Bs block pattern - Is there a british standard

[SFLandscape]

Someone has just told me that there is a British Standard saying you can not use a basket weave pattern on a drive-way because its against British Standards is this true , no im not thinking of doing it , it looks bad , but i didn't know there was a set standard for this,

[Pablo]

Not aware of anything here. In 10 years I've only done it once and I agree it's a horrible pattern. I have seen a lot of basket weave paving fail though more than any other pattern. It was popular here a while ago. It doesn't look like it interlocks well.

[lutonlagerlout]

i was under the impression that only herringbone patterns interlock enough,seen basket weave and stretcher bond on drives and patios and it looks pants
LLL

[Tony McC]

The BS (7533:3) doesn't specifically bar the use of basketweave or any other pattern for use in any situation, but it strongly suggests that a fully interlocked pattern, by which they mean herringbone, is used wherever vehicles may traffic the pavement.

And it's just common sense, really. BW is a bloody nightmare when there's cars and vans and lorries running over it....

[msh paving]

2 years ago i was working on USAF Lakenheath in suffolk, every blockpaved area is basket weave footpath's carparks the lot,there is no choice thats what you lay,it looks cr&p 300m carpark in basket weave lines all over the show but the yanks like it..........

[astro]

I may be missing something, but if you have an area of paving that is restrained on all sides, the blocks are hard up agaist each other and compacted to refusal, why would it make any difference what pattern you use as the blocks cant go anywhere? cant find an answer to this anywhere! I know that people keep on about interlocking but like i said , if they have good restraining edges.......
explain please!

[Tony McC]

The joints. Simple as that.

Each joint is, in theory, 2-5mm, which means 2-5mm of potential movement. Using 200x100mm blocks, that's a potential 20-50mm of movement on the 100mm orientation.

In actuality, we don't get 5mm of movement on each joint of reasonably well-laid block paving, but we might get 2mm. And then there's the cut edges. These are often looser than 2-5mm, and a great potential source for movement.

So, even with a supremely well-restrained pavement, there is potential for movement with all flexible paving. When you then apply the fairly substantial forces that come from vehicular traffic, you begin to see why things aren't as immovable as we'd like to think.

[astro]

fair enough!

[ian123]

If the blocks have spacing lugs which butt up against the adjacent block will this not prevent movement?

[Tony McC]

No: spacing lugs provide spacing, not interlock.

The lugs are not in contact with lugs on the neighbouring blocks, so they don't "lock" the blocks in position horizontally (horizontal interlock). All they do is keep them far enough apart from one another to allow the jointing sand to get in and create the vertical interlock that gives the pavement its load-carrying strength.