GB2182374A

GB2182374A - Retaining wall

Info

Publication number: GB2182374A
Application number: GB08524496A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kian Wui Khoo
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1985-10-04
Filing date: 1985-10-04
Publication date: 1987-05-13
Also published as: GB8524496D0

Abstract

A retaining wall structure comprises horizontal wall pieces (2) stacked one upon another and arranged end-to-end. Between the stacked pieces are rib-and-groove joints (6, 13), the rib (13) and the groove (6) of each joint having a clearance therebetween over all of their common cross-sectional peripheral zone except at rectangular- section edges (7) of the mouth of the groove (6). Each piece (2) includes a thick stabilising horizontal flange (8) extending into compacted material (17) and an opposite, thick horizontal flange (12). A horizontal, stabilizing beam 16 can extend into a recess (4, Fig. 4) in an inclined surface (11) of a foot of one of the ribs (13). Between the end-to-end pieces are projection- and-recess joints (5). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to retaining wall pieces According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a retaining wall piece, comprising a projection protruding in a vertical plane for engaging in a recess in an adjacent piece, a recess extending in said plane for receiving a projection from another adjacent piece, the sizes and shapes of the recess and the projected being such that a projection of the same size and shape inserted into a recess of the same size and shape have clearance therebetween over almost all of their common cross-sectional peripheral zone.

According ro a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a retaining wall structure, comprising a plurality of retaining wall pieces stacked one upon another, and a projection-and-recess joint between the or each two adjacent pieces at the adjacent top and bottom surfaces thereof, the joint(s) latching the wall pieces together, the or each projection being integral with its associated piece.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a retaining wall piece, comprising a substantially horizontal flange for extending into material to be retained and a projection protruding upwardly from said flange in a vertical plane for engaging in a recess in an adjacent piece, and a recess extending in said plane for receiving a projection from another adjacent piece.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a vertical sectional view through a drainage arrangement, Figure 2 shows a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line ll-ll of Fig. 1, Figure 3 shows a vertical section through a modified version of one of two retaining walls of the arrangement of Figs. 1 and 2, Figure 4 shows an isometric view of part of the retaining wall of Fig. 3, and Figure 5 shows a more detailed end elevation of a piece of the retaining wall of Figs. 3 and 4.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the drainage arrangement includes a reinforced concrete drainage channel 3 set into the ground 17, with mass concrete infilling 19. The ground 17 at each side of the channel 3 is prevented from slipping into the channel 3 by means of a retaining wall 1 which, in the version shown in Figs. 1 and 2, consists of a substantially horizontal row of pieces 2 which are arranged end-to-end with each other along the channel 3. Each piece 2 includes throughout its length a thick horizontal flange 8 which extends into the material of the ground 17 and an equally thick, but less protruding, horizontal flange 12 which rests on the adjacent lip of the mouth of the channel 3 and on the infilling 19.The flange 8 bears upon compacted earth of the ground 17 and acts as a stabilizer for its retaining wall and it also carries compacted earth which thus serves to grip the retaining wall. Formed in the bottom surface of each piece 2 between the flanges 8 and 12 is a recess 6 in the form of a groove extending the length of the piece 2 and of a rectangular section chamfered at its internal corners 10.

The recess 6 may serve to receive some of the infillin 19 to assist in anchoring the piece 2. A projection 13 in the form of a rib extending the length of the piece 2 protrudes vertically upwardly from directly above the recess 6 and its top surface 9 is substantially horizontal and substantially level with the top surface of the ground 17. The pieces 2 of each wall 1 are latched together end-to-end by projection-and-recess joints. For this purpose, alternate pieces 2 in each wall 1 have rectangular recesses 5 formed in both ends thereof, whilst the pieces 2 distributed among them have corresponding rectangular projections formed at both ends thereof.In order to locate and stabilize the walls 1, especially to avoid any risk of the ground 1 7 displacing the two retaining walls towards each other, a reinforced concrete beam 16 of rectangular crosssection has its respective ends projecting into corresponding recesses 4 which are located half-way along their pieces 2 and the lowermost surfaces of which are level with the uppermost surfaces of the flanges 12.

Figs. 3 and 4 show that the retaining wall pieces can not only be arranged in a row, but also be stacked one upon another. The Figure shows three pieces 2 and 2A stacked one upon another, the pieces 2A differing from the piece 2 in having the top corners of their projections 13 chamfered at 15 to match the chamfered corners 10 of the recesses 6.Excess water from the bank or slope can seep into the channel 3 through the recesses 6 around the projections 13, without loose soil or aggregates being carried through with the water, and this is particularly provided for in that the root of each projection 13 widens downwardly, so giving downwardly diverging faces 11 against which the sharp edges 7 of the mouth of the co-operating recess 6 abut to centre the projection relative to the recess and to give clearance between the rip of the projection 13 and the base of the recess 6, and in that the recess 6 is slightly wider in cross-section than the projection 13. The two sloping longitudinal webs 14 joining the flanges 8 and 12 to projection 13 are sufficiently strong to bear the loads of the wall parts above them and of the compacted backfilled earth bank.Beams 16 are inserted into the recesses 4 of the lowermost pieces 2, and, if necessary, also into the recesses 4 of higher pieces 2. The flanges 12 of the pieces 2 immediately above the beams 16 bear on the beams.

As can be seen from Fig. 5, each piece incorporates two steel reinforcing meshes 20 which overlap each other in the projection 13 and which reinforce particularly the flanges 8 and 12 and the projection 13.

The present retaining wall system, with or without the beams 16, can be used to stabilize earth slopes or backfilled areas, to prevent soil and mud from overflowing the banks of drainage arrangements, and for other applications.

The present retaining wall system has the advantages that it does not require any bonding such as with cement mortar; it is easily assembled and dismantled; it is strong enough to prevent the cut or backfilled slope from collapsing and to prevent substantial settlement of the ground throughout the design life of the system; and it is particularly applicable to drainage arrangements, in which it forms a barrier to prevent earth from being washed into a drainage channel during a heavy downpour; it forms a barrier to prevent vegetation from spreading over into the channel, thus from clogging the waterflow; it forms a barrier to prevent the flowing drain water from cutting away the bank at bends; it is sufficiently versatile to allow further expansion or reconstruction of the banks of the drain, as well as wall removal or lowering when new areas are cut or trimmed; and it is capable of use in conjunction with and as a continuation of conventional retaining wall structures.

Claims

1. A retaining wall piece, comprising a recess-engaging projection protruding in a vertical plane for engaging in a recess in an adjacent piece, a projection-receiving recess extending in said plane for receiving a projection from another adjacent piece, the sizes and shapes of said projection-receiving recess and said recess-engaging projection being such that a projection of the same size and shape inserted into a recess of the same size and shape have clearance therebetween over almost all of their common cross-sectional peripheral zone.

2. A retaining wall piece as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sizes and said shapes are such that such clearance exists except at the edges of the mouth of the recess.

3. A retaining wall piece as claimed in claim 2, wherein the root of said recess-engaging projection widens downwardly, so giving downwardly diverging faces.

4. A retaining wall piece as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the edges of said mouth are of rectangular cross-section.

5. A retaining wall piece as claimed in any preceding claim, and further comprising a substantially horizontal flange extending from one side of the root of said recess-engaging projection for extending into material to be retained.

6. A retaining wall piece as claimed in claim 5, and further comprising another substantially horizontal flange extending from the other side of said root.

7. A retaining wall piece as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said projection-receiving recess is in the form of a groove extending the length of the horizontal dimension of said piece in said plane.

8. A retaining wall piece as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said recess-engaging projection is of a rectangular cross-section chamfered at its upper corners.

9. A retaining wall piece as claimed in any preceding claim, and provided at respective ends thereof with respective halves of projection-and-recess joints for connecting the piece to respective horizontally adjacent such pieces.

10. A retaining wall piece as claimed in claim 5 and formed in a side surface of said piece opposite to said one side with a beamreceiving recess extending substantially horizontally into said piece from said side surface.

11. A retaining wall piece as claimed in claim 10 as appended to claim 6, wherein the lowermost surface of said beam-receiving recess is substantially level with the uppermost surface of said other substantially horizontal flange.

12. A retaining wall structure, comprising a plurality of retaining wall pieces stacked one upon anohter, and a projection-and-recess joint between the or each two adjacent pieces at the adjacent top and bottom surfaces thereof, the joint(s) latching the wall pieces together, the or each projection being integral with its associated piece.

13. A structure as claimed in claim 12, wherein the projection and the recess of the or each joint have clearance therebetween over almost all of their common cross-sectional peripheral zone.

14. A structure as claimed in claim 13, wherein said clearance exists except at the edges of the mouth of the recess of the or each joint.

15. A structure as claimed in claim 14, wherein the root of the projection of the or each joint widens downwardly, so giving downwardly diverging faces.

16. A structure as claimed in claim 14 or 15, wherein the edges of said mouth are of rectangular cross-section.

17. A structure as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein each piece includes a substantially horizontal flange extending from one side of the root of the projection of the or each joint into material being retained.

18. A structure as claimed in claim 17, wherein each piece includes another substantially horizontal flange extending from the other side of the or each root.

19. A structure as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 18, wherein the recess of the or each joint is in the form of a groove extending over a horizontal dimension of its piece.

20. A structure as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 19, and further comprising another plurality of retaining wall pieces stacked one upon another and horizontally end-to-end with the first-mentioned plurality of retaining wall pieces, the pieces of said other plurality being provided with respective halves of projection-in-recess joints of which the other halves are provided on the pieces of said first-mentioned plurality, these joints horizontally interconnecting the pieces.

21. A structure as claimed in claim 17, or any one of claims 18 to 20 as appended to claim 17, wherein each piece is formed, in a side surface of the piece opposite to said one side with a beam-receiving recess extending substantially horizontally into the piece from said side surface.

22. A structure as claimed in claim 21 as appended to claim 18, wherein the lowermost surface of each beam-receiving recess is substantially level with the uppermost surface of said other substantially horizontal flange of its piece.

23. A retaining wall piece, comprising a substantially horizontal flange for extending into material to be retained and a projection protruding upwardly from said flange in a vertical plane for engaging in a recess in an adjacent piece, and a recess extending in said plane for receiving a projection from another adjacent piece.

24. A retaining wall piece, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

25. A retaining wall structure, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, or Figs. 3 and 4, of the accompanying drawings.