How to tie reinforcement for a foundation?

Almost any large structure begins with the construction of a foundation. But not many people know that for the reliability and durability of the foundation, it must be reinforced with building reinforcement. Therefore, many who plan to build their own house on their own involuntarily ask the question: how to knit reinforcement correctly?

Moreover, this process is very complex and requires patience and attention, special skills, as well as certain knowledge in construction work.

Essentially, reinforcement is designed to add flexibility to a concrete structure, making it more resilient. The fact is that under the influence of large loads of concrete, the reinforcement takes over. But without reinforcement, a concrete structure will actually be very fragile and unreliable.

As a rule, the reinforcement process is quite labor-intensive and can be done in two common ways: wire knitting or welding. Of course, both of these methods are good, but each has its own specific nuances.

Methods of knitting reinforcement

As a rule, knitting reinforcement with your own hands is the most common way of making a frame structure in prepared formwork. The knitting process itself can be performed in various ways. So the most common and simplest way to knit reinforcement is to knit with a special hook designed for this purpose.

You can also use a special gun, or alternatively use a screwdriver with a hook on the end, or you can also use pliers. At this stage, it is important to correctly and securely tie the reinforcement bars together with wire.

It should be noted that in the process of connecting reinforcement rods it is allowed to use welding, especially if it is smooth reinforcement that does not have any “notches” on it. It is very difficult to crochet such reinforcement with high quality, so in such cases it is recommended to use welding equipment, and the crocheting process is greatly simplified.

However, despite this, crocheting reinforcement is considered the most reliable way to connect corrugated reinforcement rods.

Knitting wire

Knitting wire for tying reinforcement is of no small importance. As a rule, such wire has corresponding requirements that apply to it. First of all, this concerns compliance with GOST or standard, but in practice, most often, such wire has the corresponding GOST 3282-74 - “Low-carbon steel wire for general purpose.” Technical conditions".

It should also be noted that the thicker the reinforcement, the thicker the binding wire should be. For example, reinforcement with a diameter of 18 mm is not acceptable. use wire with a diameter of 1.2 mm.

Of course, tying reinforcement for the foundation is the most important stage in the manufacture of the foundation. Since the reliability and durability of the foundation depends on the correct alignment.

It is important to understand that very large weight loads are constantly placed on the foundation, so the reinforcement structure connected inside the concrete evenly distributes the entire load over the entire area of the monolithic structure.

How to Knit Reinforcement with a Screwdriver

Content

How to knit reinforcement

for the foundation. How to make a reinforcement cage. Flat and spatial types of frames

Building a foundation is a process accessible even to those who have never held a tool in the palm of their hand; you just need to know the clear rules of how to carry it out. Perhaps one of the most important places in the construction of the foundation for any structure is the reinforcement of the foundation using metal rods.

If you don’t know how to install them correctly, our article will help answer the question.

Metal reinforcement for the foundation is very important; without it, the structure does not have the required safety margin

Basics

The reliability of any reinforced concrete monolithic structure—foundation, walls, floors, etc.—is ensured by several of the most important components:

The accuracy in calculating the reinforcement frame is not the entire foundation.
Choosing the right concrete.
The quality of the reinforcement is not consistent with the frame assembly process.

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of these components. Let's dwell on the reinforcement cages, or more precisely, on the process of their assembly.

There are two ways to directly assemble all structural elements together:

Welding joints of reinforcing bars.
Tying reinforcing steel into a frame.

The second method is more preferable, since when welded, the reinforcement frame loses its strength. This occurs due to the fact that the steel rods at the welding site become thinner, causing rust at the joints and subsequent destruction.

READ How to Use a Bosch Screwdriver

Note! Among other things, welding requires a special tool, which, if you buy it, you will have to fork out for.

Reinforcement cage

Since we cannot imagine influencing the quality of reinforcing steel, we will discuss an issue that is within our capabilities - assembling a reinforced frame at home (see also the article Fiberglass reinforcement for the foundation - an innovation in traditional construction).

The foundation is a structure on which, in a literal and not figurative sense, the strength and durability of all other structures of the building are assigned. Therefore, we will pay special attention to how to knit

reinforcement for the foundation.

What you will need

To complete this job you will need:

Directly reinforcing steel of the required diameter (8-10 mm is enough).
Knitting wire, in an amount of 25-30 cm for each connection, with a diameter selected according to the diameter of the reinforcement.

Important! The wire used for tying reinforcement into the frame is exclusively steel, soft, annealed. Products of other alloys: aluminum, copper, are not suitable for our work.

A special hook for knitting frames is a device that will make your work much easier, despite the fact that the price is pretty cheap.

Today we advise you to involve the help of family members or friends. In fact, the process of knitting reinforcement is not difficult, but it will be extremely inconvenient and tiring to work alone. You will need at least one assistant, or better yet several, this will significantly speed up the process.

How to quickly and correctly crochet reinforcement with a screwdriver

Reinforced concrete structures, such as foundations, window and door lintels, floors and other elements.

How to do

What will be needed, given the conditions that no one was willing to help our purchase, we begin the process of assembling the reinforced frame.

READ How to Tighten a Screw with a Screwdriver

Here are step-by-step instructions on how to properly tie the reinforcement for the foundation:

We cut the knitting wire into pieces approximately 25-30 cm long (the size of the piece depends on the rods themselves).
Bend this piece in half; use a tape measure to measure.
We place it under the crosspiece of the connection diagonally.

We recommend working with rubberized gloves, this way the wire will stay in your palm better

For the part where the loop has formed, we hook it with a knitting hook.
We hook two opposite ends.
Turn the hook, twisting the wire.

Turn slowly, you can even start twisting with your hands

Attention! Here it is important not to overdo the twisting process so that the wire does not burst.

Non-standard approach

You can significantly speed up and not facilitate the process of connecting the parts of the reinforcement frame with a screwdriver

. This is what the most economical private builders do. Without purchasing a special hook, they are clamped into a bent nail or a piece of smooth reinforcement of small diameter.

With the help of such a simple invention, a reinforcing frame is quickly produced without much technical effort.

The photo shows exactly the same option when a screwdriver is used instead of a hook

Types of frames

It matters what kind of reinforcement cage we are talking about. They are divided into:

Flat

A method called tying reinforcement for a slab foundation was described above.

Its frame looks like a flat mesh.

Instead of making such a frame yourself, you can overpay and buy a ready-made mesh, saving time and effort

The reinforcing steel is then placed only in a horizontal plane with a pitch between the rods of 25-30 cm. It all depends on the parameters of the foundation.
Reinforcement bars are laid on the bottom of the pit, alternately longitudinal and not transverse.
For ease of binding, a brick or special plastic holders are usually placed under the mesh.

READ What To Do With An Old Screwdriver

Spatial

The scheme for horizontal foundations is somewhat more complicated - knitting reinforcement for a strip foundation, since under such circumstances a spatial frame is constructed.

This means that in addition to horizontal reinforcing bars there will be additional vertical ones.

Today, based on the height of the foundation above the ground, you will like more than just two horizontal planes.
The distance between the horizontal rods should not exceed twenty cm.
Vertical rods are knitted similarly to horizontal ones. There is no need for linings here; the practice is to simply drive vertical rods into the soil at the bottom of the trench.

To construct the reinforcement frame for the foundations of large buildings, you can use a special, so-called tying gun. The use of this modern tool will speed up work by 5-6 times, but it is not cheap.

Therefore, you yourself have the right to decide what is more convenient for you - reduce labor costs for construction or stick to a modest budget. These are the rules for tying reinforcement for the foundation.

Automatic tool for freely fastening rods

Conclusion

As we already said at the beginning of the article, building a foundation is a process accessible to everyone (

Do it yourself or order it?

If you have any difficulties in creating a reliable and high-quality frame from reinforcement, you can familiarize yourself with numerous and detailed photos of tying reinforcement, which show all the different nuances that may arise during the tying process.

In order for the foundation of a building to last for a very long time, it is necessary to properly strengthen it with reinforcement by tying reinforcement rods together. Of particular importance is the strength of tying the reinforcement wires together, otherwise it will negatively affect the foundation.

But if such work turns out to be difficult or overwhelming for you, then in this case it is definitely worth turning to qualified specialists. Yes, you will have to pay a certain amount of money for such a service, but in this case you will be able to save your time, and the quality of the work of the craftsmen will be at a very high level.

Also, specialists have everything they need to carry out such work; they will be able to reliably perform work of any complexity and in a fairly quick time. As a rule, such specialists not only knit the reinforcement, but also make the formwork and fill it with concrete.

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Technology of work execution

So, how to properly knit reinforcement for a strip foundation? This is a question that everyone probably asks themselves before starting an operation. There are several approaches to this process:

• If you need to knit reinforcement onto the foundation by hand, you will need to buy a special tool - a hook. You need to cut a piece of wire of sufficient length, then fold it in half. Next, you need to make a curl around your finger for a third of the loop, and then insert the reinforcement into it. Next, using a hook, you need to thread the two loose ends through the loop and wrap them several times to ensure a secure fit. Excess ends are cut off with wire cutters.
• The second method will also require folding the wire in half, but instead of a loop, here you just need to attach the wire to the rod and bend the ends so that you get a closed circle. Using the hook, they also make several turns, after which you can complete the operation and bite off the excess parts.
• The pattern for tying reinforcement for the foundation number three is that a wire folded in half is applied from below, after which it is pulled with a hook by the loop and tied with the free ends.
• The last method will be the simplest, so it can be done with one hand. The hook is threaded through the loop, the loose ends are pulled out with its help and twisted several times, after which all excess is bit off.

Also, the answer to the question of how to tie reinforcement for a strip foundation can be the phrase - using electrical equipment. There is a special device that can significantly speed up the process. It looks like a standard drill, only with a much less powerful motor, since the same rotation speed is not needed. You need to work with it according to the instructions, and then no problems will arise.