Welded Wire Mesh & Electro Galvanized Expanded Metal For Wall Anti-Cracks

As the development of the building energy efficiency and the new wall materials, the wall engineering face kinds of problems such as, cracking, cavity and wall peeling. Based on the engineering experiment and survey, the wall cracking is not partial and individual. To handle the wall cracking, we should pay attention to the wall engineering design, the materials, the construction sectors, the base wall, the wall surface and the plaster layer.

Building wall steel wire mesh

The types of building wall steel wire mesh

There are various kinds of productions on the architecture from types, materials and applications but not one for the building wall anti-cracking wire mesh. According to the practical needs, the wire mesh for building can be be classified to three kinds. The first kind is welded wire mesh and it includes electro galvanized low carbon welded wire mesh and low carbon welded wire mesh. The second kind is expended metal and it includes cold rolled expanded metal and electro galvanized expanded metal. The third kind is butt welded wire mesh and it includes electro galvanized low carbon welded wire mesh and cold-drawn low-carbon steel mesh.

The principle to choose

According to the requires of engineering quality and the structures characteristic, when we want the metal mesh the first choice is welded wire mesh but not the woven wire mesh. When we want the electro galvanized wire mesh the premier is electro galvanized cold-drawn welded steel mesh. When we want expanded metal the prefer choice is cold rolled galvanized expanded metal. We choose the galvanized steel welded wire mesh which is galvanized after welded.

The steel wire mesh choice for exterior wall

The safety mesh for the exterior wall is to anti-peeling and anti-cracking. To reinforce the anti-cracking effect, cold-drawn welded wire mesh can be used with the anti-cracking fiber mortar. Well when we use the cross anti-cracking mesh (fold the steel mesh to the F or U shaped) the cross anti-cracking mesh would be a whole with the wall with the cross wire mesh burying into the masonry. The anti-cracking wall is needed for the connecting part between the external wall of the frame filling wall and the the main structure. We should choose the cold-drawn welded wire mesh or expanded metal for the frame filling wall. The safety and anti-cracking is important for high-rise building exterior wall and the expanded mental is not the good choice. We usually choose the electro galvanized welded steel wire mesh or butt welded wire panels and the specification depends on the needs

The steel wire mesh choice for the building interior wall

The anti-cracking is needed for the part between the column and the beam and the parts on the door hole and the buried pipeline, we need steel welded wire mesh and galvanized expanded metal.

The quality requires for installing wire mesh

The install technology for wire mesh

We should clean the surface of the masonry and do the base of the surface and choose the steel wire mesh. We should do the prepares for nailing, welded steel wire mesh, mortar plastering, the anti-cracking mortar wire mesh and do the systemic inspection.

The prepares before installing the wire mesh

We should totally clean the masonry base and smooth the irregular surfaces. Watering the wall and making sure the surface is not dry according to the local temperature and humidity. We use the professional mortar or cement paste to do the masonry foundation. We choose the steel wire mesh according to the designs and do the inspect about the steel wire mesh that there is not removal welded wire mesh, rust and irregular wire mesh. We also should prepare the gun, electric welding machine, hammer, steel nail scissors and other tools based on our needs. And we should prepare the steel wire mesh according to the needs.

The technology of plaster wire mesh

The wire mesh is attached on the connecting parts between the wall and the beam, panel and the column and the connecting parts between the door hole and the ring beam. The exterior wall plaster mesh width is 200 mm, the interior wall plaster mesh width is more than 150 mm and the width of the wire mesh should be 200–300 mm. When the wall height is more than 30 m and the ceramic tile for the exterior wall is heavy we should install the steel wire mesh on the extra wall and the lap length is 100 mm. The lap for steel wire mesh should be smooth, continuous and firm, and the lap length should be more 100 mm. When we use the butt welded wire panels the lap length should be more than 100 mm. We should smooth and straighten the steel wire mesh before installing. The four corners are fastened on the major structure and the masonry foundation, and we should get command of the location so that the steel wire mesh can be hung the right location.

Installing the steel wire mesh and plastering

Examining the steel wire mesh hanging is necessary and then plaster the walls. The plastering depends on the construction specification and the connecting between the foundation and plastering layer is firm. The cement paste and the professional mortar is used to primer. We should plaster and pack it down hard in layers and make sure that there is not cavity. The hanging wire mesh must be in the plastering layers and the spacing between the steel wire meshes should be about 5 mm. The steel wire mesh is wrapped with the mortar and the plastering layer thickness should be more than 5 mm to prevent rust.

The details for installing the steel wire mesh

Installing the wire mesh for frame fill wall

Normally the fiberglass mesh is for exterior wall thermal insulation and anti-cracking. There is not specific specification if the steel wire mesh is used or not. The cracks between the masonry and the frame are unavoidable due to the different materials and construction time of frame fill wall structure. Thus the decorative layer would crack and wall would peel sometimes. To prevent the wall cracking and peeling, installing the steel wire mesh is the first choice among the measures.

The safety problem of installing the steel wire mesh

We know the certain position during concrete casting so the plaster is firm. But the hanging wire mesh is wrapped with the lime and its wire is thin the firmness with the foundation is not so good. The plastering layer and the masonry foundation have poor performance, the wall foundation and the plastering layer force different stress so it’s difficult to make sure the steel wire mesh can last for long time. At present, the steel wire mesh as anti-cracking wall and anti-peeling is used only for safety warning.

The effect of steel wire mesh

Variety of engineering practice analysis has been made that the cracking of building would cause leakage and would reduce the building's the durability. The steel wire mesh would not achieve its all benefits when it is used as anti-cracking, anti-cavity and seepage prevention for building envelope and the connecting parts. But according to the requires, different steel wire meshes are used for corresponding parts. The cracking can be reduced a lot.

The conclusion

If the architectural engineering is constructed on the base of international design, materials, architecture rules, the cracks wouldn’t happen. The problem is that the building process is not based on the rules and standard and there are chances for the cracks. So installing the steel wire mesh for anti-cracking is only a preventive measure. With the progress of construction technique and materials, the preventive measure such as steel wire mesh would reduce.