GB2627305A

GB2627305A - Reinforcement material

Info

Publication number: GB2627305A
Application number: GB2302403.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Cooper Daniel
Original assignee: Resin Bull Ltd
Current assignee: Resin Bull Ltd
Priority date: 2023-02-20
Filing date: 2023-02-20
Publication date: 2024-08-21
Also published as: GB202302403D0

Abstract

A sheet of surfacing reinforcement (20) comprises a first layer of mesh (21). The first layer of mesh (21) comprises a first overlap region (27) extending along a first edge (26) of the mesh. The thickness of the overlap region (27) being half the thickness of the remainder of the sheet (20). The reinforcing material may comprise apertures within the mesh, with the apertures having a length of between 2 and 30mm and/or a width of between 2 and 30mm. The mesh may comprise members arranged in at least two directions wherein a first member direction is at an angle to a line perpendicular to the first edge wherein the members in a first direction may be perpendicular to members in a second direction. Also disclosed is a reinforced ground surface comprising at least one sheet of the previously mentioned reinforcement material and a method of laying said reinforcing ground surface.

Description

Reinforcement Material

Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a reinforcement material and method of installation thereof.

Background to the Invention

Resin bound stone can provide an aesthetically pleasing and robust surface material for example for paths and driveways. Resin bound stone is a composite comprising aggregate stone with sizes typically between 1 and 10 mm bound in resin. The resin bound stone surface is supported by a foundation, a number of materials can be used such as tarmac, plastic grids systems and concrete.

Tarmac foundations a typically laid to a depth of 60mm and once laid require 7 days to cure before the bound stone layer can be applied. This curing time is undesirable as it results in a period of time where the surface is inaccessible, this can be particularly undesirable where the surface is an access path or driveway.

Plastic grid systems are system of interlocking tiles typically used to retain loose gravel. Each individual tile comprises a vertically extending walls into which gravel is placed. Plastic grid systems are susceptible to flexing under temperature variations, when used with resin bound stone this can cause the hound stone to crack. To cover large areas numerous tiles must be precisely aligned so that their corresponding connecting features align which can he time consuming.

Concrete is the most commonly used foundation material because it is easy to provide a level surface and provides a hard surface once cured. However, concrete has a number of disadvantages; concrete manufacture is energy intensive and environmentally harmful, it suffers from thermal expansion which can cause the bound stone layer to crack, it is typically impermeable to water which can cause problems with surface run off -permeable concrete mixes have been developed but the flow rate is insufficient and the changes to the concrete mixture weaken the material. Furthermore, it takes 28 days to fully cure before the bound stone can be applied and later removal is difficult.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved foundation material which helps to alleviate some of the issues with existing foundation systems.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a sheet of surfacing reinforcement material comprising a first layer of mesh and a first overlap region extending along a first edge of the mesh, wherein the thickness of the overlap region is half the thickness of the remainder of the sheet.

Advantageously by providing the surfacing reinforcement material with an overlap region half the thickness of the remainder of the sheet allows areas wider than the width of the sheet to be reinforced, whilst also preventing the two (or more) sheets from separating due either to ground movement or load on the surfacing.

The first layer of mesh may comprise apertures. The apertures may have a length of between 2 and 100mm, preferably between 2 and 50mm, more preferably between 2 and 30mm, for example about 10mm, or about 20mm. The apertures may have a width of between 2 and 100mm, preferably between 2 and 50mm, more preferably between 2 and 30mm, for example about 10mm, or about 20mm.

The provision of apertures in the mesh improves the water permeability of the material, as certain surfacing materials, such as resin bound stone, resin bound rubber granulate and mixtures thereof are water permeable, a reinforcement material with apertures will not inhibit this. Furthermore, by the apertures being larger than the average size of the decorative aggregate (for example stone aggregate), the resin bound aggregate can permeate into the apertures improving the binding of the resin bound stone to the reinforcement material.

The mesh may comprise members arranged in at least two directions. A first member direction may be at an angle to a line perpendicular to the first edge. The first.

member direction may he parallel to the first edge. The first members may he longitudinal members. A second member direction may he parallel to the first edge. Members in a first directions may be perpendicular to members in a second direction. The first member direction may be perpendicular to the second member direction. The second direction members may he transverse members.

The sheet of surfacing reinforcement material may comprise a second overlap region. The second overlap region may extend along a second edge of the mesh. The second edge of the mesh may be opposite the first edge of the mesh. The sheet of surfacing reinforcement material may comprise an upper face and a lower face. The first overlap region may he recessed from the upper face. The second overlap region may be recessed from the lower face. A second overlap region allows more than two sheets of reinforcement material to be laid together. Provision of the recesses on opposing faces of the sheet simplifies placement of the sheets and they can be rolled off the same roll.

The or each overlap region may comprise at least one member in the first member direction. The or each overlap region may comprise at least one member parallel to the first edge. The or each overlap region may have a width of at least 2cm, preferably at least 5cm, more preferably at least 10cm. The or each overlap region may have a width of between 1 and 30cm, preferably between 5 and 25cm, more preferably between 10 and 20cm, for example 15cm.

By making the overlap region comprise at least one member parallel to the first edge this ensure that the resin bound aggregate can "key" to the sheets and bear against the member to restrict lateral movement. Providing an overlap region that is sufficiently wide ensures that it contains a plurality of members parallel to the first edge thereby increasing the number of "keying" points and increasing the resistance to lateral movement.

The sheet of surfacing reinforcement material may comprise at least two layers of mesh. A second layer of mesh may be laterally displaced from the first edge of the first layer of mesh. The lateral displacement may form the or each overlap region. The lateral displacement of the second layer may be a non-integer multiple of the width of the apertures. The first and second layers of mesh may both comprise members parallel to the first edge of the sheet. The longitudinal members of the first and second layers may he misaligned. The transverse members of the first and second layers may he misaligned. The second layer of mesh may comprise members arranged in at least two directions. The members of the first and second mesh layers may be laterally displaced.

Providing the sheet of surfacing reinforcement material as two layers of mesh provides for easier manufacture of the reinforcement material. By misaligning the two layers by a non-integer multiple of the aperture width the members of the first and second sheets are misaligned, this means resin bound aggregate can be worked "under" the upper layer of members and provide resistance to the resin hound aggregate delaminating from the reinforcement material.

The sheet of surfacing reinforcement material may further comprise a third layer of mesh. The third layer of mesh may provided between the first and second layers of mesh. The apertures in the third layer of mesh may be smaller than the apertures in the first and second layers. The apertures in the third layer of mesh may have a length of between 1 and lOmm, preferably between 2 and 5mm, for example about 3mm. The apertures in the third layer of mesh may have a width of between 1 and 10mm, preferably between 2 and 5mm, for example about 3mm.

The region of the sheet of surfacing reinforcement material between the two overlap regions may be a bulk region. The third layer of mesh may be provided between the first and second mesh layers in the bulk region. The third layer of mesh may be provided between the first and second mesh layers only in the bulk region.

The provision of a third layer of mesh with smaller apertures provides a means of stopping the resin bound aggregate permeating too far through the reinforcement material in regions other than the overlap regions, this means the resin bound material is efficiently used and not wasted.

The or each layer of mesh may be a fibreglass mesh. The or each layer of mesh may comprise fibreglass. The or each layer of mesh may be a woven fibreglass mesh. The members may be strands of fibreglass. The strands of fibreglass of the first and/or second layers may have a width of between 2 and 20mm, preferably between 3 and 15mm, for example 5nun or 10mm The strands of fibreglass of the first and second layers may have a thickness of between 0.5 and 5mm preferably between 0.5 and 3 mm, for example lnam or 2mm.

Fibreglass meshing provides a good tensile strength to the reinforcement 30 material and provides desirable properties over a range of temperatures.

The or each layer of the mesh may comprise PET.

The strands of fibreglass of the third layer may have a width and/or thickness of between 0.5 and 2mm, for example 1mm.

The at least two layers of mesh may be stitched together. The stitching may be provided as lines along the longitudinal direction. The stitching may be provided at a plurality of points along the transverse of the sheet. The lines of stitching may be separated by between 10 and 20cm, for example 15cm.

The mesh may be formed of mouldable plastic. The mesh may be formed of HDPE. The members may be mouldable plastic walls. The members may be plastic walls. The walls may have a first height. The or each overlap region may be formed by walls with a second height. The second height may be half the first height. The first height may be between 5 and 15mm, preferably between 8 and 12mm for example 10mm. The second height may be between 2 and 7mm, preferably between 3 and 6mm for example 5mm.

Providing the reinforcing material as a single layer of mouldable plastic provides a more cost-effective material.

The sheet of surfacing reinforcement material may have a thickness of between 2 and 20mm, preferably between 2 and 15mm The sheet of surfacing reinforcement material may have a thickness of 3mm The sheet of surfacing reinforcement material may have a thickness of 5mm. The sheet of surfacing reinforcement material may have a thickness of lOmm.

The sheet of surfacing reinforcement material may be provided on a roll.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a reinforced ground surfacing comprising: at least one sheet of surfacing reinforcement. material comprising a first layer of mesh and a first overlap region extending along a first edge of the mesh, wherein the thickness of the overlap region is half the thickness of the remainder of the sheet, decorative aggregate and a resin binder, wherein the aggregate is provided as a layer bound in the resin binder to form a bound aggregate layer and the sheet of surfacing reinforcement material is embedded within the bound aggregate layer.

The surfacing reinforcement material may he the surfacing reinforcement material according to the first aspect of the invention (including any optional features thereof).

The reinforced ground surfacing may further comprise a second sheet of surfacing reinforcement material according to the first aspect of the invention (including any optional features thereof). The two sheets of surfacing reinforcement material may overlap at their respective overlap regions. The resin hound stone may be provided in the apertures of the overlap regions.

Where the two overlap regions overlap the hound aggregate hind the two sheets 10 of reinforcement material together by filling the apertures of the overlap region such that the sheets cannot be laterally displaced.

The surfacing reinforcement material may he embedded in the bottom of the resin bound aggregate.

The resin hinder may he a single part resin. The resin binder may he a two-part resin. The resin binder may be a polyurethane resin. The resin binder may be epoxy resin.

The decorative aggregate may comprise decorative stone aggregate. The decorative aggregate may comprise EPDM rubber granulate, SBR rubber chip and/or rubber mulch. For example, the decorative aggregate may be Addaflex R as supplied by Addagrip Terraco Ltd of Uckfield. The decorative aggregate may comprise a mixture of stone aggregate and rubber. The decorative aggregate may he a decorative stone aggregate. The decorative aggregate grains, chips or stones may have a size of less than 30mm, more preferably less than 20mm, for example between 1 and 20mm, i.e. between 1 and 10mm.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a method of laying a reinforced ground surfacing, the method comprising laying first and second sheets of surfacing reinforcement material, each sheet comprising a first layer of mesh and a first overlap region extending along a first edge of the mesh, wherein the thickness of the overlap region is half the thickness of the remainder of the sheet, wherein the first and second sheets of surfacing reinforcement material overlap at their respective overlap regions, then decanting a mixture of decorative aggregate and resin hinder onto the first and second sheets of surfacing reinforcement material and levelling the mixture.

The first and second sheets of surfacing reinforcement material may be sheets of surfacing reinforcement material according to the first aspect of the invention (including any optional features thereof).

The method may further comprise excavating the area to be surfaced to a depth of at least 100mm, more preferably at least 150rnm, for example 200rnm.

The method may further comprise laying a sheet of generic mesh or geotextile material on the excavated area.

The method may further comprise laying a layer of compacted hardcore. The compacted hardcore may he laid to a depth of at least 100mm, preferably at least 120mm, for example 150mm The compacted hardcore may be laid upon the sheet of generic mesh or geotextile.

The method may further comprise laying a second sheet of generic mesh on top of the compacted hardcore.

The method may further comprise laying a layer of compacted grit sand. The grit sand may be laid to a depth of at least 10nun, for example 20nun The first and second surfacing reinforcement sheets may be laid upon the grit sand.

The mixture of decorative aggregate and resin may he worked into the surfacing reinforcement material. The mixture of decorative aggregate and resin may he worked into apertures in the surfacing reinforcement material. The decorative aggregate may be the decorative aggregate of the second aspect of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention

In order that the invention may he more clearly understood one or more embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 A cross sectional view of a prior art resin bound stone surfacing; Figure 2 A perspective view of a prior art reinforcement material; Figure 3 A cross sectional view of a prior art resin bound stone surfacing; Figure 4 A perspective view of a sheet of reinforcement material according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 A schematic cross section view of a resin bound stone surfacing comprising the sheet of reinforcement material of figure 4; Figure 6 A perspective view of a further sheet of reinforcement material according to an embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 7 A cross sectional view of a resin hound stone surfacing comprising the sheet of reinforcement material of figure 6.

With reference to figures 1 to 3 resin bound stone surfacing of the prior art are described. Resin bound stone surfacings 1 are a composite material comprising aggregate stone 2 of between 1 and 10 mm bound in polyurethane resin 3. The resin bound stone forms a honeycomb type structure with gaps 4 between the stones providing routes for water to flow through, this helps to avoid surface run off.

Once the resin bound stone is set it forms a hard, durable and decorative surface however to improve the stability a foundation is typically laid prior to the resin bound stone. Concrete is the most commonly used foundation material, figure 1 shows a cross section of the layers used in concrete supported bound stone. First site is prepared and levelled, then a layer of aggregate 5 (such as MOT Type 1 subbase) is put down and compacted. Next a concrete slab 6 is poured to a depth of between 100 and 150mm depending on the load the surface expected to be subjected to and is allowed to set for up to 28 days. Once the concrete is fully set a mixture of decorative aggregate 2 and resin 3 is applied on top of the concrete 6.

Concrete is not water permeable; this means that although water can drain through the resin hound stone 1 via the gaps 4 between the individual stones it cannot permeate further and pools, provision for suitable drainage must therefore be made, increasing the complexity of the installation.

As an alternative to concrete a layer of tarmac can be laid, this has a shorter, but still undesirable, 7 day curing period and requires specialised equipment to lay.

There has been some interest in the use of alternatives to poured foundations such as the use of a plastic grid system. An example of a plastic grid system 10 is shown in figure 2, the grid system 10 comprises a number of interlocking units 11.

Each individual unit 11 has an overall square shape bounded by external walls 12, a plurality of dividing walls 13 separate the unit into a plurality of cells 14. On the outer face of two adjacent external walls 12 are provided projections 15 these are shaped and positioned to engage with recesses 16 in the remaining two external walls 12 such that two or more units 11 can be locked together to cover a greater area. These plastic grid systems 10 have traditionally been used to retain those gravel which is used to fill the cells 14, the walls 12,13 stopping lateral movement of the gravel.

Figure 3 shows an example of where the plastic grid system 10 is used as a foundation for a resin bound stone surface 1. As with the concrete foundation outlined above a layer of aggregate 5 is first laid on the area where the resin hound stone is to be applied. Then the individual units 11 of the grid system 10 are placed on the aggregate being joined together using the interlocking projections IS and recesses 16 to cover the area.

Again, the decorative aggregate 2 is mixed with resin 3 and poured into the grid system 10 to fill the cells 14 and overfill above the walls 12,13. Whilst the grid system provides some stability to the resin bound stone surface it has a number of disadvantages; the interconnecting features require precise alignment and the grid can Ilex and expand due to thermal changes, this can cause unsightly cracking of the resin hound stone especially directly above the walls 12,13 where the resin bound stone it thinner.

With reference to figures 4 and 5 a surfacing reinforcement material 20 is described in detail. Figure 4 shows an exploded view of the individual layers of the reinforcement material 20, the reinforcement material comprises a first, upper, layer of mesh 21 and a second, lower, layer of mesh 22 laterally offset from the first layer 21.

In this embodiment both meshes have the same construction and as such only one will he described in detail.

The first mesh layer 21 is comprised of a series of fibreglass strands 24 woven together at 90 degrees to one another to form a sheet, adjacent strands are separated such that apertures 25 with a square profile are provided between. The strands of the second mesh layer 22 are aligned with the strands of the first mesh layer 21 and the sheet extends beyond a first edge 26 of the first mesh layer 21 to provide a first overlap region 27. In some embodiments a second edge 28 of the first mesh layer 21 opposite the first edge 26 may extend beyond the second mesh layer 22 to form a second overlap region 29.

hi further embodiments the strands may be arranged such that the apertures have different shapes, for example triangles or hexagons.

In some embodiments the first and second layers are laterally offset by a non-integer multiple of the aperture size, for example the offset may be 7.5 or 8.5 or 9.5 etc times the aperture width.

hi the first, and where present second, overlap regions at least one fibreglass strand is provided which runs parallel to the overlap region 27,29, preferably at least one entire row of apertures 25 are arranged in the overlap regions 27,29, more preferably a plurality of rows of apertures are arranged in the overlap regions 27,29, for example the overlap regions may extend approximately 150mm from their respective edges 26,28.

Between the first 21 and second 22 mesh layers there may be provided a third, middle, layer of mesh 23. The middle mesh 23 is arranged in the region where the first and second mesh layers are contiguous but not in the overlap regions 27,29.

In order to secure the three layers 21,22,23 in the correct alignment they are stitched together in a series of lines running parallel to the overlap region and generally 25 250mm apart.

The dimensions of the strands 24 and the separation between them for the first and second meshes 21,22 can be varied dependent upon the purpose of the resin bound stone surface it will reinforce. For example for surfaces with a relatively light loading, such as footpaths and patios, the individual strands may be approximately 5mm wide and 1mm thick with apertures 25 approximately 1 Omm on each edge. This type of 1I fibreglass mesh has a tensile strength of at least 100kN. For surfaces that are expected to be subjected to heavy loads, for example driveways, the individual strands may have a width of about 10mm and a thickness of 2rnm with apertures 25 approximately 20mm on each edge. This type of fibreglass mesh has a tensile strength of at least 200kN.

For both the light and heavy load versions, the third layer of mesh is the same with 1mm diameter fibreglass strands with apertures approximately 3mm of each edge. In the present embodiment the mesh layers 21,22,23 are all formed of fibreglass however as those skilled in the art will appreciate, other materials such as PET could be used.

The surfacing reinforcement material 20 may be provided in rolls to ease transport and use. The rolls may have a width of between 1 and 6m, though preferably 1.8m to ease handling. The roll may have a length of 50m and the overlap regions 27,29 may extend along the long edges.

Figure 5 shows a schematic cross section of the surfacing reinforcement material 20 within a resin bound stone surface 50.

To prepare the area to be surfaced, the ground 100 is dug to a depth of 200mm and levelled using conventional means, onto this levelled surface a sheet of generic mesh or geotextile (not shown) may be laid next a 150mm layer of hardcore 55 is placed and compacted. A further sheet of generic mesh (not shown) may then be placed on top of the compacted hardcore 55 followed by 20mm of compacted grit sand 56 or similar fine material. The surfacing reinforcement material is unrolled on the grit sand, adjacent rolls are placed such that the first overlap region 27 of one sheet 20a overlaps with the second overlap region 29 of the next sheet 20b.

Next the decorative arrogate stone 2 is mixed with the two-part resin 3 (in this case polyurethane, but others such as epoxy are also suitable. In other embodiments a single part resin may be used) in a forced action mixer until the stone is coated in the resin, to form a stone composite material, this typically takes about 2 minutes of mixing. The material is then decanted onto the surfacing reinforcement material to a depth of between 7 and 40rnm, the material is levelled using a gauged spazzle or screed box. The surface is then trowelled generally by hand or power trowel equipment. During this process the resin bound stone material is trowelled in different directions to ensure good compaction. During this process the material will fall into the apertures 25 of the first and second mesh layers 21,22 in the overlap regions 27,27 and form an interlocking key, that is to say, once set the combination of stone and resin between the strands 24 will prevent the reinforcement material from shifting laterally as may be the case if the mesh were subjected to loads in the absence of the overlapping regions.

hi instances where the offset of the first 21 and second 22 mesh layers is a non-integer multiple of the aperture 25 width the strands 24 of the first and second layers will not be aligned. The trowelling of the surfacing material will force the resin bound stone under the stands 24 of the upper layer 21 and thereby further reduce the possibility of the bound stone delaminating and it will be vertically confined As noted above, in the non-overlap regions a third mesh layer 23 is provided, this third mesh layer has smaller apertures than those in the first 21 and second 22 layers. This third layer stops the bound stone passing though the reinforcing material 20 into the grit sand 56 below, reducing the amount of bound stone required.

The use of the reinforcing material has an advantage over the use of concrete in the prior art in that is allows water to drain. Water will still be able to pass through the resin bound stone via gaps 4 in the material and the apertures 25 in mesh material.

Whilst the above embodiment describes surfacings using resin bound stone aggregate, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of resin hound aggregate may he used, for example EPDM rubber granulate, SBR rubber chip 20 and rubber mulch and other fragmentary or granular materials or mixtures thereof.

Furthermore, whilst the invention is envisioned to provide an alternative to concrete foundations, it is also believed that it can be used in remedial works, for example it could be placed over damaged concrete foundations prior to applying the decorative aggregate.

With reference to figures 6 and 7 a further surfacing reinforcement material 60 is described. Figure 6 shows a perspective view of the reinforcement material 60, the reinforcement material has an overall quadrilateral shape defined by two longitudinal edge walls 61 and two shorter transverse edge walls 62. The area within the edge walls is broken into a plurality of cells 63 by a plurality of longitudinally extending inner walls 64a and a plurality of transversely extending inner walls 64b.

Along a first longitudinal edge wall 61a a first recess 66 is provided from an upper face 65 of the material 60, the recess 66 extends along the entire length of the first longitudinal edge 61a and the recess forms a first overlap region 66. On the opposing second longitudinal edge wall 61b a second recess 67 is provided from a lower face 68 opposing the upper face 65 of the material 60. The height of the walls in the recesses 66, 67 is half that of the remainder of the material. The overlap regions 66,67 may extend at least the width of one complete cell 63, though preferably the overlap regions will comprise a plurality of rows of cells 63, for example the overlap regions will extend at least 150mm from the longitudinal edges 61.

In this embodiment the walls 62,64 defining the cells 63 have a height of lOmm and the walls 61 in the overlap regions 66,67 have a height of 5mm. The cells 63 have an edge length of approximately 20mm.

In this embodiment the reinforcing material is moulded from H DPE, as those skilled in the art will appreciate other mouldable plastics may he used. The surfacing reinforcement material 60 may be provided in rolls to ease transport and use.

The rolls may have a width of between 1 and 6m, though preferably 1.8m to ease handling. The roll may have a length of 50m and the overlap regions 66,67 may extend along the long edges.

Figure 7 shows a schematic cross section of the surfacing reinforcement material 20 within a resin bound stone surface 50.

To prepare the area to be surfaced, the ground 100 is dug to a depth of 200mm and levelled using conventional means, onto this levelled surface a sheet of generic mesh or geotextile (not shown) may be laid, next a 150mm layer of hardcore 55 is placed and compacted. A further sheet of generic mesh (not shown) may then be placed on top of the compacted hardcore 55 followed by 20mm of compacted grit sand 56 or similar fine material. The surfacing reinforcement material 60 is unrolled onto the grit sand, adjacent rolls arc placed such that the first overlap region 66 of one sheet 60a overlaps with the second overlap region 67 of the next sheet 60b.

Next the decorative arrogate stone 2 is mixed with the two-part resin 3 (in this case polyurethane, but other types of resin such as epoxy are also suitable) in a forced action mixer until the stone 2 is coated in the resin 3, to form a stone composite material, this typically takes about 2 minutes of mixing. The material is then decanted onto the surfacing reinforcement material 60 to a depth of between 7 and 40mm, the material is levelled using a gauged spazzle or screed box. The surface is then trowelled generally by hand or power trowel equipment. During this process the resin hound stone material is trowelled in different directions to ensure good compaction. During this process the material will fall into the cells 63, in particular in the overlap regions 66,67 and form an interlocking key, that is to say, once set the combination of stone 2 and resin 3 between the edge walls 61 will prevent the reinforcement material 60 from shifting laterally as may be the case if the reinforcing material were subjected to loads in the absence of the overlapping regions.

The overlap regions 66,67 may be sized such that when they are placed together the walls withing the region do not align. The trowelling of the surfacing material will force the resin bound stone under the walls of the upper layer and thereby further reduce the possibility of the bound stone delaminating as it will be vertically confined The use of the reinforcing material has an advantage over the use of concrete in the prior art in that is allows water to drain. Water will still he able to pass through the resin bound stone via gaps 4 in the material and the cells 63 in reinforcement material 60.

Whilst the above embodiment describes surfacings using resin hound stone aggregate, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of resin bound aggregate may be used, for example EPDM rubber granulate, SBR rubber chip and rubber mulch and other fragmentary or granular materials or mixtures thereof.

Furthermore, whilst the invention is envisioned to provide an alternative to concrete foundations, it is also believed that it can he used in remedial works, for example it could be placed over damaged concrete foundations prior to applying the decorative aggregate.

The one or more embodiments are described above by way of example only. Many variations are possible without departing from the scope of protection afforded 30 by the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A sheet of surfacing reinforcement material comprising a first layer of mesh, the mesh comprising a first overlap region extending along a first edge of the mesh, wherein the thickness of the overlap region is half the thickness of the remainder of the sheet.
2. A sheet of surfacing reinforcement material according to claim 2 wherein the mesh comprises apertures, the apertures have a length of between 2 and 30mm and/or a width of between 2 and 30mm.
3. A sheet of surfacing reinforcement material according to claim 1 or 2 whcrcin the mesh comprises members arranged in at least two directions, wherein first.member direction is at an angle to a line perpendicular to the first edge.
4. A sheet of surfacing reinforcement material according to claim 3 whcrcin members in a first directions are perpendicular to members in a second direction.
5. A sheet of surfacing reinforcement material according to claim 3 or 4 wherein one of the member directions is parallel to the first edge.
6. A sheet of surfacing reinforcement material according to any of claims 3 to 5 wherein the overlap region comprises at least one member in the first member direction.
7. A sheet of surfacing reinforcement material according to any preceding claim further comprising a second overlap region extending along a second edge of the mesh opposite the first edge of the mesh, wherein the sheet of surfacing reinforcement material comprises an upper face and a lower face, the first overlap region is recessed from the upper face and the second overlap region is recessed from the lower face.
8. A sheet of surfacing reinforcement material according to any preceding claim comprising at least two layers of mesh, wherein a second layer of mesh is laterally displaced from the first edge of the first layer of mesh to form the or each overlap region.
A sheet of surfacing reinforcement material according to claim 8 further comprising a third layer of mesh, wherein the third layer of mesh is provided between the first and second layers of mesh, and wherein the apertures in the third layer of mesh are smaller than the apertures in the first and second layers.
10. A sheet of surfacing reinforcement material according to any preceding claim wherein the mesh comprises a fibreglass mesh and the members are strands of fibreglass.
11. A sheet of surfacing reinforcement material according to claim 10 wherein the mesh comprises a woven fibreglass mesh.
12. A sheet of surfacing reinforcement material according to any of claims 8 to 11 wherein the second layer of mesh comprises members arranged in at least two directions, wherein the members of the first and second mesh layers are laterally displaced.
13. A sheet of surfacing reinforcement material according to any of claims 1 to 7 wherein the members are plastic walls with a first height.
14. A sheet of surfacing reinforcement material according to claim 12 wherein the overlap region is formed by walls with a second height, wherein the second height is half the first height.
15. A sheet of surfacing reinforcement material according to any preceding claim wherein the or each overlap region has a width of at least 10cm.
16. A sheet of surfacing reinforcement material according to any preceding claim wherein sheet has a thickness of between 2 and 20mm.
17. A sheet of surfacing reinforcement material according to any preceding claim where in the sheet is provided on a roll.
18. A reinforced ground surfacing comprising: at least one sheet of surfacing reinforcement material according to any of claims 1 to 17, decorative aggregate and a resin binder wherein the aggregate is provided as a layer hound in the resin hinder to form a bound aggregate layer and the sheet of surface reinforcement material is embedded within the bound aggregate layer.
19. A reinforced ground surfacing according to claim 18 further comprising a second sheet of surface reinforcement material according to any of claims 1 to 17 wherein the two sheets of surface reinforcement material overlap at their respective overlap regions.
20. A reinforced ground surfacing according to claim 18 or 19 wherein the resin hinder is a polyurethane resin.
21. A reinforced ground surfacing according to any of clams 18 to 20 wherein the decorative aggregate has a size of between 1 and 10nun
22. A reinforced ground surfacing according to any of claims 18 to 21 wherein the decorative aggregate comprises decorative stone aggregate.
23. A method of laying a reinforced ground surfacing, the method comprising: laying first and second sheets of surfacing reinforcement material, each sheet comprising a first layer of mesh and a first overlap region extending along a first edge of the mesh, wherein the thickness of the overlap region is half the thickness of the remainder of the sheet, wherein the first and second sheets of surfacing reinforcement material overlap at their respective overlap regions, then decanting a mixture of decorative aggregate and resin binder onto the first and second sheets of surfacing reinforcement material and levelling the mixture.
24. A method of laying a reinforced ground surfacing according to claim 22 wherein the first and/or second sheets of surfacing reinforcement material arc surfacing reinforcement material according to any of claims 1 to 17.
25. A method of laying a reinforced ground surfacing according to claim 23 when directly or indirectly dependent upon claim 2 wherein the mixture of decorative aggregate and resin is worked into apertures in the surfacing reinforcement material.