Concrete and reinforcement

[Jonas786]

Hello
I have a question about reinforcement that I'm sure someone here might know. What effect does tie wire have on a poured slab?
Is the tying done to keep the reinforcement together while the concrete sets and prevent it from moving around and ending up near the surface, etc.? Or is it strong enough to absorb forces between the reinforcement in the dry concrete?
In a small pouring, I tied with cable ties because I didn't have tie wire. It held well, but I'm not sure if it was a smart idea.

Also, I'm wondering how densely reinforcement should be placed for small castings. In my case, under some steps in the garden, no major forces. Mainly to prevent the steps from sinking into the clay.

\jonas

 

[Anderrrrrsson]

As far as I know, the tie wire's only task is to secure the reinforcement until the concrete sets. When tying a mesh, you should tie at approximately every third intersection, otherwise, it's up to the rebar worker to assess where and how the reinforcement should be tied. In the end, what matters is that the reinforcement matches the design drawing after pouring the concrete; how you achieve that is less important.

 

[SBH]

depends on how the steps look. and how much the rebar can work together with the concrete.
cable ties aren't the best but they suffice for hobby casting.
tying is just for holding rebar in place on smaller castings.
larger castings such as walls and columns must withstand a completely different handling.