AU2009202310B2

AU2009202310B2 - Retainer wall connector and system

Info

Publication number: AU2009202310B2
Application number: AU2009202310A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Andrew Kearley
Original assignee: JARMEN Pty Ltd
Current assignee: JARMEN Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2008-06-26
Filing date: 2009-06-10
Publication date: 2016-03-17
Anticipated expiration: 2029-06-10
Also published as: AU2009202310A1

Abstract

Abstract A system (100) for use in constructing a wall is disclosed, the system comprising 5 a building block (102) having a top (110), a bottom (111) and an interior surface (114) defining a through-hole (112) connecting said top and said bottom, said block having at least one recess (104) and a guide member (200) having a first engagement portion with a vertical central axis and a second engagement portion with a vertical central axis offset relative to the vertical central axis of said 10 first engagement portion, said guide member having a height and a width perpendicular to the height, the height being greater than the width of said guide member, said first engagement portion being configured to engage said recess (104) of said building block (102). A method for constructing a wall with the building block (102) and guide member (200) is also disclosed.

Description

1 RETAINER WALL CONNECTOR AND SYSTEM Field of the Invention 5 The present invention relates broadly to systems and methods for the construction of walls, in particular retaining walls. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved system for use in construction of a wall. Background of the Invention 10 Conventional systems used to construct walls, for example, a retaining wall, often involve multiple building blocks laid in rows or courses that are stacked on top of one another. Often the blocks are manufactured with discrete recesses or apertures that allow adjacent blocks to be secured together by way of locking 15 elements. The use of such an arrangement allows for the blocks to be secured together without the need for mortar. However, careful positioning of the blocks relative to those of an adjacent row is often required to ensure that they are properly aligned to allow for installation of the locking element. This may prove to be tedious and difficult. Furthermore, this requirement may not allow a great deal 20 of flexibility in the overall shape of the finished wall. Accordingly, there exists a need to provide an improved system less prone to these problems. The present invention provides a system useful for constructing a wall which does not require that recesses of adjacent building blocks be rigidly matched up 25 prior to securing them to one another. The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that the referenced prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia. 30 2 Summary In one aspect of the invention there is provided a system that includes a building block and at least one guide member. The block has top and bottom faces and 5 an interior surface defining a through-hole which connects the top and bottom faces. Optionally, the through-hole occupies a substantially large portion of the total block volume. An area of the interior surface may be curved. Preferably, two recesses are located on the top face of the block. Even more preferably, the recesses are located towards the rear of the block. The recesses may be located 10 symmetrically with respect to a centreline that bisects a length of each block. The block may be manufactured from concrete. Each guide member has a first engagement portion with a vertical central axis and is configured to engage a recess on the top face of the block. Each guide member also has a second engagement portion that is vertically offset to the vertical axis of the first 15 engagement portion. Preferably, this second engagement portion is configured to abut against the interior surface of an adjacently located building block. Even more preferably, the second engagement portion abuts against a curved area of the interior surface. The overall height of the guide member is greater than its width. 20 In another aspect, the present invention provides a guide member for use in the placement of building blocks relative to one another, the member having a first engagement portion with a vertical central axis and a second engagement portion with a vertical central axis offset relative to the vertical central axis of the 25 first engagement portion, the guide member having a height and a width perpendicular to the height, the height being greater than the width of the guide member. Preferably, the engagement portions are configured to engage a recess of a building block. Optionally, the member has a third engagement portion located coaxially to either the first or second engagement portions. Preferably, 30 the third engagement portion is located coaxially to the first engagement portion. Even more preferably, each engagement portion may be formed as a pin. Optionally, the guide member may be manufactured from plastic.

3 In a further preferred aspect, the invention provides a method for constructing a wall using a system of the invention. The method involves laying a plurality of building blocks each with a through-hole next to each other to form a first course, positioning guide members into the recesses of each block and introducing 5 another block adjacent to the blocks of the first course so that the guide members engage a surface of the through-hole of the adjacent block. Brief Description of the Figures 10 Figure 1 is a partial perspective view of a building block for use in a system in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention. Figure 2 is a top plan view of the building block shown in figure 1. 15 Figure 2A is an enlarged view of section A shown in figure 2. Figure 3 is a front elevation view of the building block shown in figure 1. Figure 3A is a cross-sectional side elevation view of the building block taken 20 along section A-A shown in figure 3. Figure 4 is a perspective view of a guide member for use in a system in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention. 25 Figure 5 is a top plan view of the guide member shown in figure 4. Figure 6 is a front elevation view of the guide member shown in figure 4. Figure 7 is a side elevation view of the guide member shown in figure 4. 30 Figure 8 is a partially cut away perspective view of a system for constructing a wall in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention.

4 Figure 8A is an enlarged view of section A of the system shown in figure 8. Figure 9 is a top plan view of the system shown in figure 8. 5 Figure 9A is an enlarged view of section A of the system shown in figure 9. Figure 10 is a side elevation view of a system showing a first orientation of a guide member in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention. 10 Figure 11 is a side elevation view of a system showing another orientation of a guide member in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention. Figure 12 is a side elevation view of a system showing yet another orientation of a guide member in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention. 15 Figure 13 is a partially cut away perspective view of a system for constructing a wall in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention. Figure 13A is an enlarged view of section A of the system shown in figure 13. 20 Figure 14 is a top plan view of the system shown in figure 13. Figure 14A is an enlarged view of section A of the system shown in figure 14. 25 Figure 15 is a partial perspective view of a wall constructed from the system shown in figure 13 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention. Figure 16 is a top plan view of the wall shown in figure 15. 30 Figure 16A is an enlarged view of section A of the system shown in figure 16. Figure 17 is a front elevation view of the wall shown in figure 15.

5 Figure 18 is a partially cut away perspective view of a system for constructing a wall in accordance with yet another preferred embodiment of the invention. Figure 18A is an enlarged view of section A of the system shown in figure 18. 5 Figure 19 is a top plan view of the system shown in figure 18. Figure 19A is an enlarged view of section A of the system shown in figure 19. 10 Figure 20 is a perspective view of a guide member for use in a system in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention. Figure 21 is a top plan view of the guide member shown in figure 20. 15 Figure 22 is a front elevation view of the guide member shown in figure 20. Figure 23 is a side elevation view of the guide member shown in figure 20. 20 Detailed Description of the Drawings Alternative embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as 25 exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the claims which follow. Wherever possible, like numbers will refer to like parts. Although preferred dimensions are indicated in some figures, it will be appreciated that the dimensions are representative only and may be varied as appropriate. 30 An example of a building block 102 for use in a preferred system of the invention is depicted in figures 1 to 3A. The block has a top face 110, a bottom face 111 and a through-hole 112 that extends from the top face to the bottom face of the 6 block. The through-hole also defines an interior surface 114. Interior surface 114 preferably has two slightly curved areas 118 which may engage a second portion of a guide member as will be described further below. The block also includes a pair of generally horizontal recesses 104 disposed on the top face towards the 5 rear of the block. Preferably, the recesses are located symmetrically to each other about a centreline that bisects the length of the block. An enlarged view of recess 104 is shown in figure 2A. Each recess 104 preferably extends from the rear of the block to the through-hole and is adapted to engage a first portion of a guide member as will be described below. Preferably each recess 104 has a 10 depth equal to or greater than the thickness of rectangular portion 204 of guide member 200 (described below). Recess 104 may have a depth less than the thickness of rectangular portion 204 if desired. For example, a corresponding recess 104 may be included on the lower face of the block so that the combined recesses 104 of adjacent upper and lower blocks have a combined depth 15 sufficient to accommodate the thickness of rectangular portion 204. The building block is preferably manufactured from concrete. Block 102 further preferably includes a generally vertical recess 105, as shown in figure 2A. Recess 105 includes a generally circular portion 107 and a narrower 20 neck portion 109 extending to curved area 118. An example of a guide member 200 for use in a preferred system of the invention is illustrated in figures 4 to 7. The guide member includes a preferably rectangular portion 204 to which three pins 202, 206 and 208 are connected. The 25 pins are preferably perpendicular to the rectangular portion and have tapered tips 210. The angle that the taper makes to the vertical is preferably approximately 30 degrees (see figure 7). Tips 210 are preferably configured to terminate in a sharp point to assist in interacting with a fabric when a fabric layer is used between rows of blocks. It will be appreciated that each pin may 30 terminate in other shapes as desired. One pin 202 is connected on the opposite side of the horizontal plane of rectangular portion 204 relative to the other pins 206 and 208. Pins 202 and 208 are preferably located coaxially to each other while the vertical central axis of pin 206 is offset to the vertical central axis 7 shared by pins 202 and 208. Furthermore, pins 206 and 208 are preferably positioned symmetrically relative to each other about a vertical centreline that bisects the length of the rectangular portion. By inspection of figures 5 and 7 it will be appreciated that the pins are preferably centrally located about a 5 centreline that bisects the width of the rectangular portion. The overall height of the guide member is preferably greater than its width and is more preferably approximately three times greater than its width. The guide member is preferably made from plastic and even more preferably from injection moulded plastic. The guide member may also be constructed from fibre glass if desired. As will be 10 described below, the rectangular portion and at least one pin may form a first portion which is accommodated within recess 105 on building block 102 as described above. It will also be appreciated that at least one of the other pins may form a second portion that may engage an interior surface of the building block and more preferably a curved area of the interior surface of the building 15 block. Figures 8 to 9A illustrate one embodiment of a system 100 for use in the construction of a wall. The system 100 preferably includes more than one building block 102 and at least two guide members 200 for each building block. 20 In the system, a first portion (e.g., pin 206) of each guide member is engaged by recess 105 of a first building block. A second building block is placed adjacent a second portion (e.g., pin 202) of one of the guide members. The second portion is vertically offset to the first portion of the guide member. The second building block is preferably positioned so that the middle of the curved area 118 of its 25 interior surface 114 abuts against the second portion (pin 202) of the guide member (figure 9A). A third building block is then placed adjacent a second portion of the other guide member engaged in the first block, the second portion being vertically offset to the first portion. The third building block is preferably positioned so that the middle of the curved area 118 abuts against the second 30 portion (pin 202) of the guide member. The position of the second portion of the guide member on the curved area 118 may influence the shape of the system. In the embodiment shown in figures 8 to 9A, the resulting system is straight. As will 8 be described below, convex and concave shaped systems are also within the scope of the invention. One will appreciate that changing the orientation of guide member 200 in system 5 100 will affect the relative stacking positions of adjacent blocks and therefore the overall shape of the wall produced. Figures 10 to 12 illustrate preferred orientations of the guide member within the system 100 in accordance with a preferred aspect of the present invention. For example, in figure 10 pin 206 of guide member 200 is positioned within recess 105 of a building block in a first 10 orientation. A second block is introduced and positioned so that its interior surface abuts against pin 202 of guide member 200. The orientation of the guide member in figure 10 is the same as illustrated in figures 8 and 9 and results in a system wherein the blocks are stacked directly over one another so that the system is in a straight vertical orientation. In figure 11 guide member 200 is 15 positioned in another preferred orientation such that the upper building block of the system is partially set back from the lower building block resulting in a system that slopes away from the vertical plane. This is achieved, for example, by inserting pin 208 into vertical recess 105, as shown in figure 11. In figure 12, guide member 200 adopts yet another preferred orientation that results in an 20 even greater set back of the upper building block in the system relative to the lower building block and an even greater slope away from the vertical. This is achieved, for example, by inserting pin 202 into recess 105 of the lower block, as shown in figure 12. Different orientations of the guide member allow the user more flexibility to construct a system to suit their desired needs. 25 Figures 10 to 12 also demonstrate the ability of the present invention to maintain a running bond when a curved wall orientation is desired. The spacing between pins 208 and 206 permits a degree of lateral securement preferably due in part to the shape of neck portion 109 of recess 105. The curvature of portion 107 30 contributes to the ability to pivotally arrange individual blocks relative to one another. It will be appreciated that other configurations of recesses are within the scope of the present invention.

9 Another preferred embodiment of a system 300 for use in the construction of a wall is shown in figures 13 and 14. System 300 is constructed by a similar method to system 100. In contrast to system 100, the second portion of each guide member 200 abuts against a different part of a curved area 318. In this 5 arrangement, the vertical offset between recess 304 and guide member 200 is maximized (see figure 14A). Consequently, system 300 adopts a convex outer shape as depicted in figure 14, keeping adjacent blocks in each course above and below in running bond. As shown in figure 14, blocks 300 are preferably omit the "wings" at the rear of the block when compared to block 100 in figure 2. The 10 omission of the wings permits each block to more easily adapted to a desired curvature for a wall. An example of a wall 400 constructed from system 300 is shown in figures 15 to 17. The wall may be constructed by laying a first course of building blocks 302 15 next to each other. Guide members are then positioned within the recesses located on the top face of each block with a portion of each guide member projecting vertically upwards above the top face. A second course of blocks is introduced on top of the first course by straddling another building block with a through-hole over two blocks in the first course and moving the block until a 20 surface of the through-hole contacts the guide member. These steps are repeated until a wall of the desired height and length is constructed. Yet another preferred embodiment of a system 500 for use in the construction of a wall is shown in figures 18 and 19. The system 500 is constructed by a similar 25 method to systems 100 and 300. In contrast to systems 100 and 300, the second portion of each guide member 200 abuts against yet another different part of the curved area 518 resulting in almost no vertical offset between recess 504 and guide member 200 (figure 19A). As a result, system 500 adopts a concave outer shape (figure 19), keeping adjacent blocks in each course above and below in 30 running bond. It will also be appreciated that straight (100), convex (300) or concave (500) shaped systems may be used to construct a wall that may be vertical or sloped 10 away from the vertical when constructed with the method of the invention. It will be further appreciated that the steps described above may be performed in a different order, varied, or certain steps omitted entirely without departing from the scope of the present invention. 5 The foregoing description is by way of example only, and may be varied considerably without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example only, the block may have more than or less than two recesses. The recesses for receiving portions of the guide member may be along other portions 10 of the permitter (e.g., the front and back of the block). The recesses may be differently configured. For example, the horizontal recess (configured to receive the generally rectangular base portion of the guide member) need not extend from the exterior to the interior surface of the through hole of the block. The vertical recess configured to receive the pin of the guide member may extend 15 along the entire height of the block if desired. The vertical recess may be completely separate from the interior through hole of the block if desired. The block may be solid or have multiple through holes (e.g., two or more). The block may be generally rectangular, oval, circular, or any other shape as desired. 20 Curved area 118 (shown in figure 2) may be omitted or configured differently if desired. For example, instead of a curve, area 118 may be configured so that two planar, angled vertical portions intersect to act as a guide path when positioning a block relative to one of the pins of the guide member. Such a configuration assists in positioning the upper block relative to the adjacent lower 25 block by centering the pin along the intersection of the planar portions. The guide member may have more than or less than three pins as desired. For example, figures 20 to 23 illustrate a guide member 600 with a preferably rectangular portion 604 to which two pins 602 and 606 are connected. The 30 vertical central axis of pin 602 is offset to the vertical central axis of pin 606. Each pin has a tapered tip 608.

11 The pins of the guide member may vary in thickness and/or height relative to each other. For example, one or more of the pins may have a non-linear height or a partially linear height. The axis of one or more of the pins may be angled (non-perpendicular) relative to the horizontal plane of the base portion if desired. 5 The projections or protrusions may be configured as other than pins. For example, knobs may be used in addition to or instead of pins. The pins may be configured to be breakable if desired, for example, able to separate along a predetermined path. 10 The guide member is preferably rigid, but may be constructed so as to permit some flexibility if desired. The rectangular base portion may be alternatively shaped and may include surface roughening configured to resist movement along the surface of the block. The base portion may include apertures configured to interact with corresponding projections on the block. The block 15 may include integral projections configured to interact with apertures in the base portion of the guide member. The features described with respect to one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments, or combined with or interchanged with the features other 20 embodiments, as appropriate, without departing from the scope of the present invention. It will of course be realised that the above has been given only by way of illustrative example of the invention and that all such modifications and variations 25 thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as herein set forth.

Claims

1. A system for use in constructing a wall, comprising: a building block having a top, a bottom and an interior surface 5 defining a through-hole connecting said top and said bottom, said block having at least one recess; and a guide member having a first engagement portion, a second engagement portion and a third engagement portion, the first engagement portion having a vertical central axis and the second engagement portion 10 having a vertical central axis offset relative to the vertical central axis of the first engagement portion, the guide member having a height and a width perpendicular to the height, the height being greater than the width of the guide member, the first engagement portion being configured to engage said recess of the building block, 15 wherein the second engagement portion of the guide member is configured to abut against an interior curved surface of an adjacently located building block, and wherein the third engagement portion is coaxial with the first engagement portion. 20

2. The system of any one of claim 1, wherein said block has at least two recesses.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said recesses are located symmetrically to each other with respect to a centreline that bisects a length of the block. 25

4. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said block is manufactured from concrete.

5. A guide member for use in the placement of building blocks relative to one 30 another as defined in any one of claims 1 to 4, the guide member having the first engagement portion with a vertical central axis and the second engagement portion with a vertical central axis offset relative to the vertical central axis of said first engagement portion, and the third 13 engagement portions which is co-axial with the first engagement portion, said guide member having a height and a width perpendicular to the height, the height being greater than the width of said guide member, wherein each engagement portion is configured to engage a recess of a 5 building block.

6. The guide member of claim 5, wherein each engagement portion is formed as a pin. 10

7. The guide member of any one of claims 5 or 6, wherein the guide member is manufactured from a plastics material.

8. The guide member of any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the first engagement portion, second engagement portion and the third 15 engagement portion are mounted on a rectangular support member.

9. A method for constructing a wall comprising the steps of: providing a first building block having a top, a bottom and an interior surface defining a through-hole connecting the top and the bottom, 20 the block having at least one recess; positioning a guide member of any one of claims 5 to 8 having the first engagement portion with a vertical central axis, the second engagement portion with a vertical central axis and the third engagement portion coaxial to the first engagement protion so that the first 25 engagement portion engages the recess of the building block; moving a second building block having a through-hole adjacent to the first block until a surface of the through-hole contacts the second engagement portion of the guide member, and wherein an area of the surface of the through-hole of the second 30 building block is curved. 14

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the curved area of the surface of the through-hole contacts the second engagement portion of the guide member. 5

11. The method of any one of claims 8 or 9, wherein each block has at least two recesses.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the recesses are located symmetrically to each other with respect to a centreline that bisects a length of each 10 block.

13. The method of any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein each block is manufactured from concrete. 15

14. A system for use in constructing a wall as defined in claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

15. A guide member for use in the placement of building blocks relative to one another in a system as defined in claim 5, substantially as hereinbefore 20 described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

16. A method for constructing a wall using the guide member of claim 15 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.