EP0026782B1

EP0026782B1 - Soil and water-retaining wall, composed of prefabricated plate elements

Info

Publication number: EP0026782B1
Application number: EP19800900756
Authority: EP
Inventors: Abraham François van Weele
Original assignee: Foundations Patent And Investment Co Nv; Foundacon BV
Current assignee: Foundations Patent And Investment Co Nv; Foundacon BV
Priority date: 1979-04-09
Filing date: 1980-10-23
Publication date: 1983-08-17
Also published as: EP0026782A1; JPS56500387A; NL7902756A; GB2058876A; WO1980002168A1; GB2058876B

Abstract

A soil and/or water-retaining wall, composed of prefabricated metal plate elements, has upstanding side edges which are interconnected in a soil and/or water-tight manner. The plate elements are shell elements (1), which have at least approximately the shape of a portion of a cylinder surface with upstanding generating lines, the concave side of said shell elements (1) functioning as the soil-retaining side, a prefabricated metal upright (2) extending between successive shell elements, said upright comprising one or more chambers (12), which are filled with a hardenable material, such as cement grout (13), the ends of adjacent shell elements (2) being inserted into said chambers through inlet slots (14).

Description

The invention relates to a soil and water-retaining wall composed of prefabricated plate elements having upstanding side edges which are interconnected in a soil and water-tight manner, the plate elements being shell elements which have at least approximately the shape of a portion of a cylinder surface with upstanding generating lines, the concave side of the shell elements functioning as the soil retaining side, a prefabricated metal upright extending between successive shell elements, the upright having a chamber with an inlet slot, the edges of the adjacent shell elements being received in the chamber through the inlet slot, and a hardenable material sealing the joints.
A soil and water retaining wall of this type is known from U.S. patent specification 3.316.721. This known soil and water-retaining wall is formed of a plurality of identical flexible, generally rectangular sheet members, having a length equal to the desired height of the wall, arranged in series, and fastened together along the longitudinal edges and arranged in vertical position. These panels or flexible sheet members may consist of any suitable sheet material, but preferably comprise fiberglass panels. The panels are secured together along their adjacent longitudinal edges by U-shaped upright clamping members, of aluminum or any other suitable metal, and clamping bolts extending through the opposed walls of the clamping members and through apertures bored in the adjoining edges of the panel members, clamp the edges tightly together. To facilitate setting up the wall and arranging the upright members in proper desired spacing and in proper alignment, a strip of lumber is first set in the ground along the line desired as the base location for the wall, and the bottom end of each member is secured to such base strip at proper spacing in any suitable manner. To provide an inner anchoring and securing base of the wall connected series of grills of heavy wire are preferably employed which series of grills are placed on the ground behind the base strip. The joints between the panels are sealed by epoxy or any other suitable material.
This known soil and water-retaining wall which is adapted e.g. to surround an outdoor swimming pool or low earth embankments for gardens, can only be applied if the required height is relatively small, as this construction cannot resist large forces. Further, the soil and water-tightness of the known wall is brought about in a rather primitive way and will therefore not meet high requirements. In addition thereto the known soil and water-retaining wall can only be positioned on the ground after the necessary digging operations have taken place.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a soil and water-retaining wall composed of prefabricated plate elements, wherein the above disadvantages have been effectively removed.
For this purpose the soil and water-retaining wall according to the invention is characterised in that the shell elements are formed of metal, the chamber of the upright is filled with the hardenable material, such as cement grout and the inlet slot is resiliently closed prior to the insertion of the edges of the shell elements into the chamber.
According to the invention metal shell elements are used. These metal shell elements which in general are made of steel, are positioned in such manner that they are subject to a tensile load in the transverse direction. The metal uprights which are usually made of steel, each comprise at least one chamber and preferably two chambers, which are filled with the hardenable material such as cement grout after introduction of the upright into the soil, e.g. by means of ramming or vibrating, but immediately before the introduction of the shell elements into the soil; after the hardening of the hardenable mass a strong soil-tight, but also water-tight connection between the ends of adjacent shell elements is obtained over the entire height of the shell elements.
The central portion of the shell elements is subject to a tensile load both in the horizontal and in the vertical direction at the location of the soil moment. On the other hand the uprights are subject to a compression load in the vertical direction, the filling of hardenable mass having a supporting function in this respect.
In this manner it becomes possible to use a soil and water-retaining wall of great height. It is prevented that soil particles can enter the chambers through the inlet slots, as these inlet slots are resiliently closed prior to the insertion of the ends of the shell elements into the chambers. Furthermore, both the metal shell elements, as well as the metal uprights may be lowered in the ground and interconnected before the digging operations take place.
It is observed that a soil and water-retaining wall is known from German patent specification 347.681, which is composed of prefabricated moulded metal elements having upstanding side edges, which are interconnected in a soil and water-tight manner. The outer side of the prefabricated metal elements have the shape of a portion of a cylinder surface with upstanding generating lines. The concave side of these metal elements functions as the soil-retaining side. A prefabricated metal upright extends between successive prefabricated metal elements and has two chambers with inlet slots. The thickened edges of the adjacent prefabricated metal elements are each received in one of these chambers through the inlet slot. In this known soil and water-retaining wall the chambers are not filled with a hardenable material and the inlet slots are not resiliently closed prior to the insertion of the edges of the prefabricated metal elements into the chamber.
U.S. patent specification 3.302.412 discloses interlocking metal sheet piles having parallel side edges each provided with longitudinal interlock elements. The interlock elements on each side edge include a longitudinal thumb element and a longitudinal finger element defining a continuous cavity with a narrow lateral entrance slot of lesser width than the width of the cavity. The thumb element has a relatively thin portion of lesser width than that of the entrance slot and terminates in a thick portion which is smaller in cross-section than the cross-section of the cavity. When interlocking two of these sheet pile members the shoe of one sheet pile member slides within the cavity of the other sheet pile member to remove earth from this cavity and to provide a sealant receiving chamber within the cavity, wherein a sealant such as polymerizable resin material is introduced. This known soil and water-retaining wall is not composed of metal shell elements and metal uprights extending between successive shell elements, while the chamber is not resiliently closed prior to the insertion of a shoe into a cavity.
French patent specification 2.175.291 discloses a soil and water-retaining wall, which is composed of prefabricated plate elements having upstanding side edges, which are interconnected in a soil and water-tight manner. The plate elements comprise straight portions, which join under obtuse angles. A prefabricated metal upright extends between successive plate elements and may be anchored in the soil. The plate elements and the uprights are provided at both sides with a hook-shaped end, the adjacent hook-shaped ends of the plate elements and the uprights being engaged with each other.
French patent specification 1.342.074 describes a soil and water-retaining wall composed of prefabricated metal plate elements having upstanding side edges, which are interconnected in a soil and water-tight manner. The plate elements are composed of straight portions, which join under obtuse angles. A prefabricated metal upright extends between successive plate elements, the upright having two chambers with inlet slots, the edges of adjacent plate elements being received in the chambers through the inlet slots. The plate elements are provided at both sides with a hook-shaped end, which is bent back in the inward direction. A metal filler element passes between two adjacent hook-shaped ends and engages the inner wall of the chambers of the relative upright on the one hand and the outer surface of the two adjacent plate elements on the other hand.
Preferably the central upstanding portion of each shell element of the soil and water-retaining wall according to the invention is thickened.
The uprights may be provided with a lower loose or fixed bottom member, which closes the chambers at the lower side and which prevents soil particles from entering from this lower side during the introduction of the uprights into the soil.
The uprights may advantageously protrude downwardly beyond the shell elements.
In this case the inlet slots may begin at the upper side of the upright and may end at a distance from the lower side thereof.
According to a preferred embodiment of the soil and water-retaining wall according to the invention, each prefabricated upright consists of U-section, to which a counterplate is connected, which extends over the entire height of the U-section, the central portion of said counterplate resting against the web of the U-section, bent plate portions joining the central portion of the counterplate on both sides, the side flanges of the U-section extending into said bent plate portions, said bent plate portions each having an upstanding end edge which resiliently rests against the outer side of the relative side flange of the U-section prior to the introduction of the shell elements, each bent plate portion of the counterplate together with the U-section forming a chamber for the hardenable mass, whilst each upstanding end edge of the counterplate resiliently moves away from the outer side of the relative side flange of the U-section when the adjacent shell element is introduced into the soil, so that the inlet slot is released, the upstanding end edge of the counterplate_- resiliently resting against the relative end of the shell element after the shell element has been introduced into the soil.
In this case the shell elements may be provided at both sides with a hook shaped end, which is bent back in the outward direction and which receives the relative flange of the U-section of the adjacent upright.
Further the lower portion of the upstanding end edges of the counterplate may be connected, e.g. by means of welding, to the outer side of the side flanges of the U-section.
In another embodiment of the soil and water-retaining wall according to the invention each prefabricated upright consists of an upstanding main plate, to which two parallel upstanding sheet metal tubes are connected, e.g. by means of welding, said tubes extending over the entire height of the upstanding main plate and each defining a chamber for the hardenable mass, the inlet slot being formed in each sheet metal tube at the side remote from the upstanding main plate, said inlet slot extending from the upper edge of the sheet metal tube in the downward direction.
In this case a tube may be connected, e.g. by means of welding, to the ends of each shell element which are received in the chambers, which tube extends over the entire height of the shell element, the relative end of the shell element being inserted into this tube. This tube, which is also internally filled with the hardenable mass, enlarges the surface of adhesion with respect to this hardenable mass and leads to an increased shearing strength.
As an alternative the ends of each shell element which are received in the chambers, may be provided with pins.
The invention will hereafter be further elucidated with reference to the drawing, which shows several embodiments of a soil and water-retaining wall according to the invention by way of example.

Fig. 1 is a top view, partly in section, of portions of a soil and water-retaining wall according to the invention, wherein two different types of uprights are shown.
Fig. 2 is a partial section along the lines 11-11 in fig. 1 on a larger scale.
Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the upright at the left-hand side of fig. 1 on a larger scale, the right-hand part of fig. 3 showing this upright prior to the insertion of the end of a shell element into co-operating chamber, whilst the left-hand part of fig. 3 shows this upright after the insertion of the end of the adjacent shell element into the co-operating chamber.
Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the left-hand part of the upright at the right-hand side of fig. 1 on a larger scale.
Fig. 5 shows the right-hand part of the upright according to fig. 4, wherein, however, a modified embodiment of the end of the adjacent shell element is represented which is inserted into the co-operating chamber.
Fig. 1 shows two different embodiments of a soil and water-retaining wall according to the invention.

Both embodiments are composed of prefabricated steel plate elements, which are formed as shell elements 1, which have at least approximately the shape of a semi-cylinder, the generating lines of these semi-cylindrical shell elements 1 extending vertically. The concave sides of the shell elements 1 function as the soil retaining side, so that the building excavation is positioned at the convex side of these shell elements 1.
Prefabricated steel uprights 2 extend between successive shell elements 1, fig. 1 showing two different embodiments of these uprights.
The embodiments of the upright 2 at the left-hand side of fig. 1 is shown if fig. 3 on a larger scale, whilst fig. 4 shows the embodiment of the upright 2 at the right-hand side of fig. 1 on larger scale.
The prefabricated upright 2 according to fig. 3 consists of a U-section 3, as well as of a counterplate 4, which extends over the entire height of the U-section 3. The central portion 5 of the counterplate 4, which may have a width of 5-10 cm, rests against the web 6 of the U-section 3 and is connected thereto with an adjustable clamping force by means of bolts and nuts 7 and with the use of a deformable clamping plate 8.
Bent plate portions 9 join the central portion 5 of the counterplate 4 on both sides, the relative side flange 10 of the U-section 3 extending into each bent plate portion, said bent plate portions having an upstanding end edge 11, which resiliently rests against the outer side of this relative side flange 10 prior to the introduction of a shell element 1.
Each bent plate portion 9 of the counterplate 4 together with the U-section 3 forms a chamber 12 for a hardenable material 13, such as cement grout or the like.
Each upstanding end edge 11 of the counterplate 4 of an upright 2 resiliently moves away from the outer side of the relative side flange 10 of the U-section 3 when the adjacent shell element 1 is introduced in the soil, so that an inlet slot 14 is released, through which the end of the adjacent shell element 1 is inserted into the chamber 12 from the upper side. After the shell element 1 is introduced into the soil (fig. 3, left-hand side) the upstanding end edge 11 resiliently rests against the relative end of the adjacent shell element 1.
When a soil and water-retaining wall has to be composed, first a plurality of uprights 2 are introduced into the soil, which may e.g. take place by means of ramming or vibrating. The uprights 2 are provided with a lower bottom plate (not shown), which may be loose or fixed thereto and which closes the chambers 12 and thus prevents ground particles from entering the chambers 12 from the lower side. This is of importance for'obtaining a good adhesion between the hardenable mass 13 and the upright 2, as well as between the hardenable mass and the ends of the adjacent shell elements 1, whilst it is prevented that the quality of the hardenable mass 13 would be decreased by penetrated ground particles. Due to the fact that the upstanding end edges 11 of the counterplate 4 resiliently rest against the side flanges 10 of the U-section 3 during the introduction of an upright 2 into the soil, a sideways penetration of ground particles in the chambers 12 is prevented as well. This resilient closing action may still be improved by temporarily connecting the upstanding end edges 11 of the counterplate 4 to the side flanges 10 of the U-section 3 by means of spot welding or by means of pop rivets. This connection should of course be sufficiently weak to obtain an immediate release when the shell elements 1 are introduced into the soil.
It may be of advantage to fill the chambers 12 of an upright 2 with water either during or directly after the introduction of this upright 2 into the soil, in order to counterbalance the pressure of the underground water, which surrounds the upright 2.
Just before the adjacent shell elements 1 are introduced into the soil the chambers 12 of an upright 2 which is already positioned in the soil, is filled with the hardenable material 13, such as cement grout or the like.
When the chambers 12 of an upright 2 which is already positioned in the soil, are filled with water in the manner as described hereinbefore, the supply of the hardenable mass 13 will have to take place through a hose or tube, which is lowered onto the bottom of the chamber 12.
Immediately after the hardenable mass 13 is supplied to the relative chambers 12 the ends of a shell element 1 are inserted into these chambers 12 through the inlet slots 14 from the upper side. After the hardenable mass 13 is hardened a strong, absolutely soil- and water-tight connection is obtained over the entire height of the upright 2, so that finally an integral wall is formed.
The height of a soil and water retaining wall according to the invention may for instance amount to 20 m. The uprights 2 may protrude downwardly beyond the shell elements 1 over a certain height, for instance a height of 30 cm - 1 m.
In this manner it is possible to use inlet slots 14 which begin at the upper side of the upright 2 and which end at a certain distance from the lower side of the upright 2, so that in the embodiment according to fig. 3 the lower portion (for instance the lower 30 cm - 1 m) of the upstanding end edges 11 of the counterplate 4 can be permanently welded to the outer side of the side flanges 10 of the U-section 3.
As shown in fig. 3 the shell elements 1 are provided on either side with a hook shaped end 15, which is bent back in the outward direction, and which receives the relative side flange 10 of the U-section 3 of the adjacent upright 2.
The bent plate portions 9 of the counterplate 4 may be roughened at the side, which defines the chambers 12, in order to increase the transfer of the shearing stress onto the hardenable mass 13.
The uprights 2 are anchored in the soil at one or more levels. The anchor rods 16 may engage the uprights 2 at the central portion as shown in fig. 1.
The lower portion 17 of the shell elements 1 may be thickened (fig. 2). Preferably the lower edge 18 of the shell elements 1 is bevelled in such manner that the soil exerts an outwardly directed force on this lower edge 18 during the introduction of a shell element 1 into the soil.
Further the central upstanding portion 19 of each shell element 1 is thickened. This thickened central portion 19 of each shell element 1 has the same thickness as the lower portion 17 and smoothly passes into this lower portion both at the inner and at the outer side. As particularly shown in figs. 1 and 2 the thickenings of the lower portion 17 and of the central upstanding portion 19 of the shell elements 1 are positioned at the outer side of these shell elements 1.
Due to the fact that the shell elements 1 and the uprights 2 are made of steel, the soil and water-retaining wall has a large elasticity. Neither deformations, nor differences in deformation will decrease the strength or the soil and water-tightness of the wall.
In the case that the soil and water-retaining wall has to be applied temporarily, it may be desired to recover the shell elements 1 and the uprights 2. Under these circumstances the chambers 12 of the uprights 2 should not be filled with cement grout, but it is preferred to use a mixture of cement, clay and/or fly ash as the hardenable mass 13. This hardenable mass 13 leads to a considerably weaker adhesion to the upright 2 and to the ends 15 of the shell elements 1 respectively, so that the shell elements 1 and the uprights 2 may be lifted again after use. When calculating the bending strength of the wall this lower adhesion of the hardenable mass 13 should be taken into account.
Figs. 4 and 5 show a modified embodiment of the prefabricated upright 2. This upright 2 consists of an upstanding main plate 20, to which two parallel upstanding, at least approximately cylindrical, steel tubes 21 are welcomed. These tubes 21 extend over the entire height of the main plate 20 and each define a chamber 12 for the hardenable mass 13 again. The inlet slot 14 is formed in each tube 21 at the si'"' remote from the main plate 20, which inlet sl extends from the upper edge of the tube 21 ,, the downward direction and may end at a distance above the lower edge of the tube 21. Again the inlet slots 14 in the tubes 21 are resiliently closed, prior to the introduction of the shell elements 1 into the soil.
In the embodiment according to fig. 4 each end of the shell elements 1 is provided with a plurality of pins 22, which have the object to increase the surface of adhesion with the hardenable mass 13 and to also increase the shearring strength. Preferably a feeler tube 23 is connected to the lower portion of the end of each shell element 1, which is received within a chamber 12, the end of the shell element 1 being inserted into this feeler tube, which is filled with the hardenable mass 13 upon the insertion into the chamber 12.
Fig. 5 shows another embodiment of the end of the shell elements 1. A tube 24 is welded to the end of each shell element 1, which is received within a chamber 12, which tube extends over the entire height of the shell element, the relative end of the shell element 1 being inserted into this tube, this tube being filled with the hardenable mass 13 during the introduction of this end into the chamber 12. It is an object of this tube 24 again to increase the surface of adhesion of the end of a shell element 1 with the hardenable mass 13 in order to increase the shearing strength.
Horizontal strips 25 are welded between the tubes 21 and lie at a distance one above the other, which strips are parallel to the main plate 20 and serve to reinforce the upright 2. The spacing between the strips 25 may for instance be 1 m. Near the upper side of the upright 2 the anchor rods 16 may engage the main plate 20 as well as one of these strips 25 (fig. 1).
The invention is not restricted to the embodiments shown in the drawing, which may be varied in several ways within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. Soil and water-retaining wall composed of prefabricated plate elements having upstanding side edges which are interconnected in a soil and water-tight manner, the plate elements being shell elements (1) which have at least approximately the shape of a portion of a cylinder surface with upstanding generating lines, the concave side of the shell elements (1) functioning as the soil retaining side, a prefabricated metal upright (2) extending between successive shell elements (1), the upright (2) having a chamber (12) with an inlet slot (14), the edges of the adjacent shell elements being received in the chamber (12) through the inlet slot (14), and a hardenable material (13) sealing the joints, characterised in that the shell elements (1) are formed of metal, the chamber (12) of the upright (2) is filled with the hardenable material (13), such as cement grout and the inlet slot (14) is resiliently closed prior to the insertion of the edges of the shell elements (1) into the chamber (12).

2. Soil and water-retaining wall according to claim 1, characterised in that the shell elements (1) are at least approximately semi-cylindrical.

3. Soil and water-retaining wall according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the uprights (2) protrude downwardly beyond the shell elements (1).

4. Soil and water-retaining wall according to claim 3, characterised in that the inlet slots (14) begin at the upper side of the uprights (2) and end at a distance from the lower side thereof.

5. Soil and water-retaining wall according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the chambers (12) are closed at the lower side by means of a loose or a fixed bottom member.

6. Soil and water-retaining wall according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that each prefabricated upright (2) consists of a U-section (3), to which a counterplate (4) is connected, which extends over the entire height of the U-section (3), the central portion (5) of said counterplate (4) resting against the web (6) of the U-section (3), bent plate portions (9) joining the central portion (5) of the counterplate (4) on both sides, the side flanges (10) of the U-section (3) extending into said bent plate portions (9), said bent plate portions (9) each having an upstanding end edge (11) which resiliently rests against the outer side of the relative side flange (10) of the U-section (3) prior to the introduction of the shell elements (1), each bent plate portion (9) of the counterplate (4) together with the U-section (3) forming a chamber (12) for the hardenable mass (13), whilst each upstanding end edge (11) of the counterplate (4) resiliently moves away from the outer side of ther relative side flange (10) of the U-section (3) when the adjacent shell element (1) is introduced into the soil, so that the inlet slot (14) is released, the upstanding end edge (11) of the counterplate (4) resiliently resting against the relative end of the shell element (1) after the shell element (1) has been introduced into the soil.

7. Soil and water-retaining wall according to claim 6, characterised in that the shell elements (1) are provided at both sides with a hook shaped end (15), which is bent back in the outward direction and which receives the relative flange (10) of the U-section (3) of the adjacent upright (2).

8. Soil and water-retaining wall according to claim 6 or 7, characterised in that the lower portion of the upstanding end edges (11) of the counterplate (4) is connected, e.g. by means of welding, to the outer side of the side flanges (10) of the U-section (3).

9. Soil and water-retaining wall according to any one of claims 6-8, characterised in that the bent plate portions (9) of the counterplate (4) are roughened at the side which defines the chambers (12).

10. Soil and water-retaining wall according to any one of claims 6-9, characterised in that the central portion (5) of the counterplate (4) is connected to the web (6) of the U-section (3) with an adjustable clamping force by means of bolts and nuts (7) and with the use of a deformable clamping plate (8).

11. Soil and water-retaining wall according to any one of claims 1-5, characterised in that each prefabricated upright (2) consists of an upstanding main plate (20), to which two parallel upstanding sheet metal tubes (21) are connected, e.g. by means of welding, said tubes (21) extending over the entire height of the upstanding main plate (20) and each defining a chamber (12) for the hardenable mass (13), the inlet slot (14) being formed in each sheet metal tube (21) at the side remote from the upstanding main plate (20), said inlet slot (14) extending from the upper edge of the sheet metal tube (21) in the downward direction.

12. Soil and water-retaining wall according to claim 11, characterised in that a tube (24) is connected, e.g. by means of welding, to the ends of each shell element (1) which are received in the chambers (12), which tube (24) extends over the entire height of the shell element (1) and is filled with the hardenable mass (13), the relative end of the shell element (1) being inserted into this tube (24).

13. Soil and water-retaining wall according to claim 11, characterised in that the ends of each shell element (1) which are received in the chambers (12), are provided with pins (22).

14. Soil and water-retaining wall according to claim 13, characterised in that a feeler tube (23) is connected to the lower portion of the ends of the shell elements (1), which are received within a chamber (12).

15. Soil and water-retaining wall according to any one of claims 11-14, characterised in that the sheet metal tubes (21) are at least approximately cylindrical.

16. Soil and water-retaining wall according to any one of claims 11-15, characterised in that the inlet slots (14) in the sheet metal tubes (21) end at a distance above the lower edge of these tubes (21).

17. Soil and water-retaining wall according to any one of claims 11-16, characterised in that a plurality of horizontal strips (25) connected between the sheet metal tubes (21) and are parallel to the main plate (20).

18. Soil and water-retaining wall according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the uprights (2) are anchored in the soil.

19. Soil and water-retaining wall according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the lower portions (17) of the shell elements (1) are thickened.

20. Soil and water-retaining wall according to claim 19, characterised in that the lower edge (18) of the shell elements (1) is bevelled in such manner that the soil exerts an outwardly directed force on this lower edge (18) during the introduction of the shell element (1) into the soil.

21. Soil and water-retaining wall according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the central upstanding portion (19) of each shell element (1) is thickened.

22. Soil and water-retaining wall according to claim 21, characterised in that the thickened central upstanding portion (19) of each shell element (1) has the same thickness as the lower portion (17) of the shell element (1) and smoothly passes into this lower portion (17) both at the inner and at the outer side.

23. Soil and water-retaining wall according to claim 22, characterised in that the thickenings of the lower portion (17) of the shell elements (1) and of the central upstanding portion (19) of the shell elements (1) are positioned at the outer side of these shell elements (1).