Road Reinforcement FAQ

1. How to install Fortifix®?

Step-by-step Installation

1. Mill the surface or apply a primer to smooth rough edges. Potholes and open cracks must be treated separately.
2. Clean and dry the surface thoroughly, with a high-pressure washer with vacuum if surface has been milled or if it is dirty. The surface must be dry before moving on to the next step.
3. Apply a bitumen emulsion, preferably polymer modified, onto the surface. Use at least 650 g/m² of residual bitumen. Note that amount and type bitumen must be adapted to the type and roughness of the surface and environmental conditions.
4. Unroll Fortifix®, manually or automatically, onto the wet tack coat. Assure the mesh lays completely flat. Make sure the reinforcement adheres to the surface before moving to the next step.
5. Take adequate measures to avoid stickiness to the wheels of the job site traffic, according to the code of practice or existing standards.
6. After the breaking of the emulsion, Fortifix® can be covered with a thin layer of hot asphalt. We recommend an overlay of minimum 3,5 cm.

Overlaps

1. Place the beginning of a new roll under the end of the previous roll.
2. In transversal direction, the overlap should match the length of the free cords.  
3. Also use overlaps to create curves; cut the mesh in pieces of approx. 5 m and arrange accordingly.
4. Overlaps must be sprayed with an emulsion/tack coat whenever a textile carrier extends over another (see also point 3 of ‘Installation’).

Note

1. Fortifix® can be applied on both grinded and smooth surfaces.
2. Fortifix® can be trimmed to keep manholes and other utility structures uncovered.
3. If chippings are used to reduce stickiness to tires after Fortifix® installation, applying approx. 1 kg/m² of dry, dust free chippings (size 4-10 mm) is recommended.
4. When prescribed or according to local regulations, an extra SAMI can be used on top.

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2. How to install Mesh Track®?

Step by step:

1. Mill the surface or apply a levelling course in case of severe damages. Fill and compact major cracks.
2. Clean and dry the surface thoroughly with a high-pressure washer with vacuum. The surface must be dry before moving on to the next step.
3. Unroll Mesh Track® on the dried surface. Always start from the top.
4. Cut the edge wire approximately every 10m to facilitate the flattening.
5. Put the beginning of the second roll under the end of the first roll. When rolled out use maximum 1 mesh overlay longitudinal. Avoid overlapping of transverse flat bars. When rolled out transversal use a 30 cm overlap.
6. Flatten with a rubber-tired roller. Do not tension the mesh as this may cause it to wave. Start in the middle of the roll and continue until the mesh is completely flat.
7. Fix the very first transverse bar with nails before slurry seal operation.
8. Apply slurry seal with a dosage of 20 – 25 kg/m². Use a modified bitumen emulsion slurry.

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3. Where to place Mesh Track® within the road structure?

We advise to put Mesh Track® not under the top layer, but deep into the structure. It will simplify future road works when replacing the road completely.

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4. What is an EPD and why is Bekaert now starting to use it?

An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is an independently verified and registered report that communicates transparent and comparable information about the lifecycle environmental impact of products in a credible way. An EPD is compliant with the ISO 14025 standard.

Bekaert wants to help customers improve the sustainability of their construction/building assets and has therefore worked with ITB to obtain an EPD certification for its Mesh Track® portfolio, manufactured in Slovakia. Other plants will follow the same process in the near future.

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5. Does this EPD certificate comply with local/national sustainability certifications?

Yes, this EPD certificate follows the EN15804, followed by most other national certification agencies.

In those countries where regulations differ from EPD standards, we will involve the relevant parties to assess the differences and decide whether additional certification is required.

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