Commercial Curb Construction Techniques
Commercial Curb Construction Techniques are a vital part of commercial landscaping.
Before even starting to discuss the construction techniques of commercial curbs, it is pertinent to ask a simple yet important question: what is a curb?
What is a curb? What is curbing?
A curb is a short wall or a barrier constructed of bluestone, concrete, or asphalt. Technically speaking, a curb along with a gutter is provided to strengthen the pavement of the road, as this holds the pavement from either side. However, there are multiple advantages that come along with it. It separates the yard and/or footpaths from the road; it guides water for the proper drainage through gutter; it increases the runoff, preventing the water seepages which might affect the road itself [1]–[3].
Now that we understand what a curb is, let’s get into its types and the materials they use. Most curbs are constructed with concrete and asphalt – concrete being the most commonly used material. Concrete curbs can be
- Vertical Curb
- Flush Curb
- Mountable Curb [3].
Different types of concrete curbs
Figure 1 Types of Concrete Curbs [3]
Cast In-situ Curb Design details.
https://youtu.be/UWk9BsxmS6I
How are curbs made?
Curb Construction techniques
Concrete curbing can be done using two techniques:
- Traditional Way – i.e., using stationary forms
- Slipforming – i.e., using a Slipforming machine
The traditional way of constructing a concrete curb is no different to any other concrete structure's construction. The forms of steel, wood, or any other material (depending on where you live) are placed and tightened before the pouring of the concrete.
The concrete formwork is later removed the next day after the concrete hardens and is ready for curing.
Slipforming, however, is a new method of concrete curbing. The concrete is placed using a machine that has set the dimensions of a curb. The concrete is then placed and the machine moves to form the second part of the curb.
This type of concrete curbing depends on the setting time of the cement used in the concrete. Additional admixtures such as accelerators are usually used in the concrete to achieve a speedy construction process.
https://youtu.be/UCgma2_u_E8
Video 1 Slipforming [4]
Decorative Concrete Curb
Decorative concrete curbing is no different; it can be done using both traditional and Slipforming techniques—what changes is the type of aggregate in the concrete.
Avoiding stress and cracks in the curb
There are some additional things to take care of when constructing the curbs. The curbs, since they are made of concrete, require joints in order to avoid stresses caused by thermal expansion. Steel reinforcement can usually be avoided if proper expansion joints are provided at suitable intervals. Curing is another important thing to consider for a good quality concrete curb. Concrete tends to gain its strength over the course of years. However, most of its strength is gained during the first 28 days, and therefore proper curing should be provided. The curing time can be shortened if an accelerator or curing agent is used.
Different types of concrete curbs
Now that we are done with construction techniques and important things to consider when constructing a concrete curb, let’s talk a little about the application of different types of curbs.
Vertical Curbs
Vertical Curbs serve as barriers in addition to their basic purpose of strengthening and holding the pavement from either sides. The vertical curbs are usually constructed with monolithic gutters which drain off the storm water in order to prevent the pavement from any damage.
Flush Curbing
The flushed curb usually serves its main purpose of holding the pavement without affecting the drainage of storm water. It is flush, so it doesn’t stop the storm water from making its way to the yard and/or footpath where the drainage is usually taken care of.
Mountable Curbs
Mountable curbs are designed so that they not only hold the pavement and guide the storm water but also allow cars to drive over them. They are usually constructed with vehicle crossovers to allow the vehicles to access private properties, which later connect to driveways.
We have already come across vehicle crossovers. Let’s take some time to understand what a vehicle crossover actually is and what goes into its construction.
Vehicle Crossover
The vehicle crossover, as the Town of Cambridge describes it, is a part of the space between your private property and the road kerb [5]. The vehicle cross over is usually designed in order to provide support to the pavement and at the same time allow the passage of vehicles from the road to the private property without hurting the people walking or cycling on the footpath.
Figure 2: A typical vehicle crossover [6]
The vehicle crossover has a trapezoidal plan with splays on each side to allow the vehicles to mount from the sides. Vehicle crossovers, very similar to driveways, can be constructed using decorative aggregates. Multiple methods which can be used to construct decorative concrete driveways can be used for vehicle cross over construction as well.
Similar to the driveway, the base of the vehicle crossover should be strong enough to take the loads of vehicles without any damage. A compressive strength of 30 MPa should be able to sustain the loads. Additionally, the concrete provided shall be impermeable so as to allow the runoff of storm water. The drainage of the road should not be hindered by the construction of a crossover, and therefore, a proper drainage system should be provided. In order to avoid the skidding of cars, an exposed aggregate concrete driveway should be preferred — exposed aggregate concrete provides better skid resistance with reduced traffic noise.
Related Landscaping News from Red's Landscaping Melbourne.
7 pluses for Exposed Aggregate Concrete Driveways
3 Best Concrete Path Construction Techniques
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Blogs to Follow @RedsLandscaping
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https://redslandscaping.edublogs.org/
References
[1] “What Are Curb and Gutter | Types of Curb and Gutter| Advantages & Disadvantages of Curb and Gutter.” Civil Jungle (accessed Oct. 31, 2021).
[2] “What is the Purpose of Curb & Gutter? - Asphalt Paving Company: Uniform Paving & Sealcoating.” Uniform Paving (accessed Oct. 31, 2021).
[3] “Multi-modal Handbook.” Multimodal Handbook (accessed Oct. 31, 2021).
[4] “GOMACO GT-3600 Concrete Curb & Gutter Slipform Machine, Tight-Radii Island Paving With 3D Guidance - YouTube.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCgma2_u_E8 (accessed Oct. 31, 2021).
[5] “Vehicle Crossover Specification.” https://www.cambridge.wa.gov.au/files/assets/public/documents-and-files/infrastructure/engineering/vehicle_crossover_specification.pdf (accessed Oct. 31, 2021).
[6] “Vehicular Crossing | Hornsby Shire Council.” https://www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/property/build/permits-and-certification/apply-for-a-permit/vehicular-crossing-permit (accessed Oct. 31, 2021).
