AU5370800A - Retaining wall support posts - Google Patents

Description

Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION Original) Name of applicant/Nominated Person: Scott Anthony Thornton Address for Service: Davies Collison Cave, Patent Attorneys 1 Little Collins Street, MELBOURNE, Victoria, 3000.

Invention title:- "Retaining wall support posts".

Details of Associated Provisional Application: Provisional Patent Application No. PQ 2524.

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: Technical Field This invention concerns garden landscaping. More particularly, it concerns support posts for use in the construction of retaining walls and/or fences used in garden landscaping.

Background to the invention Conventional practice in garden landscaping when erecting retaining walls is to construct the retaining wall or walls using bricks, or stones, and mortar. Such retaining walls are inherently expensive structures and take a considerable time to erect.

Consequently, they are usually permanent garden structures.

To facilitate the construction of such retaining walls, special bricks or blocks have been proposed. Recent examples of such bricks or blocks are described in the specification of the US patent No. 5,456,555 (angular building blocks); in WIPO :o Publication No. WO 95/23897 (the specification of International patent application No.

:PCT/US 95/02543 modular wall block system); and in the specification of Australian patent No. 665,923 (interlocking bricks).

Retaining walls are also constructed using heavy timber. In Australia, treated 20 logs and so-called "railway sleepers" have been used in garden landscaping. The o specification of Australian patent application No. 27444/92 describes landscaping logs *adapted to be combined together and fastened to each other to form a retaining wall structure.

Another type of retaining wall is constructed using boards, panel members, planks or the like positioned between specially shaped posts. For example, posts having a T cross-section are erected along the required line of the retaining wall with the top of the aligned with the wall direction and the vertical of the at a right angle to the wall direction. Planks, panels, and even logs may then be positioned with their ends abutting (or nearly abutting) the inwardly directed arms of the T-section posts to form a wall.

Such retaining wall constructions are featured in, for example, the specification of Australian patent application No. 12612/88 (in which the Tsection posts are provided with an elongated base and a vertical plate, to enable earth or other fill to stabilise the frames formed with the T-section posts); WIPO Publication No. WO 95/13431 (the specification of International patent application No. PCT/AU94/00692, in which the T-section posts are constructed using T-section modular units, with varying lengths of the "vertical" arm of the and are restrained by a footing and a "deadman" anchor arrangement); and WIPO Publication No. WO 84/04768 (the specification of International patent application No. PCT/US 84/00781, in which concrete T-posts are assembled with post-tensioning devices and the stability of the retaining wall is achieved with base 15 members onto which soil or other fill is placed).

A similar retaining wall construction uses posts which include a channel member each side of the post. A number of these posts are erected along the required line of the retaining wall. Panel members, planks or the like, each having a length essentially the same as the distance between adjacent posts of the wall, are then mounted with their ends inside the facing channels of adjacent posts. Suitable bracing or anchoring means are provided, then soil or other fill is placed behind the panels or planks. Examples of such constructions are described in: the specification of US patent No. 5,671, 584, to John F Mueller (in which "Hbeam" post members are formed with a central cavity so that the post members can be placed over respective stakes which have been driven into the ground along the required line of the retaining wall, with a channel each side of the post so formed); the specification of Australian patent application No. 54785/96, by M. Vincentini -4and G. Belladonna (in which panel members are slid into channels grooves in upright post members formed by folding lengths of sheet metal); WIPO Publication No. WO 99/20846 (the specification of International patent application NO. PCT/CA98/00961 by Durisol, Inc. (which describes the construction of a retaining wall with posts that have channels formed by two flanges connected by a web, which are held in position by anchors which are similar to the anchors of Mueller's retaining wall see the aforementioned specification of US patent No. 5,671,584); the specification of Australian patent No. 81448/75 (which describes a sea retaining wall formed using panels baffle elements which are inserted into the channels of a series of I-beams that have been driven into the earth, with a series of "earth *o o weight anchoring support elements" extending rearwardly from the baffle S 15 elements); the specification of Australian patent No. 697,901, to Armstrong McGovern Limited of New Zealand (in which sheet metal panels are progressively lowered into the grooves of adjacent piles, to form a retaining wall, as the region in front of the retaining wall is excavated); and the specification of US patent No. 3,193,255 to H. D. Burdett (which describes a channelled post and plank assembly, to form a fence).

Disclosure of the present invention The first paragraph of the aforementioned specification of Australian patent application No. 81448/75, filed in May 1975, begins: "Prior to the present invention, there have existed numerous complicated and impractical sorts of retaining walls from the standpoint of required strength and durability while concurrently being of simple structure...that may be mass produced and shipped and assembled on site, with a minimum of experience..." Those statements are still applicable to retaining walls used in garden landscaping today, and it is an objective of the present invention to provide a support post for a retaining wall which enables the retaining wall to be constructed more economically, in a significantly shorter time, and with the facility to remove the retaining wall without oooo difficulty or to change the position of the retaining wall should a revised garden 15 landscape be required in the future.

It should be noted that in this specification, including the claims, the terms upper", "lower", "top", "bottom", "vertical", and other "directional" terms, will be used in the sense that these terms will have when the invention is used in the construction of a retaining wall.

The above-mentioned objective is achieved by providing a support post in the form of a plate member which has at least one hole in it through which a bolt, screw or heavy gauge nail can pass to hold a wall member (for example, a wooden plank or beam) firmly against the plate member. The plate member is pointed at its lower end so that it can be driven into the ground a distance which is sufficient to ensure that the post, when free-standing, will be a rigid and substantially vertical support for the retaining wall members. A spike extending below the point of the plate will normally be provided, to assist in the penetration of the ground, and in ensuring that the support post is substantially vertical.

-6- Thus, according to the present invention, a support post for use in the construction of a retaining wall comprises, in its broadest form, a rigid elongate plate member, having a top edge, two side edges and a bottom edge, characterised in that said bottom edge is pointed; said plate member has a lower plate portion which, when said support post is in use in the construction of a retaining wall, is inserted into the ground; said plate member has an upper plate portion, extending from the top of said lower plate portion to said top edge, said upper plate portion, when said support post is in use in the construction of a wall, being positioned adjacent to a retaining wall member (as hereinbefore defined) of said retaining wall; and at least one aperture is provided in said upper plate portion, through which a bolt, screw or the like may be passed to secure a wall member of said retaining wall oooo to said plate member.

As noted above, the point (which may be a chisel point) of the bottom edge may be extended downwardly to form a spike.

Normally, the support post will be symmetrical about an imaginary vertical line extending from the centre of the top edge through the point of the bottom edge, and the side edges will be substantially parallel to each other or downwardly slightly divergent or convergent. However, for decorative purposes, the side edges may be non-linear, and may be smoothly shaped so that it is not always possible to observe where the upper edge of the plate member ends and each side edge begins.

When intended for use at a corner of a retaining wall, the plate of the support post may be non-planar. In this configuration, the plate member will normally comprise two substantially identical "half-plates", each extending from the vertical line of symmetry of the support post. The included angle between the half-plates of the support post need not be a right angle, but should be when the support post is to be used at a right-angled -7corner of a retaining wall.

A rod-like extension of the support post above its top edge may be provided.

When the support post is symmetrical about a vertical line of symmetry, the rod-like extension will be substantially colinear with the vertical line of symmetry. Such an extension will normally have one or more grooves, or holes, in it, for use in locating a wire, cable or hose that is to be positioned above the retaining wall. Alternatively, the extension may terminate in a threaded boss.

In one embodiment of the support post of the present invention, the plate member is attached to a vertical rod along the vertical line of symmetry. In another (and currently preferred) realisation of the present invention, two separate "half-plates" are welded to a vertical rod. In these forms of the present invention, the vertical rod will normally extend below the point of the bottom edge of the support post to provide the aforementioned spike, and will be independently pointed at its lowermost end. The rod may also extend upwardly above the top edge of the support post.

Several embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief description of the accompanying drawings.

~Figure 1 is a perspective sketch of the most basic support post of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective sketch of another basic support post of this invention.

Figure 3 is a front view of a modified form of the support post illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective sketch of a different construction of a support post having similar features to the support post of Figure 3.

Figure 5 depicts an alternative construction of a support post having similar features to the support post of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a sectional view through a portion of a retaining wall constructed using the support post illustrated in Figure Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view through another form of support post constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 8 is a vertical section through part of a modified form of the support post shown in Figure 7.

Figures 9 and 10 are sectional views through tools which may be used when support posts as illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 above are driven into the ground.

Figure 11 depicts a corner of retaining wall which has been constructed using a corner support post in accordance with the present invention.

oo.o 15 Figure 12 is a sketch of a corner of a retaining wall with a mesh fence above it, constructed using a corner support post in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 13 shows a support post construction which may be used at an end of a o-*retaining wall.

Detailed description of the illustrated embodiments Figures 1 and 2 each depict a simple support post consisting of a steel (or other .suitable material) plate member 10. The plate member 10 has a top edge 11, side edges 12 and 13, and a bottom edge in two parts 14A and 14B, which meet at a point 15. The plate member 10 contains one hole or aperture 16 (Figure 1) or one pair of holes or apertures 16 (Figure The holes 16 in the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2 are equidistant from the upper edge 11; they are also equidistant from the point 15 and, consequently, they are equidistant from the vertical line of symmetry 20 of the plate member The plate members shown in Figures 1 and 2 are intended to be used in the construction of a low retaining wall comprising a single plank of wood. The plate member 10 is driven into the ground a distance d. The distance d is the distance between two imaginary lines AA and BB. The portion of the plate member 10 which is above the line AA constitutes an upper plate portion 19A. The portion of the plate member which is between the lines AA and BB constitutes a lower plate portion 19B.

When the lower plate portion 19B of the plate member of Figure 1 has been driven into the ground, a plank of wood may be placed against one of the flat surfaces of the upper plate portion 19A. When the lower plate portion 19B of the plate member 10 of Figure 2 has been driven into the ground, the ends of two planks of wood can be aligned adjacent to the upper plate portion 19A with abutting ends positioned substantially at the vertical line of symmetry 20. A respective screw, bolt or nail can "-*"then be passed through the, or each, hole 16 and into (or through) the adjacent plank or plank end, to hold the plank or plank ends in contact with the plate 10. When the plank or the other ends of the planks have been suitably supported elsewhere, soil (or other fill, such as gravel, or chips, or stones, or mulch) can be deposited to a depth up to the width of the plank or planks.

The support post illustrated in Figure 3 is also constructed from a single piece of steel plate or other suitable material. This supporting post is intended for use when the retaining wall to be built is somewhat higher than that which can be constructed using a support post as shown in Figures 1 or 2. In addition to being a taller support post, with several pairs of holes or apertures 16, the plate member 10 of Figure 3 has a downwards extension from the point 15 to form a spike 17, which terminates in a point 18. It should be apparent that, depending on the width of the planks, two or three planks (or alternative form of wall member) of a retaining wall can be supported on each half of the support post, with the respective opposed ends of each plank (or other wall member) abutting at the vertical line of symmetry 20 of the plate member.

Figure 3 also shows, in dashed outline, a rod-like upward extension 22. The extension 22, if appropriately grooved, or with at least one hole drilled through it, can be used to support a wire, a cable or a hose above the retaining wall, as will be explained in more detail later in this specification.

The support post illustrated in Figure 4 has a plate member similar to (but taller than) that shown in Figures 1 and 2, with a metal rod 23 of rectangular cross-section welded to it, along the vertical line of symmetry 20 of the plate member. The rod 23 extends below the point 15 of the plate member 10 to form a spike 17 with its point 18.

The support post shown in Figure 5 has two "half-plates" 10A and 10B welded to diametrically opposed regions of a steel rod 24 of circular cross-section. The rod 24 extends below the point at the junction of the lower edges 14A and 14B of the half-plates and 10B, to form a spike 17 with its own point 18.

0 Figure 6 illustrates a typical retaining wall structure, created using planks 30 and 31 supported by a support post constructed as shown in Figure 4. After driving the lower plate portion 19B of the support post into the ground the required distance d, the planks and 31 are positioned adjacent to the half-plates 10OA and 10B with the ends of the planks abutting (or almost abutting) each other. A chamfer on the end of each plank may 20 be required to enable the ends of the planks to abut against each other and then be held 9 firmly against the respective faces of their respective adjacent half-plates 10 OA and using bolts 25 (which pass through the planks and the holes or apertures 16 in the halfplates) and nuts 26. When soil or other fill 33 is deposited behind the retaining wall, the support plate will not be readily visible, as one face of each half-plate is covered by the soil 33 and the other face of each half-plate is covered by the abutting ends of the planks and 31.

In some gardens, it may be desirable to support a wire (or more than one wire) above a retaining wall. Alternatively, or in addition, it may be advantageous to support a hose of a watering system, or an electrical cable (for lighting the garden) above a -11retaining wall. For this purpose, the support post of the present invention may be constructed with an integral rod-like upward extension, as suggested in the description of the embodiment illustrated in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings. Another support post with an upward rod-like extension is shown in Figure 7. In the Figure 7 embodiment, two half-plates 10A and 10B are welded to a central steel rod 24 which has a lower spike portion 17 and an upper extension 34, with apertures or holes 35 drilled through it. In a modified form of the support post shown in Figure 7, the apertures are replaced with grooves or slots, appropriately dimensioned. A wire, cable or hose may be passed through an aperture 35, if the aperture is appropriately dimensioned, or a known support means for a wire, cable or hose may be attached to the aperture 35 or an alternative groove or slot.

Figure 8 depicts the top of the upper plate portion of the embodiment illustrated 0g00 "O S in Figure 7, but with a short extension 34 to which a boss 36 is affixed. The boss 36 has 00 6 :o 15 an internally threaded bore or cavity 37 into which the threaded lower end of a post 38 may be screwed. The post 38 may be a fence-post (for example, a post used in the construction of a swimming pool fence).

*00* 0 0000 To drive the support post shown in Figures 3 (with the extension 22), 7 and 8 into 20 the ground without risk of damage to the upwards extension above the plate member of Otto the support post, a generally cylindrical protective sleeve 40, as shown in Figure 9, may too be used. The sleeve 40 has a cylindrical body 41, a closed top 42 and an annular foot S: member 43. Typically the body 41, top 42 and foot member 43 will be of steel, and will be welded together to form a rigid sleeve 40. In use, the sleeve 40 is placed over the extension 34 with the foot member 43 resting on the top edge 11 (actually, two halfedges 11) of the half-plates 10 OA and 10 OB and with the top 42 clear of the top of the extension 22 or 34. By striking the top 42 of the protective sleeve, impact pressure is applied to the half-plates 10A and 10B and the support post is driven into the ground.

An alternative tool for driving the lower plate portions of the support posts shown -12in Figures 3, 7 and 8 into the ground is illustrated in Figure 10. This alternative tool comprises a cylindrical foot member 47 having an annular cross-section, with a pair of diametrically opposed arms 48 welded to or formed integrally with the foot member 47.

With the foot member 47 surrounding the extension 22 or 34, this tool may be moved manually so that the foot member 47 impacts on the top edge (or half-edges) 11 to drive the support post into the ground.

A landscape gardener may be asked to construct a retaining wall which has a corner (or more than one corner) in it. If that is the case, and the wall is to be constructed using the present invention, it will be desirable to have a support post at the (or each) corner of the retaining wall. The support post shown in Figure 5, with appropriate modification, can be used to produce a corner support post for a retaining wall. Such a corner support post, with planks 30A, 30B, 31A and 31B of a retaining wall, is featured in Figure 11 of the accompanying drawings.

It should be apparent that the support post shown in Figure 11 has two half-plates and lOB which are not coplanar, but are welded to a "central" rod 24 so they include an angle of approximately 90 It should also be apparent that it is a straightforward task to make a support post for a retaining wall with any required included angle by welding two half-plates to a metal rod. A more basic form of a support post for use at a corner Sof a retaining wall is a support post similar to that shown in Figure 2, with the plate o member 10 bent about the vertical line of symmetry 20, to form two half-plates with the required included angle for the corner.

Figure 12 of the accompanying drawings is a sketch showing a corner of a retaining wall constructed using another form of support post which is also in accordance with the present invention. This support post has decorative half-plates 10 OA and 1 OB welded to a single steel rod 24, with an upwards extension 34. Holes or grooves in the extension 34 support two wires 45, which in turn support a strip of wire mesh 44. The retaining wall in Figure 12 comprises a double layer of treated pine planks 30A, -13- 31A and 3113B.

If there is a rock feature, a tree stump, a lamp standard or some other object at or very close to one end of a retaining wall, the retaining wall may terminate without turning a corner. In such a situation, the support post shown in Figure 13 may be used at the termination of the retaining wall. This support post, which does not have a vertical line of symmetry, comprises a plate member 10 welded to a steel rod 24. The bottom edge 14 of the plate member 10 forms a chisel point 15 with the side edge 12 of the plate member. The rod 24 extends downwards as a spike 17 with a pointed end 18.

Optionally, the rod 24 may extend above the top edge 11 of the plate member 10. This optional extension 34 may terminate in a boss 36 having an internally threaded cavity to receive the threaded lower end of fence post. Another optional feature of the support post shown in Figure 13 is an end plate member 49, welded to the rod 24 so that the planar faces of the end plate member 49 are at right angles to the planes of the faces of 15 the plate member 10. The end plate member 49, if present, covers the end faces of the planks or other wall members that are affixed to the plate member .o It will be apparent from the above description of the illustrated embodiments that the preferred material for construction of the support post of this invention is steel.

Initial experiments have shown that the plate member (or the half-plates) may conveniently be 5mm thick mild steel plate, and (with the constructions illustrated in Figures 3, 4, 5, 7, 11, 12 and 13) the spike 17 should have a length of about 100mm. In addition, to avoid the need for bracing members or anchors attached to the support posts, the steel plate at the level where the upper plate portion meets the lower plate portion should be at least 100mm wide. In the constructions using a rod 24 of circular crosssection, the rod should be a solid rod of diameter 20mm. The distance d between the point 15 of the plate member (or the half-plates) of the support post and the surface of the ground, when the support post has been driven into position, should be about 300mm.

However, it should be noted that other materials may be used for the support posts of the present invention and other dimensions of parameters of the post embodiments may 14be adopted, provided the final product support post is effective to support the retaining wall members safely. Included in the other materials that may be used to make the support posts of this invention are a number of aluminium alloys, other types of steel, other suitable metals and alloys, and (particularly if a low level retaining wall is to be constructed) high density plastic materials (such as polycarbonates). This list is not exhaustive. If a plastic material is used, the plate member or half-plates will normally be moulded to include strengthening ribs.

Although treated pine planks are the inventor's preferred wall members for use with the support posts of this invention, other wall members may be used to construct a retaining wall. The other wall members include hardwood planks, treated pine logs with their ends shaped to provide at least one flat face which may be secured against a face of a plate member, lengths of sheet metal and lengths of metal decking. This list, also, is not exhaustive.

To protect the wall members of a retaining wall, an elongate, channel-shaped "cap" or cover may be placed over the top wall member. In addition, if steel is used for the present invention, it will be advantageous to coat the support post or at least the lower plate portion of the support post that will enter the ground with black tar or another rust-inhibiting compound.

Engineers, gardeners and landscape architects will appreciate that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated and described in this specification, and that modifications of and variations to the illustrated embodiments may be made without departing from the present inventive concept.

Claims (18)

1. A support post for use in the construction of a retaining wall, said post comprising a rigid elongate plate member, having a top edge, two side edges and a bottom edge, characterised in that said bottom edge is pointed; said plate member has a lower plate portion which, when said support post is in use in the construction of a retaining wall, is inserted into the ground; said plate member has an upper plate portion, extending from the top of said lower plate portion to said top edge, said upper plate portion, when said support post is in use in the construction of a wall, being positioned adjacent to a retaining wall member (as hereinbefore defined) of said retaining wall; and *go. at least one aperture is provided in said upper plate region, through which a bolt, i ~screw or the like may be passed to secure a wall member of said retaining wall to said plate member.

2. A support post as defined in claim 1, in which said plate member is symmetrical about a vertical line of symmetry, and at least one pair of apertures is formed in said upper plate portion and the apertures of said at least one pair of apertures are positioned symmetrically with respect to said line of symmetry.

3. A support post as defined in claim 2, including a spike extending below said bottom edge, said spike being aligned with said line of symmetry.

4. A support post as defined in claim 3, including an upwardly extending rod formed colinearly with said spike and said line of symmetry.

A support post as defined in claim 2, in which the part of said plate member which is on one side of said vertical line of symmetry is not coplanar with that part of said plate member which is on the other side of said vertical line of symmetry.

6. A support post as defined in claim 1, welded to a vertical rod which extends below said bottom edge of said plate as a spike. -16-

7. A support post as defined in claim 6, including a substantially rectangular plate welded to said vertical rod adjacent to said upper plate portion, the plane of said substantially rectangular plate being at right angles to the plane of said plate member.

8. A support post as defined in claim 2, including a vertical rod welded to said plate member along said vertical line of symmetry, said vertical rod extending below said bottom edge of said plate member as a spike.

9. A support post as defined in claim 6, claim 7 or claim 8, in which said vertical rod also extends above the top edge of said plate member.

A support post as defined in claim 2, in which said plate member is formed as two half-plates, each half-plate having an inner edge which corresponds to said vertical line of symmetry, each inner edge being welded to a vertical rod which extends below the bottom edge of said plate member as a spike. ooo.

11. A support post as defined in claim 10, in which said half-plates are not coplanar.

12. A support post as defined in claim 10, in which the plane of one of said half- plates is substantially at right angles to the plane of the other half-plate.

13. A support post as defined in claim 10, claim 11 or claim 12, in which said vertical S"rod also extends above the top edge of said plate member.

14. A support post as defined in any one of claims 4, 9 and 13, in which the extension of said vertical rod above said top edge has at least one support means attached thereto for use in supporting a wire, a cable or a hose on said rod.

A support post as defined in claim 15, in which the extension of said vertical rod above said top edge terminates in a boss having an internally-threaded cavity, adapted to receive a threaded end of a fence post.

16. A support post as defined in any preceding claim, in which the width of said plate member at the junction between said upper plate portion and said lower plate portion is at least 100mm.

17. A support post as defined in any preceding claim, in which said plate member is -17- made from steel and the lower plate portion is coated with a rust-inhibiting compound.

18. A support post for use in the construction of a retaining wall, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 8 and Figures 11 to 13 of the accompanying drawings. DATED this 30th day of August 2000. Scott Anthony Thornton by his Patent Attorneys DAVIES COLLISON CAVE *o