Reinforcing mat structure for planar concrete construction units

Claim 1

A composite reinforcing steel mat structure for use in planar concrete construction units comprising a plurality of unit mats each composed of a pair of intersecting sets of equi-spaced longitudinal and transverse bars connected at their intersection points, said mats arranged in juxtaposed relation with adjoining marginal longitudinal zones thereof overlapping each other over a distance of at least one mesh of the mats, to provide a reinforcing infrastructure of desired dimension and predetermined metal cross-section per unit width distribution across the width thereof, in combination with a multiplicty of relatively narrow reinforcing mat strips of approximately the width of the overlap in the infrastructure each composed of at least two longitudinal bars intersected by transverse bars connected thereto and overlying said infrastructure, said mat strips being spaced from each other and the median lines of the overlap zone of said infrastructure, to cause the resultant metal cross-section accumulations by said strips in conjunction with the metal crosssection distribution of said infrastructure to produce a composite reinforcing structure with a predetermined total and substantially uniformly distributed metal reinforcement throughout the width of the composite mat structure.