PMMA mortar system for the production of support ribs

he manufacture of support ribs has its origins in high-quality Austrian bridge construction. Support ribs are used to reinforce bituminous surfaces, particularly in front of and behind expansion joint structures (FÜK/ÜKO). Without support ribs, heavy goods traffic causes rutting and deformation of the adjacent asphalt surfaces in the FÜK/ÜKO connection areas and in areas where the surface changes (e.g. asphalt on concrete or asphalt on steel), resulting in considerable damage to the carriageway and the FÜK/ÜKO.

Support ribs are installed to reinforce these heavily loaded areas and to create a permanently intact and level asphalt surface in front of and behind the structures. Parallel ‘ribs’ are cut into the bituminous road surface and filled with a two-component, solvent-free special mortar. The ribs are formed at an angle of 45° to the axis of the structure. This ensures that vehicle tyres always remain on at least one support rib when rolling over the adjacent asphalt surfaces, thus transferring the traffic loads to the lower asphalt layers.