Rebarin drive

[David Lang]

Hi

I'm planning on a concrete drive. If I use re-bar in the concrete can I get away with less thickness?

Most sources suggest 6" for driveways. Could I use 4" & re-bar?

Dave

[Andy Dingley]

For typical drives, I doubt it. The thickness limit isn't for ultimate strength, it's to improve stiffness. If it's thin enough to bend, then it will also crack.

No doubt you could do this with some complex pre-stressed tendons run low through the slab. But for the average "drop in a sheet of weldmesh" approach, then it won't stop the bending.

[Rick]

You need 50mm of concrete arround the bar, so 50mm+20mm bars (10mm mesh) +50mm is over 4 inches, assuming you can do the 50mm accuratly.

From my experience I very much dought the mesh is cheeper than the concrete you save.

Rick