AU2008226377B2

AU2008226377B2 - Wall structure

Info

Publication number: AU2008226377B2
Application number: AU2008226377A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Domenico Rugari
Original assignee: D & L Rugari Transp Pty Ltd
Current assignee: D & L Rugari Transport Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2007-03-09
Filing date: 2008-03-07
Publication date: 2012-08-16
Anticipated expiration: 2028-03-07
Also published as: WO2008109917A1; AU2008226377A1

Abstract

A sleeper for a retaining wall is disclosed which comprises a recess to receive a projection means of a support post (e.g. a flange on an H-section). In this way, the projection means is covered by a tongue portion of the sleeper - this helps to hide the support post when the sleeper is viewed from one side. Sleepers are stacked between support posts to form the retaining wall.

Description

WALL STRUCTURE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of landscaping, and specifically to retaining walls used in that 5 field. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Retaining walls are frequently used in landscaping. One conventional type of retaining wall 10, shown in Figure 1, comprises support posts 20, 21 spaced along the length of the wall. Typically, the support posts 0 at each end of the wall are steel C-sections, and the intermediate support posts are H-sections. These posts have flanges 25 running along their length, which define a gap into which wall members or 'sleepers' 30 (usually concrete, but they may be plastic or timber) are then slotted, as shown in Figure 1. The sleepers 30 are stacked on top of each other to produce the resulting retaining wall. 5 Wedges 15 are often then inserted into the gaps provided by each support post, to help to secure the sleepers 30 in position and prevent the wall 10 from rocking. The visible steel faces of the support posts do not normally provide the desired appearance for the retaining wall. Therefore, the visible faces of the support posts are usually painted the same colour as the .0 sleepers, to improve the appearance of the retaining wall. These faces must be regularly repainted to maintain the desired appearance. These steps increase the time, cost and/or effort required to create and maintain the retaining wall. .5 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, in a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sleeper for stacking to form a retaining wall section, the sleeper comprising: a first end; a face; 30 a recess in the first end to receive a projection means along the length of a support post; and a tongue portion defined between the recess and the face, to substantially cover the projection means. In this way, the support post is at least partially hidden within the sleeper. This reduces or, in some cases, 35 completely removes the need to paint the support post. The sleeper may further comprise: an opposite face; 2 a further recess in the first end, to receive a further projection means of the support post; and a further tongue portion defined between the further recess and the opposite face, to substantially cover the further projection means. 5 In this way, the support post may be substantially covered when either face of the sleeper is viewed. Typically, the sleeper will have two ends and there will be a recess in each end of the sleeper, for receiving projection means on support posts positioned adjacent each end. If there is a further recess in the first end, there will typically be a further recess in the second end. In this way, the second end mirrors 0 the first end, which allows the sleeper to engage with support posts at the first end, in the same manner. As will be understood, a sleeper is distinct from other types of wall members (such as slats) in that it is typically heavier and thicker. This allows it to be attached to support posts without the aid of fastening means such as bolts, because its size helps to hold it in place. A sleeper is also likely to be required to 5 support weight. In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a retaining wall section comprising: a plurality of stacked sleepers according to the first aspect of the present invention; a support post at the first end of the stacked sleepers, .0 a projection means along the length of the support post, wherein the projection means locates within the recess at the first end of each sleeper. The retaining wall section may further comprise: a second support post at the second end of the stacked sleepers; and 5 a second projection means along the length of the second support post, wherein the second projection means locates within the recesses at the second end of the stacked sleepers. In this way, the sleepers are supported at each end. The support post(s) will commonly be steel H- or C 30 sections; the projection means will therefore be a flange of the H- or C-section. For these support posts, a further projection means (the second flange) will run the length of each support post. These two flanges would define a support post slot, for receiving the major part of an end of each sleeper. However, in some embodiments, the further projection means may also be received within a further recess of each sleeper. In this way, the support post may be substantially covered when either face of the sleeper is 35 viewed. In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a retaining wall structure, comprising sequential retaining wall sections according to the second aspect of the present invention.

3 As will be understood, within this specification a "wall section" is considered to be a set of stacked sleepers, with support posts positioned at one or both ends of the sleepers. A "wall structure" is a combination of one or more sequentially aligned wall sections. However, this means that a wall section is 5 itself a wall structure, and accordingly these two terms may be interchanged as appropriate throughout this specification. A detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments of the invention is provided below along with accompanying figures that illustrate by way of example the principles of the invention. While the 0 invention is described in connection with such embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to any embodiment. For the purpose of example, numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention may be .5 practiced without some or all of these specific details. For the purpose of clarity, technical material that is known in the technical fields related to the invention has not been described in detail so that the present invention is not unnecessarily obscured. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS !0 An illustrative embodiment of the present invention will be discussed with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: FIGURE I is a top view of a portion of a prior art wall structure; 4 THIS PAGE HAS BEEN INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK WO 2008/109917 PCT/AU2008/000182 5 FIGURE 2 is a top view of a portion of a wall structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the back of a wall section according to an 5 embodiment of the present invention; FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the front of a wall section according to an embodiment of the present invention; 10 FIGURE 5 is a top view of a portion of a wall structure according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention; FIGURE 6 is a top view of a corner of a wall structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; 15 FIGURE 7 is a top view of tongue portions of a wall member according to another embodiment of the present invention; FIGURE 8 is a top view of tongue portions of a wall member according to yet 20 another embodiment of the present invention FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of the front of a wall section according to yet another embodiment of the present invention; 25 FIGURE 10 is a perspective view of the front of a wall section according to yet another embodiment of the present invention; FIGURE 11 is a perspective view of a part of a wall section according to yet another embodiment of the present invention; and 30 WO 2008/109917 PCT/AU2008/000182 6 FIGURE 12 is a perspective view of a part of a wall section according to yet embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION 5 Figure 2 shows a portion of a wall structure 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The wall structure 11 comprises support posts 20, 21 and wall members 31, which in this embodiment are sleepers. Of course, in other embodiments, different types of wall members may be used. 10 For the wall structure shown in Figure 2, one support post 20 is a steel H-section, with flanges 25 running the length of the support post 20, each flange 25 forming a projection means. The other support post 21 is a steel C-section, similarly with flanges 25 running the length of the support post 21. These are no different to the support posts 20, 21 shown in Figure 1 for prior art wall structures 10. 15 However, the wall structure 11 of the present invention differs from prior art arrangements due to the presence of a recess 35 in the end of each wall member 31. The recess 35 of each sleeper 31 receives a flange 25 of the adjacent support post, which holds the sleeper 31 in position. Indeed, this interlocking of support 20 post flange 25 and sleeper recess 35 may tend to provide a more stable wall structure 11 than prior art arrangements. Figures 3 and 4 provide perspective views of a wall section according to the present invention. As can best be seen in Figure 3, multiple sleepers 31 are 25 stacked between support posts 20, 21 to form the wall section. The recess 35 in each sleeper 31 means that a tongue portion 36 is defined between the face 39 of the sleeper 31 and the recess 35. The tongue portions 36 of the stacked sleepers 31 hide the support posts 20, 21 when the wall structure is 30 viewed from the front, as shown in Figure 4 - the flanges 25 are hidden behind WO 2008/109917 PCT/AU2008/000182 7 the faces 39 of the wall members 31. This creates a more desirable appearance, and removes the need to paint (or repaint) the support post. This can accordingly reduce the time, cost and/or effort required to create and maintain the wall structure. 5 From the rear, as shown in Figure 3, the support posts 20, 21 of wall structure 11 are visible. However, where the wall structure 11 is used to form a retaining wall, the rear of the wall structure 11 will typically be obscured by soil, so it is not essential to cover the flanges 25 from both directions. 10 Nonetheless, Figure 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention, wherein the wall structure 12 comprises sleepers 32 which have two recesses at each end - the recess 35 towards the front face 39 and a further recess 35' towards the opposite face 39'. These recesses 35, 35' receive both of the flanges 25 of the 15 support posts. This increases the stability of the wall structure 12. Furthermore, a further tongue 36' is formed between each recess 35' and the opposite face 39', do that the support posts 20, 21 are hidden when viewed from either the front or the back. 20 The sleepers 31 will commonly be formed of concrete. To form the sleepers 31, concrete may be poured into a mould defining the outer shape of the sleepers 31. A stop end can be placed at each end of the mould, and removed after the concrete is dried to define the recesses 35 at each end of the sleepers 31. Of course, the sleepers 31 may be formed by other means, in accordance with the 25 present invention. The wall members may also be formed other materials; for example, timber or plastic may be used if a lightweight wall structure is desired. However, other methods may be used to reduce the weight of concrete wall members; for 30 instance, Figure 2 depicts a recessed portion 37 in the opposite face 39' of each WO 2008/109917 PCT/AU2008/000182 8 wall member 31. This means the wall members 31 of the present invention will be of similar size and weight to the prior art wall members 30. To construct a wall section 11 according to the present invention, for a retaining 5 wall, the support posts 20, 21 will be located in the ground, spaced apart by the length of the sleepers 31. The sleepers 31 can then be placed one-at-a-time between the support posts 20, 21. Firstly, each sleeper 31 is positioned at the top of the support posts 20, 21, with the respective flanges 25 slotting into recesses 35, and engaging within the support post slot defined between the flanges 25. Then 10 the sleeper 31 is slid down the flanges 25. The first sleeper 31 will be slid down to the ground, and subsequent sleepers 31 will be stacked on top of each other. To allow for easy assembly, the recesses 35 may loosely fit the flanges 25, and they may also be tapered to allow easier insertion. However, looser fits are also 15 likely to slightly reduce the stability of the resulting wall structure, so a balance between these interests is required. Figure 6 depicts a corner arrangement of a wall structure 11. In this embodiment of the present invention, the tongue portions 36 of the sleepers 31 are extended 20 such the two C-section support posts 21 are completely hidden behind the tongue portions 36. In the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 6, the tongue portions 36 of the sleepers 31 are long enough that the tongue portions 36 of adjacent sleepers 31 in 25 the wall structure 11 meet, to completely hide the support posts. Of course, in other embodiments of the present invention, the tongue members 36 may be shallower, and may not completely hide the support posts 20, 21. Indeed, depending on the support posts used, it may be difficult for the tongue 30 sections 36 to be precisely aligned such that they meet and completely hide the WO 2008/109917 PCT/AU2008/000182 9 support posts. For instance, support posts may occasionally be used which have slightly longer flanges. Accordingly, Figures 7 and 8 show, in detail, tongue portions 36 according to other embodiments of the present invention, which allow support posts to be completely covered even if the tongue portions 36 do 5 not meet exactly. In these embodiments, the tongue portions 36 are provided with underhang portions 41 or overhang portions 42, which can be aligned between adjacent sleepers 31 as shown in Figures 7 and 8. This means that, even if the tongue 10 portions 36 do not meet precisely, they can still completely hide the support posts - any gap between the tongue portions 36 will only expose the underlying underhang portion 41, rather than the support post. Sleepers may be provided with an underhang portion 41 at one end and an 15 overhang portion 42 at the other end, allowing the same type of sleeper to be used in adjacent wall sections. Alternatively, two types of sleeper may be alternated between adjacent sections - one type having underhang portions 41 at both ends, and the other having overhang portions 42 at both ends. For the ends of the wall structure, sleepers may be used with tongues 36 at one end which do 20 not have either an overhang or underhang portion, to allow a crisp end to the wall structure. Other variations within the scope of the present invention are shown in Figures 9 to 11. Figure 9 is a front view of a wall section substantially as shown in Figure 3. 25 However, in this embodiment, the bottom sleeper 33 has an angled base. This allows the bottom sleeper 33 to be placed on sloped ground whilst leaving the top of the sleeper 33 horizontal. The bottom sleeper 33 may be identical to the other sleepers 31 in all other respects.

WO 2008/109917 PCT/AU2008/000182 10 Figures 10 and 11 depict the use of sleepers 34 according to another embodiment of the present invention, as footers for a wall structure 14. This wall structure 14 also comprises fence panels 60 between square or rectangular support posts 23. A problem with many fences is that the fence panels 60 of this type tend to rust if 5 placed in direct contact with the ground. Accordingly, using a sleeper 34 as a footer can keep the fence panels 60 off the ground, and help prevent rust. The recess 35 in the sleeper 34 receives a projecting part of a support post 23 of square cross-section. These sleepers 34 may be stacked underneath the fence panels, as shown in Figure 10. 10 However, existing fences may have unevenly spaced fence posts 23. To allow these sleepers 34 to be retro-fitted to existing fences, the recess 35 at one end may be substantially longer than required to fit the fence posts 23. To fit smaller gaps between fence posts 23, the sleeper 35 can be shortened at this end as required. To 15 fit longer gaps between fence posts 23, the full length of the sleeper 34 may be used. A filler block 38 of appropriate size may be used to fill the recess 35 in these instances, as shown in Figure 11. Figure 12 shows yet another embodiment of the present invention, wherein a 20 projection means is formed on a square fence post 23 by fixing a plate 55 onto the post 23. The plate 55 may be fixed to the post 23 by screws, welding or a variety of known other methods. This plate 55 then provides a projection means 55 to locate within the recess 35 of a sleeper 31. The plate 55 may be larger than depicted, and in some embodiments may extend all the way up the post 23, 25 depending on how many sleepers 31 are to be stacked. Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in the foregoing detailed description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, 30 modifications and substitutions without departing from the scope of the WO 2008/109917 PCT/AU2008/000182 11 invention. Modifications and variations such as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed within the scope of the present invention. For example, the support posts of the present invention need not be H- and C 5 sections, but could provide only one flange. The flanges need not be continuous, and it would be possible to use a fence post having a flange with small gaps along its length. Furthermore, although this will not usually be the case, it would be within the scope of the present invention for the wall members to only have a slot at one of their ends. Although the present invention has been described with 10 reference to retaining walls, it may also be applied in, for instance, pre-cast walls used for buildings. These examples are not intended as an exhaustive list, and are only intended to be indicative of other embodiments still in accordance with the present invention. 15 Throughout this specification and the claims that follow unless the context requires otherwise, the words 'comprise' and 'include' and variations such as 'comprising' and 'including' will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of 20 integers. The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that such prior art forms part of the common general knowledge. 25

Claims

1. A sleeper for stacking to form a retaining wall section, the sleeper comprising: 5 a first end; a face; a recess in the first end to receive a projection means along the length of a support post; and a tongue portion defined between the recess and the face, to substantially cover the projection means. 0

2. A sleeper as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: an opposite face; a further recess in each end, to receive a further projection means of the support post; and a further tongue portion defined at each end between the further recess and the opposite face, to 5 substantially cover the further projection means.

3. A sleeper as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: an opposite face, wherein there is a recessed portion of the opposite face such that the total weight of the sleeper is !0 reduced.

4. A sleeper as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the tongue portions comprises an underhang portion, such that the tongue portion covers the projection means more near the recess than it does at the face, to align with an overhang portion of an adjacent sleeper. 25

5. A sleeper as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tongue portions comprises an overhang portion such that the tongue portion covers the projection means more at the face than it does near the recess, to align with an underhang portion of an adjacent sleeper. 30

6. A sleeper as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising: a second end, wherein the second end mirrors the first end.

7. A sleeper as claimed in claim 4, further comprising: 35 a second end, 13 wherein the second end mirrors the first end except in that the cover portion of the second end comprises an overhang portion such that the cover portion covers a projection means more at the face than it does near the recess. 5

8. A sleeper as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising: a top; and an angled base, such that the top of the sleeper lies horizontally when the sleeper is placed on sloped ground. 0

9. A retaining wall section comprising: a plurality of stacked sleepers as claimed in any one of claims I to 8; a support post at the first end of the stacked sleepers; and a projection means along the length of the support post, 5 wherein the projection means locates within the recess at the first end of each sleeper.

10. A retaining wall section as claimed in claim 9 when dependent on claim 6 or 7, further comprising: a second support post at the second end of the stacked sleepers; and 0 a second projection means along the length of the second support post, wherein the second projection means locates within the recesses at the second end of the stacked sleepers.

11. A retaining wall section as claimed in claim 9 when dependent on claim 2, wherein the support 25 post comprises a further projection means which locates within the further recesses at the first end of the stacked sleepers.

12. A retaining wall section as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the or each support post is a metal H-section, and the or each projection means is a flange of the metal H-section. 30

13. A retaining wall section as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the or each support post is a metal C-section, and the or each projection means is a flange of the metal C-section.

14. A retaining wall structure, comprising sequential retaining wall sections as claimed in any one of 35 claims 9 to 13. 14

15. A retaining wall structure as claimed in claim 14, wherein the tongue portions of sleepers in one wall section meet the tongue portions of the sleepers in an adjacent section, to completely hide a support 5 post behind the face.

16. A retaining wall structure, comprising sequential retaining wall sections as claimed in claim 10 when dependent on claim 7, wherein the overhang portions of the sleepers in one retaining wall section align with the underhang portions of the sleepers in an adjacent retaining wall section, to completely 0 cover the support posts.

17. A sleeper for a retaining wall substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 5

18. A retaining wall substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

19. A footer for a retaining wall section substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.