinforcing mesh atop the prepared surface during its preparation.

In the present embodiment, attaching the bar chair supports 16 to the transverse >0 reinforcing rods 12 is carried out while the support rails 10 are in their raised configuration. In this embodiment, said bar chair supports 16 are fixed to extend in a generally vertical, downward direction from said transverse reinforcing rods 12, or suspended from said transverse reinforcing rods 12 so as to swing freely.

With reference to Figures 4 and 5, once the first series of transverse reinforcing rods has been positioned atop the plurality of support rails 10 a first series of longitudinal reinforcing rods 18 is positioned on said first series of transverse reinforcing rods 12. Each longitudinal reinforcing rod 18 in the first series of longitudinal reinforcing rods runs in the longitudinal direction Y (i.e. generally parallel to the support rails 10) and is spaced apart from neighbouring/adjacent longitudinal reinforcing rod(s) 18 in the 30 transverse direction X.

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As was the case for the first series of transverse reinforcing rods 12, in this embodiment the first series of longitudinal reinforcing rods 18 is provided in the form of a roll 20 of rods connected together by flexible connecting elements. It will be appreciated that, in alternative embodiments, alternatively grouped reinforcing rods may be provided or loose rods may be manually positioned individually to form the first series of longitudinal reinforcing rods 18.

As depicted in Figure 4, where the first series of longitudinal reinforcing rods 18 is provided in the form of a roll 20, roll 20 is initially positioned on the first series of transverse reinforcing rods 12 at a first lateral side of the first section of the prepared

I0 surface 1. The positioning of roll 20 may be effected in any generally known manner, as was the case for roll 14. The roll 20 is then unrolled to position the longitudinal reinforcing rods 18 in their spaced apart relationship shown in Figure 5.

Once the first series of longitudinal reinforcing rods 18 is positioned on the first series of transverse reinforcing rods 12, the former is connected to the latter to form an 15 orthogonal reinforcement mesh 22. In some embodiments, this connection is effected by joining a longitudinal reinforcing rod 18 to a respective transverse reinforcing rod 12 at every intersection between a longitudinal reinforcing rod 18 and a transverse reinforcing rod 12.

It will be appreciated that, in alternative embodiments, the orthogonal >0 reinforcement mesh 22 may be formed by joining a longitudinal reinforcing rod 18 to a respective transverse reinforcing rod 12 at every second, third, fourth, etc. intersection between a longitudinal reinforcing rod 18 and a transverse reinforcing rod 12 depending on the size of the first section of the prepared surface and the number of rods forming the orthogonal reinforcement mesh 22. It will also be appreciated that, in other alternative embodiments, one or more longitudinal reinforcing rods 18 may not be connected to any respective transverse reinforcing rods 12, and/or one or more transverse reinforcing rods 12 may not be connected to any respective longitudinal reinforcing rods 18. This may particularly be the case where flexible connecting elements already form transverse connections between respective longitudinal reinforcing rods 18 and/or longitudinal connections between respective transverse

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2019200155 10 Jan 2019 reinforcing rods 12, e.g. when the respective reinforcing rods are initially provided in the form of a roll.

In the depicted embodiment, the longitudinal reinforcing rods 18 are joined to the transverse reinforcing rods 12 by a tying process using a wire, clamp or clip means. It will be appreciated that, in alternative embodiments, the longitudinal reinforcing rods 18 may be joined to the transverse reinforcing rods 12 by a welding process, such as tack welding. Such a welding process may be effected manually or by an automated welding apparatus.

Once the orthogonal reinforcement mesh 22 is formed, the height of the support I0 rails 10 is adjusted such that said orthogonal reinforcement mesh 22 is supported on the first section of the prepared surface 1 by the bar chair supports 16. In the present embodiment, the support rails 10 are maintained in their raised configuration throughout the preceding method steps. In this case, the height adjusting step involves a single step of lowering the support rails 10 from their raised configuration to their lowered configuration.

Once the orthogonal reinforcement mesh 22 is supported on the first section of the prepared surface 1 by the bar chair supports 16, the support rails 10 may then be withdrawn from under said reinforcement mesh 22. If further reinforcing mesh needs to be prepared the support rails 10 can then be positioned for this purpose.

’0 As discussed above, in some cases the roll 14 of transverse reinforcing rods will be longer than the first section of the prepared surface 1 and can be used in the creation of a reinforcing mesh for a second, contiguous section of the prepared surface

1. In this case, the roll 14 of transverse reinforcing rods further comprises at least a second series of transverse reinforcing rods that remain in a rolled configuration as shown in Figure 5. As a result, once the orthogonal reinforcement mesh 22 is formed, this second series of transverse reinforcing rods can be rolled back, in said rolled configuration, onto the first series of longitudinal reinforcing rods 12 prior to the step of adjusting the height of the support rails as indicated by arrows A in in Figure 5. Accordingly, roll 14 comprising said second series of transverse reinforcing rods in said rolled configuration can be supported by the first series of longitudinal reinforcing rods

12.

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With reference to Figure 6, the step of withdrawing the support rails 10 from under said orthogonal reinforcement mesh 22 may involve moving the support rails 10 in their longitudinal direction Y such that they positioned on a second section of the prepared surface 1, spaced apart in their transverse direction X and aligned generally 5 parallel in their longitudinal direction Y. Whilst in this embodiment the second section of the prepared surface 1 is contiguous with the first section, it will be appreciated that other embodiments may separate the first and second sections of prepared surface 1, e.g. by a third section on which a second plurality of support rails is provided.

The method described above with respect to the first section of prepared surface I0 1 can then be carried out for the second section of prepared surface 1. As such, the following will only describe those method steps that are not identical to the steps carried out for the first section. In this regard, the second series of transverse reinforcing rods can be positioned on said support rails 10 as described above. Where a roll 14 of transverse rods was used for the preceding section and rods remain in that roll, 15 positioning the second series of transverse reinforcing rods on said support rails 10 involves at least partially further unrolling the roll 14 of transverse rods that is supported by the first series of longitudinal reinforcing rods 12. Moreover, in addition to connecting a second series of longitudinal reinforcing rods (not shown) to the second series of transverse reinforcing rods, said second series of longitudinal reinforcing rods can be >0 connected to the first series of longitudinal reinforcing rods to form a continuous orthogonal reinforcement mesh extending over the first and second sections of the prepared surface 1 .In the embodiment depicted in Figures 1 to 6, the prepared surface 1 is a subsurface slab of a roadway under construction. Accordingly, the longitudinal and transverse reinforcing rods 12, 18 are sized such that the reinforcement mesh 22 is 25 suitable for reinforcing concrete roadway.

In addition, the longitudinal direction Y of the support rails 10 depicted in Figures 1 to 6 generally coincides with an intended direction of travel for the concrete roadway. Such an orientation facilitates the ability to continuously repeat the described method along a desired length of the concrete roadway. It will be appreciated that the number of 30 repetitions required will depend on the length of the support rails used, which in turn defines the length of section upon which a reinforcement mesh can be assembled at any one time.

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Moreover, the desired width of the concrete roadway can be accommodated by varying the number of support rails 10 used, and/or the spacing between them. For example, the use of four support rails 10 as depicted in Figures 1 to 6 may be suitable for a concrete roadway having a width of approximately 3.5 to 4.5 m, with spacing varying from 1200 to 1500 mm. It will be appreciated that narrower roadway widths may be accommodated by the use of two or three support rails 10, and/or reducing the spacing. It will be also appreciated that broader roadway widths may be accommodated by the use of five, six, seven, eight or more support rails 10, and/or increasing the spacing.

I0 Variations to the specific method described above without departing from the scope of the invention are possible.

For example in the embodiment described above bar chairs 16 are secured to the transverse reinforcing rods 12 while the support rails 10 are in a raised configuration (thus allowing the bar chairs 16 to depend generally vertically downwardly from the transverse reinforcing rods 12). In alternative embodiments, it may be possible to secure the bar chairs 16 to the transverse reinforcing rods 12 while the support rails 10 are in their lowered configuration. In this case, said bar chair supports 16 are attached to said transverse reinforcing rods 12 in a manner that allows them to swing into an orientation in which they extend in a generally vertical, downward direction from said >0 transverse reinforcing rods 12 once the support rails 10 are adjusted into their raised configuration. This allows some or all of the mesh to be assembled atop the support rails 10 while in their lowered configuration. In such embodiments, the step of adjusting the height of the support rails 10 (in order to allow extraction of the support rails 10 from beneath reinforcing bars) may comprise: a first sub-step of raising the support rails 10 25 from their lowered configuration to their raised configuration such that the bar chair supports 16 are suspended freely from the transverse reinforcing rods 12; and a second sub-step of lowering the support rails 10 from their raised configuration to their lowered configuration so the mesh 22 rests on the bar chair supports 16.

As a further example, in the embodiment described above bar chairs 16 are secured to the transverse reinforcing rods 12 prior to the longitudinal reinforcing rods 18 being positioned. In alternative embodiments it may be possible to secure the bar chairs

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2019200155 10 Jan 2019 to the transverse reinforcing rods 12 at an alternative point in the process, e.g. after positioning the longitudinal reinforcing rods 18.

Details of one embodiment of a support rail 100 for use in a method for assembling a reinforcement mesh on a prepared surface will now be described with 5 reference to Figures 7A-8B.

Generally, the support rail 100 comprises an upper beam 110 and height adjustable support means 120 for supporting the upper beam 110 on a prepared surface (e.g. prepared surface 1 depicted in Figures 1 to 6). The upper beam 110 has a surface 112 for supporting a reinforcement mesh (e.g. reinforcement mesh 22 depicted I0 in Figure 5) during assembly.

The height adjustable support means 120 is operable to move the upper beam 110 between a raised configuration and a lowered configuration. In the raised configuration as depicted in Figures 7A and 8A, the upper beam 110 is positioned at a height above the prepared surface greater than a height of a vertical support (e.g. bar 15 chair supports 16 depicted in Figures 3 to 6) atop which the reinforcement mesh is to rest. In the lowered configuration as depicted in Figures 7B and 8B, the upper beam 110 is positioned at a height above the prepared surface less than the height of the vertical support atop which the reinforcement mesh is to rest. Support rails 100 may be provided with different raised and lowered configuration heights depending on the >0 intended use. Generally speaking, a lowered configuration height of 10-15 mm lower than the height of the bar chairs that are to be used will be appropriate, and a raised configuration height of approximately 30 - 40 mm greater than the lowered height will be appropriate. Typical bar chairs for highways may have heights ranging between 110 and 125 mm, and appropriate support rail dimensions in this case are such that the 25 raised configuration has a height ranging between 130 and 150 mm and the lowered configuration has a height ranging between 100 and 110 mm.

Specifically, in the depicted embodiment, the height adjustable support means 120 comprises a base member in the form of a lower beam 130 having a longitudinal direction that is generally parallel to a longitudinal direction of the upper beam 110, and 30 connecting means in the form of a plurality of pivot links 140 connecting the upper beam 110 to the lower beam 130. The pivot links 140 are aligned generally parallel with each

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2019200155 10 Jan 2019 other and spaced apart in a longitudinal direction of the upper beam 110. Each pivot link 140 has an upper end rotatably connected to the upper beam 110 and a lower end rotatably connected to the lower beam 130 such that the upper beam 110, the lower beam 130 and the pivot links 140 are equivalent to a parallelogram four-bar linkage.

In the depicted embodiment, the upper beam 110 and the lower beam 130 are each formed from a span of rectangular hollow section (RHS). Each pivot link comprises a pair of flat metal bars 142A, 142B arranged opposite one another on each side of the upper and lower beams 110, 130. A lower end of each flat bar 142A, 142B is connected to the lower beam 130 by a hinge or pin joint 144, and an upper end of each flat bar

I0 142A, 142B is connected to the upper beam 110 by a hinge or pin joint 146. Suitable dimensions of such RHS may be 50 x 25 x 2.5 RHS. Suitable dimensions for the flat bars 142A, 142B may be 25 x 6 x 110 mm with 10 mm pins. A support rail 100 utilising such dimensions may have a raised configuration height of approximately 130 mm and a lowered configuration height of approximately 100 mm, with the respective pivot links

140 being spaced apart by approximately 1000 mm.

The base member further comprises a plurality of cross pieces 150 in the form of flat metal bars fixed to the bottom surface of the lower beam 130 below each pivot link 140 so as to extend in the transverse direction. Such cross pieces 150 may increase the stability of the support rail 100 on the prepared surface in a transverse direction.

>0 Suitable dimensions for the flat bars that form these cross pieces 150 may be 75 x 6 x 150 mm, and they may be fixed to the bottom surface of the lower beam 130 by any appropriate means, such as welding.

In an alternative embodiment, the base member further comprises a pair of side bars that extend the length of the support rail and are attached to respective ends of the 25 respective cross pieces. Such side bars may assist with the step of withdrawing the support rail from under the finished mat. Specifically, the side bars can deflect the support rail from the bar chairs supporting the finished reinforcement mat, such that the cross pieces do not catch on said bar chairs. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that further alternative embodiments may utilise a single side bar attached to the side of the 30 support rail exposed to the bar chairs, and/or a side bar(s) that only extends a portion of the length of the support rail that is most likely to come into contact with the bar chair

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2019200155 10 Jan 2019 supports. In the embodiment depicted in Figure 9, the side bars 260 are formed from 10 mm round bar welded to the ends of the cross pieces 250, which in turn are welded to the bottom surface of the lower beam 230 of the depicted support rail 200.

Moreover, the base member of the embodiments discussed above is formed by lower beam 130 and further comprises a plurality of cross-pieces in the form of flat metal bars 150. However, it will be appreciated that the base member may be formed by any other suitable means. For example, in some embodiments, two or more support rails having separate upper beams may share a common base member.

Furthermore, alternative embodiments may utilise height adjustable support

I0 means that support the upper beam on the prepared surface with height adjusting legs having integral support feet, e.g. pivot links having upper ends rotatably connected to a single upper beam and lower ends connected to (or formed integrally with) separate support cross-pieces.

Two or more of the support rails described above, with reference to Figures 7AI5 8B, may be spaced apart in a transverse direction and aligned generally parallel in a longitudinal direction to form a support assembly for use in a method for assembling a reinforcement mesh on a prepared surface. Such a support assembly may utilise individual support rails as, for example, depicted in Figures 1 to 6. It will nevertheless be appreciated that alternative support assemblies may comprise support rails in which ’0 separate upper beams share a common base member.

It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined in this specification extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.

Claims (19)

1. A method for assembling a reinforcement mesh on a prepared surface comprising the steps of:

positioning a plurality of height adjustable support rails on a first section of the

5 prepared surface such that said support rails are aligned generally parallel to one another in a longitudinal direction and are spaced apart from one another in a transverse direction generally perpendicular to said longitudinal direction, wherein a height of each support rail is adjustable such that each support rail has a raised configuration and a lowered configuration;

I0 positioning a first series of transverse reinforcing rods on said support rails, said transverse reinforcing rods being spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the support rails and aligned generally parallel to the transverse direction of the support rails;

attaching bar chair supports to the transverse reinforcing rods;

15 positioning a first series of longitudinal reinforcing rods on said first series of transverse reinforcing rods, said longitudinal reinforcing rods being spaced apart in the transverse direction of the support rails and aligned generally parallel to the longitudinal direction of the support rails;

connecting said first series of longitudinal reinforcing rods to said first series of 20 transverse reinforcing rods to form an orthogonal reinforcement mesh;

adjusting the height of the support rails such that said orthogonal reinforcement mesh is supported on the first section of the prepared surface by the bar chair supports; and withdrawing the support rails from under said orthogonal reinforcement mesh.

25

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first series of longitudinal reinforcing rods is provided in the form of a first roll of rods connected together by flexible connecting elements, the longitudinal reinforcing rods being arranged in spaced apart relationship by at least partially unrolling the first roll of rods.

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3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first series of transverse reinforcing rods is provided in the form of a second roll of rods connected together by flexible connecting elements, the transverse reinforcing rods being arranged in spaced apart relationship by at least partially unrolling the second roll of rods.

5 4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the step of withdrawing the support rails from under said orthogonal reinforcement mesh comprises moving the support rails in their longitudinal direction such that they are positioned on a second section of the prepared surface contiguous with the first section, spaced apart in their transverse direction and aligned generally parallel in their longitudinal direction.

I0 5. A method according to claim 4 when dependent on claim 3, wherein:

the second roll of rods further comprises a second series of transverse reinforcing rods that remain in a rolled configuration subsequent to the first series of transverse reinforcing rods being arranged in spaced apart relationship; and the method further comprises the step of, prior to the step of adjusting the height

15 of the support rails, rolling the second series of transverse reinforcing rods in said rolled configuration back onto the first series of longitudinal reinforcing rods such that the second series of transverse reinforcing rods in said rolled configuration is supported by the first series of longitudinal reinforcing rods.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein, subsequent to the support rails

20 being positioned on the second section of the prepared surface, the method further comprises the steps of:

positioning the second series of transverse reinforcing rods on said support rails spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the support rails and aligned generally parallel to the transverse direction of the support rails by at least partially further

25 unrolling the second roll of rods;

attaching bar chair supports to the transverse reinforcing rods of the second series;

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2019200155 10 Jan 2019 positioning a second series of longitudinal reinforcing rods on said second series of transverse reinforcing rods, said longitudinal reinforcing rods being spaced apart in the transverse direction of the support rails and aligned generally parallel to the longitudinal direction of the support rails;

5 connecting said second series of longitudinal reinforcing rods to said first series of longitudinal reinforcing rods and at least one of said second series of transverse reinforcing rods to form a continuous orthogonal reinforcement mesh extending over the first and second sections of the prepared surface;

adjusting the height of the support rails such that said continuous orthogonal

I0 reinforcement mesh is supported on the prepared surface by the bar chair supports; and withdrawing the support rails from under said reinforcement mesh.

7. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the longitudinal reinforcing rods are joined to the transverse reinforcing rods by a tying process using a

15 wire, clamp or clip means.

8. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the longitudinal reinforcing rods are joined to the transverse reinforcing rods by a welding process.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the welding process is effected manually.

20

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein the welding process is effected by an automated welding apparatus.

11. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein:

the step of attaching the bar chair supports to the transverse reinforcing rods is carried out when the support rails are in their raised configuration; and

25 the step of adjusting the height of the support rails involves lowering the support rails from their raised configuration to their lowered configuration.

12. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein:

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2019200155 10 Jan 2019 the step of attaching the bar chair supports to the transverse reinforcing rods is carried out when the support rails are in their lowered configuration; and the step of adjusting the height of the support rails comprises:

a first sub-step of raising the support rails from their lowered configuration

5 to their raised configuration such that the bar chair supports are suspended freely from the transverse reinforcing rods; and a second sub-step of lowering the support rails from their raised configuration to their lowered configuration.

13. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the longitudinal I0 and transverse reinforcing rods are sized such that the reinforcement mesh is suitable for reinforcing a concrete roadway.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the longitudinal direction generally coincides with an intended direction of travel for the concrete roadway.

15. A support rail for use in a method for assembling a reinforcement mesh on

15 a prepared surface, the support rail comprising:

an upper beam having a surface on which the reinforcement mesh can be assembled; and height adjustable support means for supporting the upper beam on the prepared surface,

20 wherein the height adjustable support means is operable to move the upper beam between a raised configuration, in which the upper beam is positioned at a height above the prepared surface greater than a height of a vertical support atop which the reinforcement mesh is to rest, and a lowered configuration, in which the upper beam is positioned at a height above the prepared surface less than the height of the vertical

25 support atop which the reinforcement mesh is to rest.

16. A support rail according to claim 15, wherein the height adjustable support means comprises:

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2019200155 10 Jan 2019 at least one base member; and connecting means operatively connecting the upper beam to the at least one base member such that the upper beam can be raised from the at least one base member into the raised configuration and lowered to the at least one base member into 5 the lowered configuration.

17. A support rail according to claim 16, wherein:

the at least one base member comprises a lower beam having a longitudinal direction that is generally parallel to a longitudinal direction of the upper beam; and the connecting means comprises at least two links spaced apart in the

I0 longitudinal direction of the upper beam, each link having an upper end rotatably connected to the upper beam and a lower end rotatably connected to the lower beam such that the upper beam, the lower beam and the at least two linkages together form a parallelogram four-bar linkage.

18. A support rail according to claim 17, wherein the at least one base

15 member further comprises a plurality of cross-pieces for increasing the stability of the support rail on the prepared surface in a transverse direction.

19. A support rail according to claim 18, wherein the at least one base member further comprises at least one side bar, said at least one side bar connected to respective ends of respective cross-pieces and extending at least a portion of a length

20 of the support rail in the longitudinal direction.

20 A support assembly for use in a method for assembling a reinforcement mesh on a prepared surface, the support assembly comprising a plurality of support rails according to any one of claims 15 to 19, said support rails being spaced apart in a transverse direction and aligned generally parallel in a longitudinal direction.