Reinforced sloping path slab 5 m long

[mointainwalker]

Hi

As written I need to lay the above but don't know what incline I can lay on a slab(5m x 2m x 10 cm ) poured in one go.Is 15 cm over 5m reasonable ?

To forestall questions , I live in the Alps, hence re-inforcement to prevent heave. I have lots of flat stones varying from 5 to 15 cm weighing 60 - 150 kg on site so I want to use them or I have to expend lots of energy breaking them up and and carrying away ( and then buy and carry new flat ones in !!!).

Slope is both to shed water and allow me to integrate differing height stones .

I think this is going to be rather difficult , so any comments are welcome,

At the risk of over-complicating the question, my local advice has been to pour 5 cm, lay the 6 mm steel- mesh and lay stones on top adjusting height as necessary for my bigger rocks.

Thank you.

 

[r896neo]

50mm is barely enough to cover the steel mesh. I would be looking at puring it at 4 inches as the mesh will really stop it creeping down the slope.

I assume then you plan to lay the stones on it before it goes off?

If so i would try and keep at least 75mm preferably 100mm thickness at all times and then build up to accomodate the thinner stones.

All the hammering of the stones into the wet concrete will encourage it to migrate down the slope so you will have to make a judgement in relation to getting the concrete stiff enough to hold the incline and slack enough for you to be able to lay all your stones. As it will probably take you a while and the last few may be hard to bed well as the concrete goes off.

 

[mointainwalker]

The slab will be 10 cm thick as i noted in the overall dimensions, but I neglected to write that I would pour the other 5 cm when stones placed so that they would be completely integrated in the slab.

What do you think about the angle of 3% ? Any idea of the maximum possible ?

 

[r896neo]

Concrete doesn't bond to itself well and even in the uk pouring 2 slabs 50mm thick ontop of one another would be a bad idea. But in the alps the frosts and snow would probably split them apart from each other. Also unless your slope is very even trying to cover the steel mesh with only 50mm may be hard

With the mesh in there you can realistically get quite a steep angle on it.

The secret as i said is the stiffness because it needs to be wet ebough to tamp properly with bashing it so hard it creeps

 

[theoldun]

How’s she cutting Mountain Man. You never did tell me what you were doing in Lympstone, Devon.
A 150mm rise in 5m is perfectly acceptable.
Waste of time and money laying 50mm conny with fabric. Mesh or rod must have min 50mm conny all round.
Appreciate you are trying to make life easy, but no easy way to lay sub base. If sub ground is half tidy reduce to levels required for 150mm sub base and 150mm conny if you suffer with heave out there. Do not know what stone or rock you have out there, but if it will break up with sledge, shutter base out, heave your big stuff in and break up with big hammer to 50/75mm lumps. Hand pitch about 125mm thick with club hammer as you go along. Will not take long, you have only got 10ms. Throw 25mm of ballast over top and wack it in to fill the voids Wacker will trickle the ballast down the voids. Top up with sand and wack again. I know it could cause a slip, but I would put poly dpc in. Two reasons, stop de-watering of conny and stop green damp appearing on surface in 12 months time.
Throw fabric in, break up some 50mm path edging into small pieces, to act as cradles under fabric. Cradle fabric, lift out and lay 50mm wet conny over area and put fabric back in on cradles. Lay remaining 100mm conny, keep it on the tight side, tamp and screed up hill if poss. If she has crept down a tadge, go back to bottom and give her a slow screed back up to top.
Run edging trowel round, let her addle of and finish with either plastic float or pull soft broom across. Re-edge. Next day, give her good drink and cover with poly. Give her another drink for the next couple days.
Forgot to say, run barrows over mesh on boards, if you can work of board when laying. Stops your mesh springing up and down.
oldun

 

[mointainwalker]

Hello 'oldun.

First Lympstone. No I was never in the military , but being interested in 20C history which was significantly formed by war, I am interested in the military and recognised the two towns you mentioned as RM garrisons, hence my question to you.

Now as for the path. The ground is tremendously solid here: not rock but very tough mixture of finely ground rock ( glacial), sand, clay and whatever with intermittent stones.. If you hammer a pick in, it penetrates about 3-4 " and stops .

Now I certainly don't doubt your expertise but I also think local practice is something to take into account and would like to ask your comments on the following.

Local practice is to pour 10 cm onto the prepared earth with 6 mm mesh (is that A112 ?)

Because 40 years ago this was one of the poorest places in France, the old tradition of building your own house ( and pulling in all the relatives to help) still survives to a major extent .People therefore have a much greater knowledge of building practices for local conditions than usual and are certainly not afraid of hard work when necessary to do a good job and nobody would knowingly skimp on effort if the result was going to be sub-standard.

Of course, they may accept a bumpy path as part and parcel of living in the mountains, so it's very much " on the one hand, on the other hand...."

Your posts are always very helpful, so I look forward to your reply as I have to say this path is holding me up as i should be putting up internal walls to get the floor poured for the UFH.

By the way, which part of Beds ? My home area is around Royston so not far away.

 

[theoldun]

Many thanks for clearing up Lympstone, Mountain Man. At least I can stop worrying now, as I know it was not your wife or sister, that I was so busy trying to chat up.
Reading your post, I would go along with the locals, they know the ground and the climate and what to expect out of the sub ground.
Take out any soft in sub ground and hard fill, shutter and pour. Lay your fabric as said before, make sure you have 50mm cover all round fabric. As previous, would lay poly dpc for reasons given.
Mesh 200x200 square with 6mm wire is A142. 8mm is A252. 10mm is A393 Or you could go 100x200 square with 6mm wire B283. 8mm is B503. 10mm is B785.
Envy you living over there, life must be a lot more laid back.
Good luck, kindest regards and wish you much happiness.
oldun