CA1194703A - Block for the construction of retaining walls - Google Patents

Block for the construction of retaining walls

Info

Publication number
CA1194703A
CA1194703A CA000430336A CA430336A CA1194703A CA 1194703 A CA1194703 A CA 1194703A CA 000430336 A CA000430336 A CA 000430336A CA 430336 A CA430336 A CA 430336A CA 1194703 A CA1194703 A CA 1194703A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
recesses
block
protrusions
face
blocks
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA000430336A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Andre Hamel
Denis Hamel
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
MONTCO LTEE
Original Assignee
MONTCO LTEE
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by MONTCO LTEE filed Critical MONTCO LTEE
Priority to CA000430336A priority Critical patent/CA1194703A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1194703A publication Critical patent/CA1194703A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • EFIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E02HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
    • E02DFOUNDATIONS; EXCAVATIONS; EMBANKMENTS; UNDERGROUND OR UNDERWATER STRUCTURES
    • E02D29/00Independent underground or underwater structures; Retaining walls
    • E02D29/02Retaining or protecting walls
    • E02D29/025Retaining or protecting walls made up of similar modular elements stacked without mortar

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Paleontology (AREA)
  • Civil Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Structural Engineering (AREA)
  • Retaining Walls (AREA)

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A block for the construction of a retaining wall comprises a body of concrete material having upper and lower faces of like contour, each face being formed with a pair of dihedral protrusions and a pair of dihedral recesses, the protrusions and recesses alternating with each other and extending in parallel relationship. The protrusions and recesses of the upper face are complementary to the recesses and protrusions respectively of the lower face to define upper and lower bearing surfaces. A retaining wall may be formed by arranging a plurality of such blocks in courses one above the other with the protrusions and recesses defining the lower bearing surface of a block interfitting respectively with the recesses and protrusions defining the upper bearing surface of an underlying block, the protrusions and recesses permitting self-alignment of the blocks while pre-venting displacement thereof in a direction normal to the courses.

Description

~3 ~'70,.3 BACKGROUND OF I~IE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the construction of retaining walls and is more par-ticularly concerned with a concrete block for use in the strengthening of terraces, embankments and banks, the protection of gardens, slopes, under-passes and road embankments as well as in noise protection mounds.
Concrete blocks specifically designed for the construction o~ ret~;n;ng walls are already known. For example, Canaaian Patent ~o. 1,116,422 discloses an earth retaining wall formed by stacked, alternately staggered rows of spaced, nesting, chevron-shaped concrete blocks. Each hlock is formed on its upper side with a dihedral protru-sion and on its underside with a complementar~
di~edral recess such that the blocks may lie one upon the other without mortar connection and interlock with one another due to their roof-shaped angulax configuration. The underside ofeach block is also narrower than the upper side so as to provide step-like shoulders in the wall assembly for good anchorage with the earth. How-ever, when it is desired to form a relatively high retaining wall, the blocks of some of the courses must be connected with one anothex using connection tubes which pass into holes formed in the blocks and extend continuously through the blocks in the direction of the courses' the blocks are then anchored to the bank with earth ties "~ '' 7S~3 attached either directly or indirectly to the connection tubes and extending into the bank.
It has been found in practice that when stacking the blocks described above, it is difficult to align the blocks with each other so as to pro-vide complete contact engagement between the recess of a given block and the protrusion of an underlying block, and there is thus often a gap between two blocks arranged one upon the other. Even if a block is properly fitted upon another one, it may still be displaced in a direction normal to the course when a force of relatively small magnitude is applied to the block in such direction. More-over, due to the particular configuration of the blocks, it is not possible to provide different wall arrangements which would add to the aesthetic look of the wall~

Sl)MMARY OF l'EIE INVENTI ON
It is therefore an object of this inven-tion to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks andto provide a block for the construction of a retaining wall, which i5 self-aligning.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a block of the above tyoe which combines stability, aesthetic value and versatility.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide such a block which is easy to install and adaptable to a variety of terrains~
In accordance with -the present invention, ~here is provided a block for the construction of a ~ _ .~4~ 3 retaining wall, comprising a body of concrete mate-rial having upper and lo~er faces of like contour, each face being formed with a pair of dihedral protrusions and a pair o dihedral recesses, the protrusions and recesses alternating with each other and extending in parallel relationship. The protru-sions and recesses of the upper face are complemen-tary to the recesses and protrusions respectively of the lower face to define upper and lower bearing surfaces. A retaining wall may thus be formed by arrangin~ a plurality of these blocks in courses one above the other with the protrusions and re-cesses defining the lower bearing surface of a block interfitting respectively with the recesses and protrusions defining the upper bearing surface of an underlying block, the protrusions and recesses permitti.ng self-alignment of the blocks while pre-venting displacement thereof in a direction normal to the courses~
Owing to the provision of two dihedral protrusions and two dihedral recesses on each of the upper and lower faces of the concrete block accord-ing to the invention, the block when laid upon an-other one will slide in place as a result of its own weight and thus complete contact engagement will be ensured between the protrusions and recesses defin-ing the lower bearing surface of the block and the respective complementary recesses and protrusions defining the upper bearing surface of the underlying block. Moreover, slnce these protrusions and recesses lB

~4'7~

provide a double interlocking engagement between two superposed blocks, the blocks in the wall assembled position are very stable and they can be displaced relative to one another in a direction normal to the courses only with great difficulty, usually requiring a forc~ ofrelatively high magnitude.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF T~IE DRAWINGS
Further features and advantages of the invention will ~ecome more readily apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof as illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a con-crete block according to the invention' Figure 2 is a sectional view of the block shown in Fig~ 1, Figure 3 which is on the same sheet of drawings as Fig. 1 is a sectional view of an earth re~;n;ng wall constructed with the blocks of Fig. 1, and Figure 4 is a sectional persF~ctive view of another wall assembly which may be effected using the blocks of Fig. 1~
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring first to Figs 1 and 2, there is shown an elongated concrete block generally designated by reference numeral 10 and haviny upper and lower faces 12 and 14 as well as opposite end faces 16 and 18, the upper and lower faces having substantially the same length. The block 10 is specifically de-signed for the construction of retaining walls and is made of concrete ~ 4 3'~ )3 material ha~ing a minimum strength of 48 ~pa (7,000 lbs/sq. inch).
The upper face 12 of the block is formed with a pair of dihedral protrusions 20,22 and a pair of dihedral recesses 24,26. The lower face 14 is similarly formed with a pair of dihedral protrusions 28,30 and a pair of dihedral recesses 32,34. As shown, the protrusions and recesses of each of the upper and lower ~aces alternate with each other and extend in parallel relationship in a direction normal to the longitudinal axis o~ the block~ More-over, the protrusions 20,22 and recesses 24,26 of the upper face 12 are complementary to the recesses 32,34 and protrusions 28,30 respectively of the lower face 14 to define upper and lower bearing surfaces, and are disposed in vertical alignment therewith. Each of these protrusions and recesses forms a dihedral angle of about 130. ~s best shown in Fig. 2, one of the planar surfaces defined by each protrusion for~s an angle ~ of about 15 to the horizontal, -the other planar surface forming an angle ~ of about 30 to -the horizontal.
On the other hand, the end face 18 of the block 10 is planar and is joined to the upper and 25 lower faces 12 and 14 by chamfered edges 36. The other end face 16 is toothed and formed with an angular shoulder 38.
Figure 3 shows how the blocks 10 may be stacked vertically to form a retaining wall for an earth bank 40~ Since the upper and lower faces 12 and 14 of each bloc]~ have like contour, a block can be inverted so that its surface 12 faces downwardly and -thus be positioned over another block with its surface 12 abutting the top surface 12 of the underlying block, It is therefore pos-sible to arrange some of the blocks 10 in courses so that their planar end surfaces 18 face outwardly and their toothed end surfaces 16 face the earth 40, and to arrange other bloc]~s in courses so that their planar end surfaces 18 face instead the earth and their -toothed end surfaces 16 face outwardly, whereby such courses can be alternated as shown in Fig. 3. This of course renders the blocks 10 quite versatile and adds to the aesthetic loo~ of the resulting wall.
The retaining wall may be constructed on a concrete footing 4~ embedded in the earth. When it is desired to construct a vertical wall of relatively low height, for instance having a height of up to about 4 feet, the first course of blocXs 10 can be laid directly on the horizontal top surface of the footing 42. When the first course has been laid, the wall may then be erected by arranging the blocks in further courses one above the o-ther according to the desired pattern. As ~hown in Fig. 3, the pro-trusions and recesses of the blocks interfit with each other to provide complete contact engagement between the superposed blocks, and also provides a double interlocking engagement therebetween which prevents displacement of the blocks in a direction normal to the courses. The angular shoulders 38 further provide good anchorage with the earth 40.
In the case of relatively high retaining walls, the wall must be angularly inclined as shown in Fig. 4. To this end, ~he first course 44 of blocks 10 is laid with butt joints in the still unset soft concrete of the footing 46 and pressed therein to provide the desired inclination of the retaining wall~ me blocks o~ the upper courses 48 can be arranged with open joints to -form interspaces 50 which can receive decorative plantsO The blocks 10 can also be arranged with closed joints as in the two uppermost courses 52 shown in Fig. 4. For maximum safety, the last course is usually set in place with mortar.
~ lthough the retaining wall is illustrated in Fig. 4 with the planar end surfaces of the blocks all facing outwardly, it is apparent that such a wall can also be constructed with the toothed end surfaces of the blocks all facing outwardly.
Finally, it should be noted that a retain-ing wall constructed with the blocks 10 is held in place solely by the equilibrium existing between the weight of the wa~l and the pressure exerted by the earth bank 40. Since the thickness and unitary mass of the blocks making up the wall remain unchanged as the height of the bank increases, it is thus necessary to increase the angle of inclination of the wall in order to maintain this equilibrium and compensate for the pressure which increases with Lt7~3~3 height. rrhis inclination generally varies from about 90 to about 60,

Claims (9)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclu-sive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A block for the construction of a retain-ing wall, comprising a body of concrete material having upper and lower faces of like contour, each said face being formed with a pair of dihedral pro-trusions and a pair of dihedral recesses, said protrusions and recesses alternating with each other and extending in parallel relationship, the pro-trusions and recesses of the upper face being com-plementary to the recesses and protrusions respec-tively of the lower face to define upper and lower bearing surfaces, whereby said retaining wall is formed by arranging a plurality of said blocks in courses one above the other with the protrusions and recesses defining the lower bearing surface of a block interfitting respectively with the recesses and protrusions defining the upper bearing surface of an underlying block, said protrusions and recesses permitting self-alignment of the blocks while preventing displacement thereof in a direction normal to said courses.
2. A block as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protrusions and recesses defining said upper bearing surface and the respective complementary recesses and protrusions defining said lower bear-ing surface are vertically aligned with each other when said block is disposed in a vertical wall assembly.
3. A block as claimed in claim 1, wherein said body is elongated in a direction normal to said parallel protrusions and recesses and has opposite end faces, one of said end faces being planar.
4. A block as claimed in claim 3, wherein the other end face of said body is formed with an angular shoulder.
5. A block as claimed in claim 3, wherein said upper and lower faces are joined to said planar end face by chamfered edges.
6. A block as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said protrusions and recesses forms a dihedral angle of about 135°.
7. A block as claimed in claim 6, wherein one of the planar surfaces defined by each said dihedral protrusion forms an angle of about 15° to the horizontal, the other planar surface forming an angle of about 30° to the horizontal.
8. A block as claimed in claim 1, wherein said body is made of concrete having a minimum strength of 48 Mpa.
9. A block as claimed in claims 3, 4 or 5, wherein said upper and lower faces have substan-tially the same length.
CA000430336A 1983-06-14 1983-06-14 Block for the construction of retaining walls Expired CA1194703A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA000430336A CA1194703A (en) 1983-06-14 1983-06-14 Block for the construction of retaining walls

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA000430336A CA1194703A (en) 1983-06-14 1983-06-14 Block for the construction of retaining walls

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1194703A true CA1194703A (en) 1985-10-08

Family

ID=4125474

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000430336A Expired CA1194703A (en) 1983-06-14 1983-06-14 Block for the construction of retaining walls

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1194703A (en)

Cited By (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0181230A2 (en) * 1984-11-08 1986-05-14 John Watson Crighton Improvements in or relating to building blocks
FR2600096A1 (en) * 1986-06-13 1987-12-18 Genet Corinne Modular wall elements
US5589124A (en) 1989-09-28 1996-12-31 Block Systems, Inc. Method of forming composite masonry blocks
US5704183A (en) 1992-10-06 1998-01-06 Anchor Wall Systems, Inc. Composite masonry block
US5709062A (en) 1992-10-06 1998-01-20 Anchor Wall Systems, Inc. Composite masonry block
US6029943A (en) 1996-11-08 2000-02-29 Anchor Wall Systems, Inc. Splitting technique
US6250850B1 (en) 1999-08-19 2001-06-26 Rockwood Retaining Walls, Inc. Block with multifaceted bottom surface
USD445512S1 (en) 1997-10-27 2001-07-24 Anchor Wall Systems, Inc. Retaining wall block
US6918715B2 (en) 1999-06-11 2005-07-19 Anchor Wall Systems, Inc. Block splitting assembly and method
US7004158B2 (en) 2002-03-20 2006-02-28 Anchor Wall Systems, Inc. Block splitting assembly and method
NL2031381B1 (en) * 2022-03-22 2023-10-03 Jaring Tom Noise barrier and building blocks for noise barrier

Cited By (20)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0181230A3 (en) * 1984-11-08 1987-02-04 John Watson Crighton Improvements in or relating to building blocks
EP0181230A2 (en) * 1984-11-08 1986-05-14 John Watson Crighton Improvements in or relating to building blocks
FR2600096A1 (en) * 1986-06-13 1987-12-18 Genet Corinne Modular wall elements
US5589124A (en) 1989-09-28 1996-12-31 Block Systems, Inc. Method of forming composite masonry blocks
US5704183A (en) 1992-10-06 1998-01-06 Anchor Wall Systems, Inc. Composite masonry block
US5709062A (en) 1992-10-06 1998-01-20 Anchor Wall Systems, Inc. Composite masonry block
US5711129A (en) 1992-10-06 1998-01-27 Anchor Wall Systems, Inc. Masonry block
US5795105A (en) 1992-10-06 1998-08-18 Anchor Wall Systems, Inc. Composite masonry block
US6113318A (en) 1992-10-06 2000-09-05 Anchor Wall Systems, Inc. Composite masonry block
US6029943A (en) 1996-11-08 2000-02-29 Anchor Wall Systems, Inc. Splitting technique
USD445512S1 (en) 1997-10-27 2001-07-24 Anchor Wall Systems, Inc. Retaining wall block
US7967001B2 (en) 1999-06-11 2011-06-28 Anchor Wall Systems, Inc. Block splitting assembly and method
US6918715B2 (en) 1999-06-11 2005-07-19 Anchor Wall Systems, Inc. Block splitting assembly and method
US7066167B2 (en) 1999-06-11 2006-06-27 Anchor Wall Systems, Inc. Block splitting assembly and method
US8006683B2 (en) 1999-06-11 2011-08-30 Anchor Wall Systems, Inc. Block splitting assembly and method
US8327833B2 (en) 1999-06-11 2012-12-11 Anchor Wall Systems, Inc. Block splitting assembly and method
US9573293B2 (en) 1999-06-11 2017-02-21 Anchor Wall Systems, Inc. Block splitting assembly and method
US6250850B1 (en) 1999-08-19 2001-06-26 Rockwood Retaining Walls, Inc. Block with multifaceted bottom surface
US7004158B2 (en) 2002-03-20 2006-02-28 Anchor Wall Systems, Inc. Block splitting assembly and method
NL2031381B1 (en) * 2022-03-22 2023-10-03 Jaring Tom Noise barrier and building blocks for noise barrier

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