Opening the Drapes: Shedding Light on Draped-Mesh Cinder-Concrete Floor Slabs

The advent of carbon-arc welding in the late 1880s was closely followed by the 1901 patent for welded-wire fabric, also called welded-wire mesh. Although initially used for farm fencing, it was soon used to reinforce concrete floor slabs. In 1908, the American Steel & Wire Company published the Engineer’s Handbook and Catalogue of Concrete Reinforcement, indicating that these systems began to be used around this time. The catalog described the benefits of draped-mesh cinder-concrete floor slabs (also known as short-span construction or cinder-arch slabs), including speed and ease of placement, thinner and lighter construction, and favorable fireproofing properties. During the 1920s, this new structural floor system became an increasingly preferred alternative to flat-arch terra-cotta floor slab construction. Although initially popular in the construction of high-rise and office buildings in New York City, draped-mesh cinder-concrete floor slab systems spread to other large cities, such as Chicago and Philadelphia, and remained popular until the late 1950s, when they were replaced by concrete-on-metal deck slabs.