GB2084227A

GB2084227A - Culvert retaining wall

Info

Publication number: GB2084227A
Application number: GB8030072A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1980-09-17
Filing date: 1980-09-17
Publication date: 1982-04-07
Also published as: GB2084227B

Abstract

This invention relates to culvert retaining wall assemblies. In an earlier form of such assembly, made up from pre-cast concrete elements, the slabs of concrete become rather large with large pipe diameters. In accordance with the invention L shaped supporting legs 5 have horizontal arms 6 secured to a foundation 3 and vertical arms 7 to locate the wall panels. The arms 7 are of T-section so as to provide support for intermediate panels 16 and side panels 14 by means of rebates 17 and 15 respectively. Refer to sole figure. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Culvert retaining wall This invention relates to culvert retaining wall assemblies.

In my United Kingdom Patent Specification 1208218, I describe a culvert retaining wall assembly using pre-cast concrete elements. In particular, the assembly described in that patent specification comprises a generally horizontal foundation slab, a spaced pair of generally L-shaped supporting legs having one arm of the L on the foundation slab and the other generally vertical. the pipe is located between the supporting legs and these in turn support a base block and panel which form the retaining wall for the back filled material above the pipe.

The arrangements described in that specification have been commercially used with considerable success, but only for culverts with comparatively small pipe diameters, e.g. up to 18 inches (45 cm) internal diameter. Above that size some of the individual elements become very large and therefore the ease of handling is lost. For example, culverts may be required for pipes up to 6 feet (1.8 m) internal diameter and individual panels to span this and to extend sufficiently far to either side would be extremely bulky and heavy.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a culvert retaining wall assembly of pre-cast elements comprising a foundation adapted to support an end portion of a pipe to be passed through the culvert, a pair of generally L-shaped supporting legs each having one arm of the L on the foundation and the other arm generally vertical, the supporting leg being located one on each side of the pipe or intended position of the pipe, the generally vertical arms of the supporting legs being of T-section so as to provide support for both ends of intermediate wall panels spanning the space between the supporting legs, and for inner ends of wall panels outside the space between the supporting legs.

Preferably, the supporting legs are provided with integral bracing structs extending between the two arms.

Preferably. also the end of each of the said one arm of each supporting leg is turned downwardly to improve anchorage of the structure.

The foundation may be in the form of transversely extending planks of pre-cast concrete, and may be provided with a down turned end to make the downturned end of the said one arms.The supporting legs may be secured to the foundation by through bolts and/or covering with ready mixed concrete.

By avoiding the use of full length wall panels both spanning the pipe and extending into ditch walls, the handlability of the individual elements is maintained for larger sizes of pipes, e.g. up to 6 feet (1.8 m) internal diameter. Similarly, the use of planks for the foundation instead of a single foundation slab also improves handlability.

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing, of which the single figure is a perspective view of part of a culvert retaining wall assembly, according to a preferred form of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, it will be appreciated that the function of a culvert retaining wall is to support a cross-over for a ditch wherein the water in the ditch is carried in a pipe through the back filled earth. The retaining wall has a foundation at substantially the level of the bottom of the ditch and is provided with panels which extend into the ditch wall at each side and are supported in the region of the pipe passing through the culvert.

It will be appreciated that in the drawing only some of the panels are shown, with the remainder being omitted for clarity of illustration. The top of the wall would be substantially flush with the normal ground level.

Turning now to the drawing in detail, the position of a pipe is illustrated at 1 and its free end projecting through the retaining wall is indicated by reference numeral 2. The wall assembly comprises a foundation made up of a plurality of planks 3 of pre-cast reinforced concrete layed side by side for instance, each plank may be of a length chosen to suit the diameter of the pipe 1, of a width of 9 inches (22.5 cm) and of a thickness of 4 inches (10 cm). In order to achieve a degree of anchoring of the foundation the end thereof is shown as being formed by two somewhat thicker planks 4 which form a downturned end which is received in a pre-dug trench which is subsequently back-filled.

Mounted on the foundation part is a pair of pre-cast reinforced concrete supporting legs 5 each of generally L-shaped and having a horizontal arm 6 and a vertical arm 7. The horizontal arms are secured to the foundation by means of bolts passing through holes 8, or by being covered with ready mixed concrete, or both. The horizontal arms are also shown as being provided with down turned ends 9 which co-operate with the down turned end of the foundation formed by the slabs 4. The supporting legs 5 are thus anchored against outward horizontal movement so as to resist the outward tilting load which is applied to the retaining wall when traffic is passing over the culvert. The arms 6 and 7 are shown as being linked by bracking struts 11 which are cast integrally with the supporting leg structure.

It will be seen that the vertical arms 7 are of T-section with the heads at 12 of the T's extending generally parallel with the wall and the legs 1 3 pointing into the culvert parallel with the line of the pipe 1. The retaining wall itself is made up of side panels 14 which extend from the rebate 1 5 formed on the outside of the T-section of each upright arm 7 into the ditch wall (not shown}. One end of each panel 1 4 is thus supporting by the upright arm 7 at the opposite end by the ditch wail. It will be appreciated that a second set of panels 14 is provided on the right hand side of the assembly as illustrated but these have been omitted from the drawing to enable the structure of the right hand supporting leg 5 to be shown in detail.The retaining wall further comprises intermediate panels 1 6 which extend between the upright arms 7 and are supported by the rebates 1 7 on the inside of the T's thereof. A lowermost intermediate panel indicated at 1 8 is dimensioned so as to form a saddle 1 9 over the pipe 1. Its upper surface is flat to receive the lowermost of the panels 16.

The panels 14, 1 6 and 1 8 are of pre-cast reinforced concrete.

In assembly, the base planks 3 and 4 are placed in position and the supporting legs 5 secured to them. After the pipe is laid in position, the wall panels 1 4 are dug into the bank at each side of the ditch and located against their rebates 1 5 and the panels 1 8 and 1 6 are placed in position. The whole assembly is held in place by the subsequent back-filling of the soil to form the culvert.

The whole assembly can be supplied in varying heights and widths in accordance with requirements, and it is envisaged that structures of this nature, using pre-cast reinforced concrete elements will be available to accommodate pipes of up to 6 feet (1.8 m) inside diameter. The use of factory made units of handleable size has considerable advantages in speed of construction and therefore the overall cost of the job, over the traditional methods of using in situ concreting or brickwork.

Various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A culvert retaining wall assembly of pre-cast elements comprising a foundation adapted to support an end portion of a pipe to be passed through the culvert, a pair of generally L-shaped supporting legs each having one arm of the L on the foundation and the other arm generaly vertical, the supporting leg being located one on each side of the pipe or intended positon of the pipe, the generally vertical arms of the supporting legs being of T-section so as to provide support for both ends of intermediate wall panels spanning the space between the supporting legs, and for inner ends of wall panels outside the space between the supporting legs.

2. A culvert retaining wall assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the supporting legs are provided with integral bracing struts extending between the two arms.

3. A culvert retaining wall assembly as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the distal end of the said one arm of each supporting leg is turned downwardly to improve anchorage of the structure.

4. A culvert retaining wall assembly as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the foundation is in the form of transversely extending planks of pre-cast concrete.

5. A culvert retaining wall assembly as claimed in claim 4, as dependent on claim 3, in which the foundation is provided with a downturned arm to match the downturned ends of the said one arms.

6. A culvert retaining wall as claimed in any of the proceding claims, in which the supporting legs are secured to the foundation by bolts.

7. A culvert retaining wall assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.