NZ220974A - Method for erecting crib wall - Google Patents

Description

220 /-N Patents Form No. 5 PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION & After Provisional No. 220974 Dated: 7 July 1987 IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO RETAINING WALLS I, DAVID JAMES PLAYFORD, a British Subject of 48 S-fcekeb Valley •SoaAr Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt, New Zealand, hereby declare the invention for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- i .~m£* •W 4 \; ' v-1. 2209 IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO RETAINING WALLS This invention relates to retaining walls, and more particularly relates to walls erected from individually formed blocks generally known as crib blocks and comprising longitudinal stretcher members and transverse intermediate headers or bearer members extending from front to rear of the walls; such crib retaining walls being for the retention of loose earth or spoil at escarpments and for decorative landscaping applications.

Most crib walling blocks are manufactured from concrete which is admirably suited to many retaining wall constructions, but for lighter retaining wall constructions and in particular for such as landscaping it is advantageous to utilise timber to provide relatively lightweight blocks which are easily handled and erected into a wall, and which may be also readily cut to length as and where required.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved series of timber stretcher and header members for forming a crib or retaining wall, of simple but effective construction.

Other and more particular objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description.

According to a first aspect of this invention, there is provided a means for constructing an earth retaining wall comprising a plurality of similar elongate rectangular section timber stretcher members, and a plurality of similar timber header members each of rectangular cross-section for the major part of their length and of substantially L formation in side view with a short foot bearer part de- 2209 ft pending for a distance substantially equal to the stretcher depths, said stretcher members being arranged for substantially horizontal and tiered disposition extending longitudinally of a wall to be erected at the front face side thereof 5 and supported in spaced relationship by the header members in front to rear disposition with the lower faces of the front bearer parts of one tier of header members bearing on the upper rear end surface parts of the tier of the header members immediately below.

According to a second aspect of the invention, the stretcher members and header members of the retaining wall means of the preceding paragraph are arranged to be interlocked at the front side of an erected wall by means of pegs having end parts locatable in aligned recesses in 15 the upper and lower faces of the stretcher members and located through aligned vertical apertures extending through the front end parts of the header members located between tiered stretcher members.

According to a further aspect of this invention, in CD a retaining wall means according to the two preceding paragraphs said header members are arranged for disposition intermediate the ends of said stretcher members and rectilin-ear false header block members equal in depth or thickness to the header members front end parts are arranged to be 25 provided between the end parts of the tiered stretcher members at an erected wall end and/or between at least some horizontally aligned header members.

The invention further includes a method of erecting a retaining wall employing the timber stretcher members and header members referred to.

Some preferred aspects of the invention will now be more particularly described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a preferred stretcher member in accordance with the invention, FIGURE 2 is a side view of the stretcher member of figure 1, FIGURE 3 is a plan view of a preferred header member in accordance with the invention, FIGURE 4 is a side view of the header member of figure 3, FIGURES 5 and 6 are plan and side views of a simple false header block for use with the stretcher members and header members of figures 1 to 4 inclusive, FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of the header member of figures 3 and 4 showing its location relative to other parts of a wall assembly, FIGURE 8 is a front face view of a crib retaining wall employing the crib or retaining members of figures 1 to 6 inclusive, and FIGURE 9 is a typical cross-sectional view of the retaining wall of figure 8 as viewed in the direction of arrows ix-ix.

Any suitable timber may be utilised in the construction of the retaining or crib wall members of this invention, but it is naturally preferable that a strong rot, weather and termite resistant or treated timber be utilised e.g. hardwoods may be utilised or such as Tanalised (Registered Trade Mark) treated pine or other softer timbers can be utilised.

Whilst there is no specific restriction on the sizes of timber to be utilised, the stretcher members 1 may conveniently be provided in lengths of, for example, 1500 and 2250 mm and be of uniform rectangular cross-section 100 mm in width by 75 mm in thickness or depth; and the header members 2 may be similarly fabricated from the same cross-sectional size timber either 100 mm in width and 75 mm in depth or alternatively 75 mm in width and 100 mm in depth for the full lengths thereof, which lengths can for example be alternative lengths of 600,900,1200 and 1700 mm, or such other dimensions as may be required. Each header member 2 is of fabricated substantially L formation with arear end block member 2a equal in thickness or depth to a stretcher member 1 and secured such as by nails or pins 3 and/or a suitable adhesive to the underside of the rear end portion of each header member.2,to thus provide an arrangement in an erected wall with header members 2 interposed in vertical alignment between tiered rows of stretcher members 1 at the front side of the wall in which the lower faces of the depending foot bearers 2a can rest on the upper rear end faces of the next header member 2 immediately below. In a wall construction as indicated in figures 7,8 and 9, whilst a supplementary row of stretcher members I'can be provided towards the rear and at the base of the wall to provide support at the rear of the first run of header members 2,the remainder of the wall requires no further rearwardly positioned stretcher members 1.

To anchor the stretcher members 1 and header maribers 2 W .v V. in a wall construction, the stretcher members.l arepreferably provided with at least two intermediate pairs of aligned recesses 4 extending in from the upper and rear faces of the stretcher members 1 at the positions to be occupied by the header members 2 i.e.in this arrangement and as illustrated there would -effectively be two header members 2 to each full length stretcher member i , and to enable the stretcher members 1 to be erected in staggered relationship in their respective tiers each pair of recesses- 4 is positioned a quarter of the length of the full stretcher member 1 in from each end. The header members 2 are provided in their front end parts with vertical apertures. 5 which are arranged to be aligriable with the stretcher member recesses- 4 to enable a pin or peg 6 of timber, metal, fibreglass rod or the like to be passed therethrough and project from the upper and lower faces for location in the aligned respective recesses 4 of the stretcher members 1 above and below. It is known to provide concrete wall constructions with front face parts interlocked by locating a steel reinforcing rod through aligned apertures in header and stretcher members; but in the erection of a full wall and in the placement of earth or spoil behind and between the crib blocks or members, it is not easy to maintain the full holes in alignment for subsequent fitment of the reinforcing rods t or in the alternative not easy to locate the crib wall blocks or members over pre-fixed reinforcing rods. It will thus be seen that by this invention with the blind end recesses 4 in the stretcher members .land the employment of short pegs 6 that a retaining wall can be readily and quickly erected without problems in alignment of the holes 5 and recesses 4 for the pegs 6.

The employment of timber in the formation of crib or retaining wall members as in accordance with this invention provides an added advantage in that for initial temporary location and fitment whilst filling or back filling with earth or spoil, any of the header members 2 can be nailed or pinned or otherwise fastened to the stretcher members and/or the depending foot or bearer parts of the header members can be fixed such as by skew nailing 7 to the next header block 2 below.

Where required for end wall parts,external corner sections and the like,half length stretcher members 1" can be provided to accommodate the staggered formation of the main full length stretcher members 1,and small block closure members 8 or false header of appropriate dimensions can be employed. Again these can be provided with apertures 9 for the receipt of pegs 6 having end parts engagable in aligned upper and lower recesses 4 at the ends of the stretchers 1 and/or employed at intermediate positions intermediate"header members 2 to reduce the"number of header members required in some instances, or such blocks 8 can be simply nailed in position in finishing a wall end or corner or in providing intermediate spacers between header members 2.

The employment of timber retaining or crib wall blocks provides that whilst standard lengths of stretcher members 1 and header members 2 can be provided with factory pre-formed apertures 5 and recesses 4 for the pegs 6, any of the stretcher members 1 or header members 2 can be cut and shortened in length as may be required on site and 220 i similarly peg receiving apertures 5 and/or recesses 4 can be readily drilled on site in particular positions as required.

Thus, by this invention there is provided a simple and effective and economical means of providing a functional and/or decorative earth retaining wall, and including components that are relatively light in weight and readily handled by a user, and readily shaped and adapted as may be required on site in erection of a wall.

Some preferred aspects of the invention have- been described and illustrated by way of example, but it will be appreciated that other variations of and modifications to the invention can take place without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (2)

ft / ; 220974 ^ WHAT I CLAIM IS:-

1. A method of constructing an earth retaining wall comprising the provision of a plurality of similar elongate rectangular section timber stretcher members, and a plurality of similar timber header members each of rectangular cross-section for the major part of their length and of substantially L formation in side view with a short foot bearer part depending for a distance substantially equal to the stretcher depths; and the erecting of the wall with said stretcher members arranged in a substantially horizontal and tiered dis-postion extending longitudinally; of the wall at the front face side thereof and supported in spaced relationship by the header members, the header members being located in front to rear disposition with the lower faces of the foot bearer parts of one tier of header members bearing on the upper rear end surface parts of the tier of the header members immediately below, and each header member having its front end part anchored to the next adjacent stretcher member(s) in a manner preventing horizontal displacement of the header and stretcher members relative to each other in lateral or transverse directions by means of separately formed i anchor pegs inserted and engaged in opposed mating face | parts of said header member front end parts and adjacent J I stretcher members. \j

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said header members are each initially formed in two part; comprising a first main elongate part of uniform recta: gular cross-section throughout its length and a seconS rectilinear block member of equal height to the height i ~9~ 220974

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein said false header blocks are secured in position between upper and lower tiered stretchers by means of short cylindrical retaining pegs each being passed through a complementary vertical aperture extending medially of each said false header block to have projecting upper and lower end portions, said peg projecting upper and lower end portions being located in complementary blind end recesses provided in the respective underside of the upper stretcher and upper side of the lower stretcher.

8. A method of providing and erecting an earth retaining wall substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

9. A method of constructing an earth retaining wall as claimed in claim 3, wherein the plurality of header members, stretcher members and retaining pegs provided and employed are arranged and constructed substantially as herebefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

10. An earth retaining wall when constructed according to the method of any one of claims 1 to 9 inclusive. DAVID JAMES PLAYFORD, By His Authorised Attorneys JOHN A. REMMINGTON & ASSOCIATES S.- //<< !j-Y u •• 2 iMAViOat