CA3111429C

CA3111429C - Reinforced earth retaining wall structure and construction method therefor

Info

Publication number: CA3111429C
Application number: CA3111429A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Jang Won Lee; Jae Hong Kim
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2018-08-28
Filing date: 2019-06-27
Publication date: 2023-05-23
Anticipated expiration: 2039-06-27
Also published as: WO2020045810A1; KR20200024981A; CA3111429A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a reinforced earth retaining wall structure and a construction method therefor. In the present invention, the skin of the reinforced earth retaining wall is formed with blocks (20) or panels (120), and strip-type reinforcing members (30) penetrating through the blocks (20) or the panels (120) are horizontally disposed entirely within backfill soil (40). The strip-shaped reinforcing members (30) penetrate through the blocks (20) or the panels (120) such that the blocks (20) or the panels (120) are coupled with the strip-shaped reinforcing members (30), thereby preventing displacement of the blocks (20) or the panels (120) due to friction, inside the backfill soil (40), between the strip-shaped reinforcing members (30) and the backfill soil (40). The present invention is advantageous in that the structure of combining the blocks (20) or the panels (120) with the strip-shaped reinforcing members (30) is simple, and construction thereof is simple.

Description

Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 REINFORCED EARTH RETAINING WALL STRUCTURE AND CONSTRUCTION
METHOD THEREFOR
Technical Field The present disclosure relates generally to a reinforced earth retaining wall structure and a construction method therefor. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a reinforced earth retaining wall structure and a construction method therefor, in which a strip-shaped reinforcing member is configured to pass through a block or a panel constituting the skin of a reinforced earth retaining wall and to be connected horizontally thereto.
Background Art To prevent accidents due to the loss and collapse of soil and improve a landscape, a skin of a reinforced earth retaining wall constituted by a block or panel is formed on a slope formed by earth cutting or soil filling.
Additionally, a reinforcing member is provided in backfill soil filled behind the retaining wall, and an end of the reinforcing member is configured to be connected to the block or panel constituting the skin of a reinforced earth retaining wall. As the reinforcing member, a geogrid is sometimes used, and recently, a strip-shaped reinforcing member is widely used.

Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008C A01 The strip-shaped reinforcing member is formed to have a strip shape and is made of synthetic resin material that is somewhat flexible. The strip-shaped reinforcing member may be made of high-strength polyester fibers, or of the high-strength polyester fibers coated with polyethylene.
Such a strip-shaped reinforcing member is required to be installed horizontally in the backfill soil so as to maximize friction between the strip-shaped reinforcing member and the backfill soil such that the block or panel constituting the skin of a reinforced earth retaining wall is securely fixed.
In the past, to connect the strip-shaped reinforcing member to a block or panel, an installation groove was formed in the block or panel, and the strip-shaped reinforcing member was held in the installation groove, or was held by a guide rod by surrounding the guide rod with the guide rod installed in the block or panel. This is disclosed in Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2018-0066926 which is a prior art document.
However, the installation groove is formed to be open in the upper surface or rear end of the block or panel such that the strip-shaped reinforcing member is seated in the installation groove from a position above the block or panel. Accordingly, when the position of the strip-shaped reinforcing member is changed as the backfill soil is

2 Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 stabilized, the strip-shaped reinforcing member is easily removed from the installation groove, so the fixing of the strip-shaped reinforcing member to the block or panel is released.
In addition, when the strip-shaped reinforcing member is held in the block or panel by being located in the installation groove, a portion of the strip-shaped reinforcing member does not maintain a horizontal state thereof and thus friction between the corresponding portion and the backfill soil is not properly produced.
Furthermore, when connecting the strip-shaped reinforcing member to the block or panel actually by almost folding the strip-shaped reinforcing member such that the strip-shaped reinforcing member surrounds the guide rod, the number of components increases due to the use of the guide rod during construction, and the work of surrounding the guide rod with the strip-shaped reinforcing member such that the strip-shaped reinforcing member covers the guide rod is not easy, which decreases workability.
In addition, in the prior art, one strip-shaped reinforcing member is located at the same layer inside the backfill soil, so as described above, the position of the strip-shaped reinforcing member relative to the block or the panel is easily changed, and due to the folding of the

3 Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 AttorneyRef.:1145P008CA01 strip-shaped reinforcing member, the strip-shaped reinforcing member may be easily damaged.
Additionally, during the construction of the reinforced earth retaining wall, in a conventional method of horizontally connecting a strip-shaped reinforcing member on an earthwork surface, subsidiary materials such as fixing reinforcing bars and embedding reinforcing bars or fixing pins are required to be used so as to connect the strip-shaped reinforcing member to the rear surface of the retaining wall in a zigzag, and the strip-shaped reinforcing member having some rigidity is required to be completely folded to be installed, thereby increasing the cost of accessory materials and having a low economic efficiency due to construction inconvenience compared to geogrid construction in which the construction is completed by unfolding the strip-shaped reinforcing member on an earthwork surface. Particularly, the strip-shaped reinforcing member has some rigidity, and thus it is very difficult and inconvenient to bend the strip-shaped reinforcing member by 180 degrees, and when folded abruptly, the strip-shaped reinforcing member may be damaged.

4 Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 Summary The present disclosure has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art and is intended to propose a reinforced earth retaining wall structure and a construction method therefor, in which strip-shaped reinforcing members pass through blocks or panels constituting the skin of a reinforced earth retaining wall in directions vertical thereto and are connected directly thereto.
In addition, the present disclosure is intended to propose a reinforced earth retaining wall structure and a construction method therefor, in which a middle part of one strip-shaped reinforcing member is located in the block or panel after the strip-shaped reinforcing member passes therethrough, and all of the remaining parts of the strip-shaped reinforcing member are located horizontally at different layers of the backfill soil.
In order to accomplish the above aims, according to an aspect of the present disclosure, the present disclosure provides a reinforced earth retaining wall structure including: a block having a front plate constituting a front of a reinforced earth retaining wall and having a through hole formed therein by passing vertically through a block body; backfill soil filled behind the block; and a strip-shaped reinforcing member having a middle part located in

5 Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 the through hole of the block after the strip-shaped reinforcing member passes through the through hole of the block, parts of the strip-shaped reinforcing member located outside the block being located horizontally inside the backfill soil, and opposite end parts of the strip-shaped reinforcing member relative to the block being arranged at different layers of the backfill soil.
The through hole may be formed by passing vertically through the block, wherein a partition holding end may be formed inside the through hole and divide the through hole into two areas, so the strip-shaped reinforcing member may be held by the partition holding end.
The block may include: the block body having the front plate constituting a front thereof and a rear plate constituting a rear thereof; a front end protrusion protruding at an upper surface of the block body and at a position adjacent to the front plate; a rear end protrusion protruding at the upper surface of the block body and at a position adjacent to the rear plate; a front end channel formed on a lower surface of the block body and at a position adjacent to the front plate; and a rear end channel formed on the lower surface of the block body and at a position adjacent to the rear plate.

6 Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 The strip-shaped reinforcing member may pass simultaneously through two blocks stacked vertically and may be directly combined therewith.
A reinforcing member path may be formed in the rear plate constituting the rear of the block body such that the strip-shaped reinforcing member passing through the through hole passes through the reinforcing member path.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the present disclosure provides a construction method for a reinforced earth retaining wall, the construction method including: locating a strip-shaped reinforcing member cut to have a predetermined length at an area to fill with backfill soil for the reinforced earth retaining wall; locating a block along an area of the reinforced earth retaining wall to be formed on a ground and locating a middle part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member in a through hole of the block by passing the strip-shaped reinforcing member through the through hole of the block; locating a part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member coming out of the through hole of the block after passing through the through hole of the block at a position beyond the area of the backfill soil;
performing a filling of the backfill soil at an area located behind the block; and locating the strip-shaped reinforcing member passing through the through hole of the block on an upper surface of the backfill soil after the filling of the

7 Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 backfill soil is completed, wherein a new strip-shaped reinforcing member is located on the upper surface of the backfill soil after the filling of the backfill soil is completed and the above process is repeated.
The strip-shaped reinforcing member may be horizontally arranged entirely inside the backfill soil.
The block may be used by being stacked such that two blocks form one block layer, and the strip-shaped reinforcing member may pass simultaneously through the two blocks.
to In blocks of different layers, a block located at an upper layer and a block located at a lower layer may be arranged to be in disagreement with each other.
According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, the reinforced earth retaining wall structure of the present disclosure includes: a panel having an entrance/exit formed at each of opposite end parts of a through path formed inside a panel body constituting a front of a reinforced earth retaining wall such that the entrance/exit is open to a rear surface of the panel body;
backfill soil filled behind the panel; and a strip-shaped reinforcing member having a middle part located in the through path of the panel by passing the strip-shaped reinforcing member through the through path of the panel, parts of the strip-shaped reinforcing member located outside the panel being located horizontally inside the backfill

8 Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 soil, wherein strip-shaped reinforcing members located at opposite ends of the panel relative to the panel may be arranged at different layers of the backfill soil.
The through path may be formed to have a curved shape having the predetermined curvature, so the strip-shaped reinforcing member may be configured to be introduced into the through path through an entrance/exit located at a first side of the through path and to come out through an entrance/exit located at a second side of the through path.
A combination end may be formed by protruding from each of opposite ends of the panel body and may combine vertically stacked panels with each other; an upper combining corrugation may be formed along an upper surface of the panel body; a lower combining corrugation may be formed along a lower surface of the panel body; a side combining corrugation may be formed along a side surface of the panel body; and an end combining corrugation may be formed on the combination end, the end combining corrugation being combined with a side combining corrugation of a panel adjacent to the end combining corrugation.
The through path may include multiple through paths, and of the through paths, a middle exit may be formed in a through path formed by being adjacent to each of upper and lower ends of the panel body such that the middle exit is open to each of upper and lower surfaces of the panel body,

9 Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 so panels stacked vertically may be combined with each other by the strip-shaped reinforcing member.
The through path may include multiple through paths formed in the panel, entrances/exits of the through paths being formed at specific heights of the rear surface of the panel.
According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, the present disclosure provides a construction method for a reinforced earth retaining wall, the construction method including: locating a strip-shaped reinforcing member cut to have a predetermined length at an area to fill with backfill soil for the reinforced earth retaining wall; locating a panel along an area of the reinforced earth retaining wall to be formed on a ground and extending a middle part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member to a rear surface of the panel by passing the strip-shaped reinforcing member through a through path of the panel; locating a part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member extending through the rear surface of the panel at a position beyond the area of the backfill soil; performing a filling of the backfill soil at an area located behind the panel;
locating the strip-shaped reinforcing member passing through the through path of the panel on an upper surface of the backfill soil after the filling of the backfill soil is completed; and locating a new strip-shaped reinforcing member Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 on the upper surface of the completely filled backfill soil and performing a filling of a new backfill soil on the completely filled backfill soil after locating the new strip-shaped reinforcing member at a position beyond the area of the completely filled backfill soil by passing the new strip-shaped reinforcing member through another through path of the panel, wherein when filling of backfill soil corresponding to a panel layer is completed, the above process may be repeated.
The strip-shaped reinforcing member may be horizontally arranged entirely inside the backfill soil.
A panel located at an upper position and a panel located at a lower position may be connected to each other by the strip-shaped reinforcing member passing through the through path having the middle exit formed at each of an upper surface and a lower surface of the panel body.
The reinforced earth retaining wall structure and the construction method therefor according to the present disclosure may have the following effects.
In the present disclosure, the through hole may be formed vertically through the block body of the block, and the strip-shaped reinforcing member may pass through the through hole such that the block and the strip-shaped reinforcing member are connected directly to each other, and the parts of the strip-shaped reinforcing member located Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 outside the block after the strip-shaped reinforcing member passes through the block may be horizontally located inside the backfill soil, whereby combination of the block with the strip-shaped reinforcing member may be simple and secure.
Further, all of the parts of the strip-shaped reinforcing member located inside the backfill soil may be arranged horizontally, so friction between the backfill soil and the strip-shaped reinforcing member may be properly generated in the entirety of the strip-shaped reinforcing member, thereby making a reinforced earth retaining wall secure.
In the present disclosure, after the strip-shaped reinforcing member passes vertically through the block body, the opposite parts of the strip-shaped reinforcing member connected to the opposite sides of the part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member located inside the block body may be located at different layers inside the backfill soil.
Such a structure may prevent the strip-shaped reinforcing member from abruptly being folded at a part of the block body through which the strip-shaped reinforcing member passes, thereby preventing the damage of the strip-shaped reinforcing member and making the block be supported securely by the strip-shaped reinforcing member.
In the present disclosure, like the above case in which a block is used as the skin of the reinforced earth retaining wall, even when a panel is used as the skin of the Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 reinforced earth retaining wall, the through path leading from a position of the rear surface of the panel to another position of the rear surface may be formed in the panel, so the strip-shaped reinforcing member may be combined directly with the panel body and all parts of the strip-shaped reinforcing member located inside the backfill soil may be located horizontally, thereby properly generating friction between the strip-shaped reinforcing member and the backfill soil. Furthermore, the through path may be formed to have a predetermined curved shape, and a part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member located in the through path may be efficiently curved, thereby preventing the damage of the strip-shaped reinforcing member and making the panel supported securely by the strip-shaped reinforcing member.
In addition, the strip-shaped reinforcing member may have about twice a length from the rear end of the backfill soil to the block, and the filling of the backfill soil on a part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member located from the rear end of the backfill soil to the block may be performed while a part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member located relatively above the part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member and located from the block to the rear end of the backfill soil is bent toward the front of the block, and after the filling of the backfill soil is completed at the corresponding layer, the part of the strip-shaped Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 reinforcing member bent toward the front of the block may be put on the completely filled backfill soil, so there is no section in which the strip-shaped reinforcing member is abruptly folded, thereby making the work of using the strip-shaped reinforcing member very convenient.
Additionally, in the present disclosure, the strip-shaped reinforcing member cut to have a predetermined length may be connected directly to the block or panel by passing therethrough, so separate combining work may not be required, and like a geogrid construction method, the strip-shaped reinforcing member may be just unfolded on an earthwork surface, thereby significantly improving the convenience of construction.
In another aspect, this document discloses a reinforced earth retaining wall structure comprising: a block having a front plate constituting a front of a reinforced earth retaining wall and having a through hole formed therein by passing vertically through a block body;
backfill soil filled behind the block; and a strip-shaped reinforcing member having a middle part located in the through hole of the block after the strip-shaped reinforcing member passes through the through hole of the block, parts of the strip-shaped reinforcing member located outside the block being located horizontally inside the backfill soil, and opposite end parts of the strip-shaped reinforcing Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 member relative to the block being arranged at different layers of the backfill soil.
In another aspect, this document discloses a construction method for a reinforced earth retaining wall, the construction method comprising: locating a strip-shaped reinforcing member cut to have a predetermined length at an area to fill with backfill soil for the reinforced earth retaining wall; locating a block along an area of the reinforced earth retaining wall to be formed on a ground and locating a middle part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member in a through hole of the block by passing the strip-shaped reinforcing member through the through hole of the block; locating a part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member coming out of the through hole of the block after passing through the through hole of the block at a position beyond the area of the backfill soil; performing a filling of the backfill soil at an area located behind the block;
and locating the strip-shaped reinforcing member passing through the through hole of the block on an upper surface of the backfill soil after the filling of the backfill soil is completed, wherein a new strip-shaped reinforcing member is located on the upper surface of the backfill soil after the filling of the backfill soil is completed and the above process is repeated.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 In another aspect, this document discloses a reinforced earth retaining wall structure comprising: a panel having an entrance/exit formed at each of opposite end parts of a through path formed inside a panel body constituting a front of a reinforced earth retaining wall such that the entrance/exit is open to a rear surface of the panel body; backfill soil filled behind the panel; and a strip-shaped reinforcing member having a middle part located in the through path of the panel by passing the strip-shaped reinforcing member through the through path of the panel, parts of the strip-shaped reinforcing member located outside the panel being located horizontally inside the backfill soil, wherein strip-shaped reinforcing members located at opposite ends of the panel relative to the panel are arranged at different layers of the backfill soil.
In another aspect, this document discloses a construction method for a reinforced earth retaining wall, the construction method comprising: locating a strip-shaped reinforcing member cut to have a predetermined length at an area to fill with backfill soil for the reinforced earth retaining wall; locating a panel along an area of the reinforced earth retaining wall to be formed on a ground and extending a middle part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member to a rear surface of the panel by passing the strip-shaped reinforcing member through a through path of the Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 panel; locating a part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member extending through the rear surface of the panel at a position beyond the area of the backfill soil; performing a filling of the backfill soil at an area located behind the panel; locating the strip-shaped reinforcing member passing through the through path of the panel on an upper surface of the backfill soil after the filling of the backfill soil is completed; and locating a new strip-shaped reinforcing member on the upper surface of the completely filled backfill soil and performing a filling of a new backfill soil on the completely filled backfill soil after locating the new strip-shaped reinforcing member at a position beyond the area of the completely filled backfill soil by passing the new strip-shaped reinforcing member through another through path of the panel, wherein when filling of backfill soil corresponding to a panel layer is completed, the above process is repeated.
In another aspect, this invention discloses a reinforced earth retaining wall structure comprising: a panel having a periphery configured for combining with at least one additional panel; a combination end integrated with the panel, the combination end forming a laterally extending section of the panel; a plurality of paths passing through the panel; and a plurality of strip-shaped reinforcing members, each being partially retained within a Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref: 1145P008CA01 corresponding one of the plurality of paths; wherein the combination end enables staggered vertical placement of the panel when combined with the at least one additional panel, and the structure is retained in place upon layering of backfill soil over the plurality of strip-based reinforcing members.
In another aspect, this document discloses reinforced earth retaining wall structure comprising: a block having a front plate constituting a front of a reinforced earth retaining wall and comprising a through hole formed therein, the through hole passing vertically through a block body of the block, wherein the through hole is open to a top of the block and to a bottom of the block, wherein the through hole is fully closed to all lateral sides of the block, and wherein the through hole comprises a front hole portion and a back hole portion, the front hole portion being substantially separated from the back hole portion by a partition holding end of the block, said partition holding end comprising two opposing protrusions from inner walls of the block, inner ends of the two opposing protrusions being separated from each other such that a passage is formed between the front hole portion and the back hole portion; backfill soil filled behind the block; and a strip-shaped reinforcing member having a middle part located in the through hole of the block after the strip-shaped reinforcing member is passed through the through hole of the block, wherein the strip-shaped reinforcing member is held by the partition holding end, and wherein parts of the strip-shaped Date Recue/Date Received 2022-09-08 Attorney Ref: 1145P008CA01 reinforcing member located outside the block are located horizontally inside the backfill soil, and wherein opposite end parts of the strip-shaped reinforcing member are arranged at different layers of the backfill soil.
In another aspect, this document discloses a construction method for a reinforced earth retaining wall, the construction method comprising: placing a strip-shaped reinforcing member cut to have a predetermined length at an area to fill with backfill soil for the reinforced earth retaining wall; placing a block along an area of the reinforced earth retaining wall to be formed on a ground and placing a middle part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member in a through hole of the block by passing the strip-shaped reinforcing member through the through hole of the block, wherein the through hole passes vertically through a block body of the block, wherein the through hole is open to a top of the block and to a bottom of the block, wherein the through hole is fully closed to all lateral sides of the block, and wherein the through hole comprises a front hole portion and a back hole portion, the front hole portion being substantially separated from the back hole portion by a partition holding end of the block, said partition holding end comprising two opposing protrusions from inner walls of the block, inner ends of the two opposing protrusions being separated from each other such that a passage is formed between the front hole portion and the back hole portion; placing a part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member coming out of the through hole 18a Date Recue/Date Received 2022-09-08 Attorney Ref: 1145P008CA01 of the block after passing through the through hole of the block at a position beyond the area of the backfill soil; performing a filling of the backfill soil at an area located behind the block; and placing the strip-shaped reinforcing member passing through the through hole of the block on an upper surface of the backfill soil after the filling of the backfill soil is completed, wherein a new strip-shaped reinforcing member is placed on the upper surface of the backfill soil after the filling of the backfill soil is completed and the above process is repeated.
Description of Drawings FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a reinforced earth retaining wall structure according to the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the reinforced earth retaining wall structure according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 shown from a rear of the reinforced earth retaining wall structure.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the reinforced earth retaining wall structure according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of a block used in the embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view illustrating the configuration of the block used in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

Date Recue/Date Received 2022-09-08 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 FIGS. 6(a), 6(b), 6(c), and 6(d) are working state views illustrating a construction method for a reinforced earth retaining wall according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of a reinforced earth retaining wall structure according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the reinforced earth retaining wall structure according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7 shown from a rear of the reinforced earth retaining wall structure.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a panel constituting the reinforced earth retaining wall structure according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7.
FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line A-A' of the panel illustrated in FIG. 9.
Detailed Description Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. In assigning reference numerals to components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same components are assigned the same reference numerals as possible although the same components are indicated on different drawings. In addition, in describing the Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 embodiments of the present disclosure, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function interferes with the understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.
In addition, in describing the components of the embodiments of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b) may be used. These terms are only used to distinguish between the components, and the nature or order of the components is not limited by the terms.
When a component is described as being "connected to" or "combined with" another component, the components may be directly connected to or combined with each other, but it should be understood that a component may be "connected to"
or "combined with" each of the components therebetween.
As illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in a reinforced earth retaining wall structure according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, blocks 20 may be installed on the ground 10 by being stacked to have multiple block layers thereon, and strip-shaped reinforcing members connected directly to the blocks 20 may be located horizontally at several backfill soil layers inside the backfill soil 40 located behind the blocks 20.
In the illustrated embodiment, each of the strip-25 shaped reinforcing member 30 may be configured to Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 simultaneously pass through two stacked blocks 20, but this may not be required. The strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 may pass through only one block 20. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the two stacked blocks 20 may be configured to constitute one block layer, but one block 20 may be configured to constitute one block layer.
In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the block of a lower block layer and the block of an upper block layer may be arranged to be in disagreement with each other, so one block 20 of the upper block layer may sit on two adjacent blocks 20 of the lower block layer. Accordingly, since the blocks 20 are stacked to be in disagreement with each other, the skin of a reinforced earth retaining wall constituted by the blocks 20 may be secure.
Here, the configuration of the block 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. A
block body 21 may constitute the frame of the block 20. A
front plate 22 may constitute a front part of the block body 21. The front plate 22 may constitute the front of the reinforced earth retaining wall. The front plate 22 may have multiple grooves consecutively formed at opposite end parts thereof such that the grooves incline rearward. A
rear plate 22' may constitute a rear part of the block body 21. The width of the rear plate 22' may be smaller than the width of the front plate 22. Corrugations (no reference Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 numeral given) corresponding to each other may be formed at opposite ends of the front plate 22, so the corrugations of blocks 20 adjacent to each other may be fitted to each other such that the blocks 20 are combined with each other.
In the block body 21, a part connecting the front plate 22 and the rear plate 22' to each other may have a shape approximate to an H shape in a cross section, but the shape of the block body 21 may be variously formed. A
through hole 23 may be formed vertically through the block body 21. The strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 may pass through the through hole 23.
Two front end protrusions 25 may be formed on the upper surface of the block body 21. Each of the front end protrusion 25 may be formed by protruding at a position adjacent to the front plate 22 behind the front plate 22.
Two rear end protrusions 26 may protrude at the rear end parts of the upper surface of the block body 21, that is, at positions adjacent to the rear plate 22'.
A front end channel 25' and a rear end channel 26' may be formed in the lower surface of the block body 21 such that the front end channel 25' and a rear end channel 26' correspond to the front end protrusion 25 and the rear end protrusion 26, respectively. The front end protrusion 25 and the rear end protrusion 26 of a block located relatively below the front end channel 25' and the rear end channel 26' Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 may be located in the front end channel 25' and the rear end channel 26', respectively. The front end channel 25' and the rear end channel 26' may be formed to transversely cross the lower surface of the block body 21.
Meanwhile, a reinforcing member path 28 may be formed at a position of the rear plate 22' of the upper surface of the block body 21. The reinforcing member path 28 may be formed by removing a portion of the rear plate 22' and may allow the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 to pass between the block bodies 21 stacked vertically such that the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 and the block bodies 21 do not interfere with each other.
A partition holding end 29 may be formed by passing through the center of the through hole 23 to divide the through hole 23 into two areas. The partition holding end 29 may include two partition holding ends formed by extending from inner opposite sides of the through hole 23 such that the two partition holding ends face each other.
The strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 passing through the through hole 23 may be held by each of the partition holding ends 29. Of course, the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 in the through hole 23 may be held by the rear plate 22', However, the partition holding end 29 may be damaged due to an unexpected great force which may be applied between the block 20 and the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 when the Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 is held by the partition holding end 29. Even in this case, the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 may be held by the rear plate 22', and thus the block 20 may not be further moved, so the damage of the reinforced earth retaining wall may be minimized.
The strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 may be made to have a strip shape having predetermined width and thickness, and may be basically made of a flexible material. The strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 may be made of a synthetic resin material, for example, of a polymer material. The strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 may be made of high-strength polyester fiber, or of a polyethylene sheath added thereto. Such a strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 may extend longitudinally in one direction and may allow friction to be generated between the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 and the backfill soil inside the backfill soil 40. In the embodiment, the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 may be connected to the block 20 by passing vertically therethrough, and the extending direction of the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 may be changed relative to the block 20. Furthermore, a part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 coming out through the upper part of the block 20 relative to the through hole 23 of the block 20 and a part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 coming out through the lower part of the block 20 Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 relative to the through hole 23 of the block 20 may be located at layers different from each other inside the backfill soil.
For reference, the detailed configuration of the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 is as follows. A strip base made of the material described above and a resistance protrusion formed to be integrated with a surface of the strip base may constitute the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30. Such a strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 may be flexible due to the characteristic of the material thereof, but may be folded only when at least a predetermined force is applied thereto. A considerable force may be required to be applied to the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 to overlap adjacent parts of the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 after the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 is folded.
Next, another embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10. For convenience of description, reference numerals of remaining components except for reference numerals of components of a panel 120 used instead of the block 20 are the same as the reference numerals of the components of the block 20 of the above embodiment.
In the embodiment, unlike the block 20 constituting the skin of the reinforced earth retaining wall according to Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 the above embodiment, the panel 120 may constitute the skin of the reinforced earth retaining wall. A panel body 121 having a square plate shape may constitute the frame of the panel 120. The panel body 121 may have predetermined thickness in a front-to-rear direction, and may have a shape approximate to the square plate shape except for a combination end 124 to be described below. The thickness of the panel body 121 may be thinner than the thickness of the block body of the block 20 corresponding to the panel body 121.
An upper combining corrugation 122 may be formed along the upper end of the panel body 121, and a lower combining corrugation 122' may be formed along the lower end of the panel body 121. The upper combining corrugation 122 may protrude at a relatively front side of the panel body 121, and the lower combining corrugation 122' may protrude at a relatively rear side of the panel body 121. Accordingly, when panels 120 are stacked with each other, the upper combining corrugation 122 of a panel 120 located at a lower part of the panels 120 and the lower combining corrugation 122' of a panel 120 located at an upper part of the panels 120 may fit to each other, so the relative movement of the panel body 121 in a front to rear direction may be prevented.

Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 A side combining corrugation 123 may be formed at each of the side upper and lower end parts of the panel body 121.
The side combining corrugation 123 may be formed to protrude at the relatively front side of the panel body 121.
The combination end 124 may protrude on each of the opposite side surfaces of the panel body 121. The combination end 124 may extend from a middle part of a side surface of the panel body 121 toward the upper and lower ends thereof, and may occupy an area of an approximate half of the side surface of the panel body 121. A combination hole 125 may be formed vertically through the combination end 124. A separate combination rod may be installed in the combination hole 125, and may be inserted to a combination hole 125 of a panel 120 to be combined with the panel 120 and corresponding thereto.
An end combining corrugation 126 may be formed on the outer surface of the combination end 124. The end combining corrugation 126 may be formed to have a shape corresponding to the side combining corrugation 123. The side combining corrugation 123 and an end combining corrugation 126 of a panel 120 adjacent to the side combining corrugation 123 may be combined with each other.
A through path 127 may be formed in the panel body 121. The through path 127 may be formed to have a curved shape having a predetermined curvature, and may be open to Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 the rear surface of the panel body 121 at opposite ends of the through path 127. The configuration of the through path 127 is illustrated in FIG. 10. Since the through path 127 is formed to have the curved shape having a predetermined curvature, the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 may efficiently pass through the inside of the panel. An entrance/exit 128 allowing the through path 127 to be open to the rear surface of the panel body 121 may include an entrance and an exit formed at one through path 127.
Accordingly, the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 may be introduced into the through path 127 through the entrance/exit 128 located at a first side of the through path 127 and may come out through the entrance/exit 128 located at a second side of the through path 127.
The through path 127 may include multiple through paths formed in one panel body 121, and the entrances/exits 128 of the through paths may be formed to have heights such that through paths 127 adjacent to each other correspond to each other. This is intended to ensure that the filling of the backfill soil 40 is performed by predetermined thickness.
Of the through paths 127, a through path formed by being adjacent to each of the upper and lower ends of the panel body 121 may be formed to have half the length of each of the through paths 127. Accordingly, a middle exit 128' Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 may be formed in the through path 127 formed by being adjacent to each of the upper and lower ends of the panel body 121 such that the middle exit 128' is open to each of the upper and lower end surfaces of the panel body 121. The middle exits 128' of the panels 120 stacked vertically such that the middle exits 128' correspond to each other may be connected to each other to form one through path 127 as a whole. Due to the through path 127 formed by the middle exits 128', the vertically stacked panels 120 may be connected to each other by the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30.
In the panel body 121, the reinforcing member path (not shown) may be formed at a position at which the middle exit 128' is formed such that the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 passes between the panels 120 stacked vertically without interference therewith. For reference, FIG. 10 illustrates the through path 127, which is not within a cut line, with a dotted line.
As in the embodiment, in a case in which the panel 120 constitutes the skin of the reinforced earth retaining wall, the remaining components except for the panel 120 may be the same as the components of the reinforced earth retaining wall constituted by the block.
Hereinbelow, the construction process of the reinforced earth retaining wall according to the present Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008C AO 1 disclosure having the above-described configuration will be described in detail. For convenience, referring to FIGS.
6(a), 6(b), 6(c), and 6(d), only a case in which the block 20 is used as the skin of the reinforced earth retaining wall will be described.
As illustrated in FIG. 6(a), the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 cut to have a predetermined length may be placed on the ground 10, and the middle part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 may be located in the through hole 23 of the blocks 20 by passing the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 through the through hole 23 of the blocks 20 from a lower part thereof toward an upper part thereof. In the embodiment, the blocks 20 may be stacked by two blocks 20, but as described above, the block 20 may be stacked by one block 20. The remaining part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 passing through the through hole 23 of the two blocks 20 may be bent toward the front of the blocks 20 as illustrated in the drawing. In this state, the backfill soil 40 may be filled on the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 placed on the ground.
Here, the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 may be cut to have the predetermined length, and particularly, may be cut to have length calculated by summing twice length from the rear end of the backfill soil 40 to the blocks 20 Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 and the length of the part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 located in the through hole 23 of the blocks 20.
FIG. 6(a) illustrates a state in which the filling of the backfill soil 40 is completed up to the height of the two blocks 20 initially stacked on the ground 10. In this state, the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 bent toward the front of the block 20 may be located on the upper surface of the filled backfill soil 40. This state is illustrated in FIG. 6(b). For reference, the blocks 20 stacked by two blocks 20 may be arranged in a row from side to side in an entire area in which the reinforced earth retaining wall is formed.
Next, two blocks 20 may be stacked on the two stacked blocks 20. In this case, the blocks 20 located at a lower position and the blocks 20 located at an upper position may not be stacked to be in agreement with each other, but one upper block 20 may sit on lower two blocks 20. That is, the blocks 20 may not be stacked to be vertically in agreement with each other, but as illustrated in FIG. 1, the upper blocks 20 and the lower blocks 20 may be stacked to be in disagreement with each other.
Of course, a new strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 may be placed on the upper surface of the backfill soil 40 of FIG. 6(a), and the new trip-shaped reinforcing member 30 may pass through the through hole 23 of two blocks 20, and Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 the remaining part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 coming out of the two blocks 20 after passing therethrough may be bent toward the front of the blocks 20. This state is illustrated in FIG. 6(c).
Next, the backfill soil 40 may be filled behind the two blocks 20 stacked secondly, and when the filling of the backfill soil 40 is completed, the remaining part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 bent toward the front of the blocks 20 may be located on the upper surface of the backfill soil 40. This state is illustrated in FIG. 6(d).
When the construction of the reinforced earth retaining wall is repeatedly performed in the manner described above, the reinforced earth retaining wall having a desired height may be manufactured.
In addition, when the panel 120 is used, the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 may not pass vertically through the panel 120, but may come out from the rear surface of the panel body 121 at a second side of the rear surface after passing through the inside of the panel body 121 through the rear surface of the panel body 121 at a first side of the rear surface. The entrance and exit 128 of the opposite sides of the through path 127 made for this may be open to the rear surface of the panel body 121, and the through path 127 may be formed to have a curved shape having the predetermined curvature.

Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 Accordingly, the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 passing through the panel 120 may not be bent abruptly, and the parts of the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 located inside the backfill soil 40 may be located horizontally at the entire area of each different layer, so friction between the strip-shaped reinforcing member 30 and the backfill soil 40 may be maximized.
Even though it has been described that all components constituting the embodiments of the present disclosure are combined into one or operated in combination with each other, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to the embodiments. That is, within the scope of the present disclosure, all of the components may be selectively combined into at least one and operated. In addition, the terms such as "include", "consist of", or "have" described above mean that the corresponding component may be present unless otherwise stated, and thus should be construed that the terms do not exclude other components, but may further include other components. All terms, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs, unless defined otherwise. Generally used terms, such as terms defined in the dictionary, should be interpreted as being consistent with the contextual meaning of the related art, and should not be interpreted in Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26 Attorney Ref.: 1145P008CA01 an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in the present disclosure.
The above description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present disclosure, and those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs may perform various modification and changes within the scope not departing from the essential characteristics of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in the present disclosure are not intended to limit, but to W explain the technical idea of the present disclosure, and the scope of the technical spirit of the present disclosure is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present disclosure should be interpreted by the claims below, and all technical spirits within the scope equivalent to the scope of the claims should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the claims of the present disclosure.

Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-26

Claims

1. A reinforced earth retaining wall structure comprising:
a block having a front plate constituting a front of a reinforced earth retaining wall and comprising a through hole formed therein, the through hole passing vertically through a block body of the block, wherein the through hole is open to a top of the block and to a bottom of the block, wherein the through hole is fully closed to all lateral sides of the block, and wherein the through hole comprises a front hole portion and a back hole portion, the front hole portion being substantially separated from the back hole portion by a partition holding end of the block, said partition holding end comprising two opposing protrusions from inner walls of the block, inner ends of the two opposing protrusions being separated from each other such that a passage is formed between the front hole portion and the back hole portion;
backfill soil filled behind the block; and a strip-shaped reinforcing member having a middle part located in the through hole of the block after the strip-shaped reinforcing member is passed through the through hole of the block, wherein the strip-shaped reinforcing member is held by the partition holding end, and wherein parts of the strip-shaped reinforcing member located outside the block are located horizontally inside the backfill soil, and wherein opposite end parts of the strip-shaped reinforcing member are arranged at different layers of the backfill soil.

2. The structure of claim 1, wherein the block comprises:
the block body having the front plate constituting a body front and a rear plate constituting a body rear;
a front end protrusion protruding at an upper surface of the block body and at a position adjacent to the front plate;
a rear end protrusion protruding at the upper surface of the block body and at a position adjacent to the rear plate;
a front end channel formed on a lower surface of the block body and at a position adjacent to the front plate; and a rear end channel formed on the lower surface of the block body and at a position adjacent to the rear plate.

3. The structure of claim 3, wherein the strip-shaped reinforcing member passes simultaneously through two blocks stacked vertically and is directly coupled therewith.

4. The structure of claim 1, wherein the block further comprises a rear plate constituting a body rear, wherein a reinforcing member path is formed in the rear plate such that the strip-shaped reinforcing member passing through the through hole passes through the reinforcing member path.

5. The structure of any one of claims 2 to 3, wherein a reinforcing member path is formed in the rear plate such that the strip-shaped reinforcing member passing through the through hole passes through the reinforcing member path.

6. A construction method for a reinforced earth retaining wall, the construction method comprising:
placing a strip-shaped reinforcing member cut to have a predetermined length at an area to fill with backfill soil for the reinforced earth retaining wall;
placing a block along an area of the reinforced earth retaining wall to be formed on a ground and placing a middle part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member in a through hole of the block by passing the strip-shaped reinforcing member through the through hole of the block, wherein the through hole passes vertically through a block body of the block, wherein the through hole is open to a top of the block and to a bottom of the block, wherein the through hole is fully closed to all lateral sides of the block, and wherein the through hole comprises a front hole portion and a back hole portion, the front hole portion being substantially separated from the back hole portion by a partition holding end of the block, said partition holding end comprising two opposing protrusions from inner walls of the block, inner ends of the two opposing protrusions being separated from each other such that a passage is formed between the front hole portion and the back hole portion;
placing a part of the strip-shaped reinforcing member coming out of the through hole of the block after passing through the through hole of the block at a position beyond the area of the backfill soil;
performing a filling of the backfill soil at an area located behind the block; and placing the strip-shaped reinforcing member passing through the through hole of the block on an upper surface of the backfill soil after the filling of the backfill soil is completed, wherein a new strip-shaped reinforcing member is placed on the upper surface of the backfill soil after the filling of the backfill soil is completed and the above process is repeated.

7. The construction method of claim 6, wherein the strip-shaped reinforcing member is horizontally arranged entirely inside the backfill soil.

8. The construction method of claim 7, wherein two blocks are vertically stacked such that the two blocks form one block layer, and wherein the strip-shaped reinforcing member passes simultaneously through the two blocks.

9. The construction method of claim 8, wherein, for blocks of different layers, a block located at an upper layer and a block located at a lower layer are staggered with respect to each other.