US3614870A

US3614870A - Soil tight retaining wall

Info

Publication number: US3614870A
Application number: US859706A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jerald H Boynton
Original assignee: Armco Inc
Current assignee: Contech Engineered Solutions LLC
Priority date: 1969-09-22
Filing date: 1969-09-22
Publication date: 1971-10-26
Anticipated expiration: 1988-10-26

Abstract

A SOIL TIGHT RETAINING WALL OF THE BIN TYPE HAVING PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF VERTICAL CONNECTORS, EACH CONNECTOR HAVING A FLANGE PORTION AND A WEB PORTION EXTENDING LATERALLY FROM THE CENTER LINE OF THE FLANGE PORTION SO AS TO HAVE A T-SHAPED CROSS SECTION. THE FLANGE PORTION OF ONE VERTICAL CONNECTOR OF EACH PAIR IS PARALLEL TO THE FRONT OF THE WALL AND THE FLANGE PORTION OF THE OTHER CONNECTOR OF THE SAME PAIR IS PARALLEL TO THE REAR OF THE WALL. LAPPED STRINGER MEMBERS JOIN THE VERTICAL CONNECTORS TO FORM THE FRONT AND REAR OF THE WALL, EACH END OF EACH STRINGER MEMBER BEING ATTACHED TO A PART OF THE FLANGE PORTION ON ONE SIDE OF THE WEB PORTION OF ONE OF THE VERTICAL CONNECTORS. LAPPED SPACER MEMBERS JOIN THE PAIRS OF VERTICAL CONNECTORS, THE ENDS OF EACH SPACER MEMBER BEING ATTACHED TO THE WEB PORTIONS OF THE VERTICAL CONNECTORS OF A PAIR.

Description

J. H. BOYNTON SOIL TIGHT RETAINING WALL Get. 26, T1

3 Shoots-Shout 1 Filed Sept. 22, 1969 lm aw Q \mw Q @N INN 0 0 -WH W o 5 0 m INVENTOR/S JERALD H. BOYNTON BY Lygm 2% and WM):

ATTORNEYS Oct. 26, 1971 BOYNTON 3,614,87

I SOIL TIGHT RETAINING WALL Filed Sept. 22, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 lNVENTOR/S JERALD H. BOYNTON BY yadda, d t arm Wm! ATTORNEYS 3,614,870 SOIL TIGHT RETAINING WALL Jerald H. Boynton, Franklin, Ohio, assignor to Armco Steel Corporation, Middletown, Ohio Filed Sept. 22, 1969, Ser. No. 859,706

Int. Cl. EtlZd 29/02 US. Cl. 61-47 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A soil tight retaining wall of the bin type having a plurality of pairs of vertical connectors, each connector having a flange portion and a web portion extending laterally from the center line of the flange portion so as to have a T-shaped cross section. The flange portion of one vertical connector of each pair is parallel to the front of the wall and the flange portion of the other connector of the same pair is parallel to the rear of the wall. Lapped stringer members join the vertical connectors to form the front and rear of the wall, each end of each stringer member being attached to a part of the flange portion on one side of the web portion of one of the vertical connectors. Lapped spacer members join the pairs of vertical connectors, the ends of each spacer member being attached to the web portions of the vertical connectors of a pair.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the invention This invention relates to the art of retaining walls, and, in particular, to the art of bin-type retaining walls.

(2) Description of the prior art Bin-type retaining walls are composed of a series of adjoining bins which may be assembled in the field from known units. The bins are then backfilled with fill material, generally soil, and transformed into a permanent, economical retaining wall.

In practice, bin-type retaining walls are used because of lower initial cost and reduced maintenance expense, and/or because they provide a logical solution to a problem involving difficult or restrictive installation conditions. In addition, such structures are characterized by greater strength and stability, easy installation without expensive equipment, and fast assembly even with unskilled crews.

Exemplary installations where bin-type retaining walls may be utilized include on highway and railroad projects to gain right-of-way by either supporting part of the road or pushing back an encroaching slope; on municipal, industrial or commercial sites to create usable flat areas that would otherwise be wasted slopes; to correct certain slide conditions; to curtail shore or bank erosion; to permit expanding adjacent grade-separated highway or railway right-of-ways; to prevent erosion under bridge abutments; and to provide wing walls on bridge abutments. This type of structure can be assembled to achieve any desired combination of height, length and curvature.

Prior art retaining walls of the bin-type, as exemplified by United States Letters Patents 2,092,646 and 2,210,264, have generally proven to be satisfactory in most respects. They have, however, proven to be unsatisfactory in retaining backfilled fine sand therein. Additionally, when the backfilled soil is muddy or subjected to heavy rains it washes out through small cracks in the structure.

It should also be noted that the wall portions of many prior art retaining walls of the bin-type have been deflected and attaching bolts therein sheared because of the draw down of the walls of the bins by the action of the back- 3,614,879 Patented Oct. 26, 1971 filledl soil thereon when settlement cannot be accommoate Finally, many prior art retaining walls of the bin-type require the use of special fastening means, such as clips, and the stringer members, spacer members and clips are all joined to the column by the same bolts. For this reason, the bins must be assembled on the site, as the walls thereof do not lend themselves to shop assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a soil tight retaining wall of the bin-type, which comprises a plurality of pairs of vertical connectors, one vertical connector of each pair being in the plane of the front of the wall and the other vertical connector being in the plane of the rear of the wall. Stringer members join the vertical connectors in the front of the wall and in the rear of the wall. Spacer members join the pairs of vertical connectors. The vertical connectors are T-shaped in cross section and include a web portion substantially normal to and positioned centrally on a flange portion. The stringer members and the spacer members are lapped such that the shingle effect thereof prevents soil leakage through the longitudinal laps. Each end of the stringer members is attached to a part of the flange portion on one side of the web portion of one of the T-shaped vertical connectors. Each end of the spacer members is attached to the web portion of one of the T-shaped vertical connectors.

In preferred embodiments, the stringer members and the spacer members may be generally hat-shaped in cross section, comprising a base, outwardly sloping legs and outwardly extending flanges at the ends of the legs. The flanges are substantially parallel to the base. The flanges of each stringer member, or spacer member as the case may be, are juxtaposed and contiguous with the flanges of adjacent stringer or spacer members, and the flanges of the stringer or spacer members are attached to the vertical connectors.

It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the spacers and stringers of the present invention may have any suitable cross sectional configuration providing flanges capable of being lapped in the manner hereinafter described.

The retaining wall may also include a grade plate at the bottom of each of the vertical connectors. The grade plate will maintain alignment of the retaining wall during construction but will permit the vertical connectors to penetrate the original elevation to accommodate draw down of the retaining wall by the action of the soil in the bins against the stringer and spacer members. This, of course, will minimize the internal structural loads and the structure will be characterized by a flexibility to accommodate minor soil shifts after installation.

The retaining wall may also include horizontal stringer caps covering the uppermost edge of the flange of each one of the uppermost stringer members in the front of the wall.

In addition, any exosed spacer members, and particularly those of the endmost bin, may be provided with vertical spacer caps to assure a soil tight connection between such spacers and the adjacent connector.

Thus, the bin-type retaining wall of the present invention is substantially soil tight in all respects. Accordingly, each bin will hold soil even if a portion of the spacers is exposed in an offset wall. As indicated above, the shingle effect of the lapped stringer and spacer members prevents soil inside the bins from leaking through the laps.

The retaining wall of the present invention is more economical than prior art retaining walls because clips are not utilized to join the various members thereof.

Although fewer bolts are used in the structure of the present invention, the stringer members and spacer members are not all attached to the vertical connectors by the same bolts. For this reason, the present walls may be shop or field assembled, wherein a front wall and a back wall made up of a plurality of vertical connectors and stringer members may be bolted together. These flat sections may then be shipped to the job site, crane erected and positioned by bolting in the spacer members. Similarly, individual bins or spacer sections can be shop assembled and shipped to the job site.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a plan view of a soil tight retaining wall of the bin-type according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation thereof.

FIG. 3 is an end elevation thereof.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing one of the exemplary T-shaped vertical connectors, longitudinal front wall stringer members, transverse spacer members and front wall stringer caps.

FIG. 7 is an exploded isometric view showing the typical construction of a portion of the continuous soil tight retaining wall according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Turning now to FIGS. 15, it will be seen that the retaining wall 10 of the present invention generally comprises a plurality of closed-face bins 12. The bins 12 are made up of a plurality of pairs of vertical connectors 14, one vertical connector of each pair being in a plane 16 of a front of the wall and the other vertical connector being in a plane 18 of the rear of the wall. Stringer members 20 connect the vertical connectors in the front and rear of the wall 10, and spacer members 22 connect the pairs of vertical connectors 14.

In practice, the stringer members 20 are generally about 10 feet or 3 meters long and the spacer members 22 are generally half as long as the wall 10 is high.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 the vertical connectors 14 are preferably T-shaped in cross section and include a web portion 14a substantially normal to and positioned centrally on a flange portion 14b. The stringer and

spacer members

20 and 22, respectively, may comprise any suitable section so long as adjacent stringer members 20 and adjacent spacer members 22 may be lapped together in a shingle effect. The shingle effect prevents soil leakage out of the bins 12. However, in practice it has been found that the stringer members 20 and the spacer members 22 should preferably be hat shaped in cross section. The flanges 20a and 2011 at the ends of the legs of the stringer members 20 are juxtaposed and contiguous with

flanges

20b and 20a of adjacent stringer members, as seen in FIG. 5, and held together by the bolts 2412, as seen in FIG. 6. Similarly, the

flanges

22a and 22b of spacer members 22 are juxtaposed and contiguous with

flanges

22b and 22a of adjacent spacer members, as seen in FIG. 4. Thus FIGS. 4 and 5 clearly illustrate the orientation of the spacers and stringers, respectfully, to achieve the above mentioned shingle effect. It will be understood that the thickness of the spacer members 22 and stringer members 20 has been exaggerated in FIGS. 4 and 5 for purposes of clarity.

The stringer members 20 are attached at the ends thereof to a portion of the flange 14b on one side of the web 14a of one of the T-shaped vertical connectors 14, by means of conventional bolts 24 or other fastening means. (See FIGS. 5 and 6). Likewise, bolts 24a or other fastening means are used to join each of the ends of the spacer members 22 to a web 14a of one of the T-shaped vertical connectors 14. (See FIGS. 4 and 6).

It should be noted that the T-shaped vertical connector 14 is a fabricated part in which the weld between the flange 14b and the web 14a has very little fillet. Accordingly, the stringer members 20 will substantially abut the web 14a of each connector 14.

In practice, the retaining Wall 10 of the present invention includes a grade plate (generally indicated at 26) positioned at the bottom of each of the vertical connectors 14. The grade plate 26 may, for example, comprise a planar member

26a having flanges

26b and 26c substantially normal thereto and at the ends thereof (see FIGS. and 7). The purpose of the grade plates 26 is to maintain alignment of the retaining wall during construction. However, they should be made of deformable material such as to permit the vertical connectors 14 to penetrate the original elevation to accommodate draw down of the retaining wall by the action of the backifill soil in the bins 12 against the hat-shaped stringer and spacer members and 22, respectively. Accordingly, internal structural loads which might otherwise cause deflection in the front and rear walls, crippling of the vertical connectors or shearing of the fasteners, will be minimized.

A preferred embodiment of the retaining wall 10 according to the present invention also includes stringer caps 28 (FIGS. 5, 6 and 7), attached by bolts 24 or other fastening means and covering the uppermost edge of the flange 20a of each one of the uppermost stringer members 20 in the front of the wall 10. While the stringer caps 28 are primarily a safety feature, they also assist in preventing buckling of the top edge of the uppermost flange 20a of the uppermost stringer members 20 in the front of the wall 10 and enhance the appearance of the structure.

It will be noted in FIG. 7, for example, that the ends of the spacer members 22 will approach the ends of the stringer members 20 to the left of the connector 14 (as seen in FIG. 7) when the assembly is complete. Thus the stringer members and spacer members will form two corrugated panels meeting at right angles. Soil leakage could occur at such a juncture. When the spacer members are not at the end of the bin wall structure (as is the case in FIG. 7) such soil leakage is of little consequence. However, such soil leakage is to be avoided at the endmost spacer members of the bin wall structure or at exposed spacer members in an offset bin wall structure.

To avoid such soil leakage, the ends of endmost or exposed spacer members may be provided with vertically oriented spacer caps. The spacer caps are U-shaped in cross section and will surround the ends of the spacer members. Such a spacer cap is fragmentarily illustrated at 30 in FIG. 7. In FIG. 1, the endmost spacer members 22 are provided with spacer caps 30.

The spacer caps may be provided with appropriate perforations and may be held in place by the same bolts 24a which are used to affix the spacer members 22 to the connectors 1 4. The spacer caps 30 may have any suitable length, depending on the position at which they are used. For example, at the ends of the bin wall structure, they should extend substantially the full height of the endmost spacer members 22. Elsewhere in a bin wall structure they should be of sufficient length to at least cover the ends of those spacer members which are exposed.

It is important to emphasize that the improved bin-type retaining wall 10 of the present inveniton is soil tight for a number of reasons. First, each bin 12 has four complete closed faces or walls so that the bin will hold soil even if portions of the spacer members 22 are exposed in an olfset wall. Second, in laying up the stringer members 20 and the spacer members 22 in the most natural way, they are lapped in such a way that the shingle effect will prevent soil from leaking through at the longitudinal laps therebetween. Additionally, the vertical connectors 14 are fabricated parts in which the weld has very little fillet. Accordingly, the stringer members 20 abut the webs 14a of the vertical connectors 14 and aid in preventing soil leakage from within the bins 12. Finally, the vertical spacer caps will prevent leakage around the ends of the endmost spacers, or those spacers which are exposed.

The present invention also provides a retaining wall which is more economical in that it uses fewer fastening means and does not require special clips or the like. Also, the stringer members 20 and the spacer members 22 are all attached to the vertical connectors 14 by different bolts 244411 or other suitable fastening members. Accordingly, the retaining wall of the present invention may be subassembled in the shop, as indicated above. In most situations this will result in considerably reduced erection costs.

Modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit of it. For example, while the stringer members 20 and spacer members 22 have been described as individual elongated members of hat-shaped cross section, it is Within the scope of the present invention to substitute panels for the individual stringer and spacer members. Such panels could have any suitable cross section and any appropriate dimensions. Thus, in FIG. 1, the front wall 16 and rear wall 18 could be 'fabricated of one or two panels each, equivalent in size to the plurality of spacer members illustrated as extending between the connectors 14. Similarly, the spacers shown in FIG. 3 could comprise a single panel.

It is also within the scope of the invention to provide decorative vertical trim caps to cover the flange portions 14b of those connectors exposed to view. Such trim caps could be made of any suitable material such as wood, plastic or metal and can be affixed to the flange portions 14b by any suitable fastening means. The trim caps could be so configured as to have a snap engagement with the flange portions 14b.

What I claim is:

I 1. A soil tight retaining wall of the bin-type, which comprises a plurality of pairs of vertical connectors, each said vertical connector being T-shaped in cross section and including a web portion substantially normal to and positioned centrally on a flange portion, one vertical connector of each pair being in the plane of the front of said wall and the other vertical connector being in the plane of the rear of said wall, lapped stringer members joining said vertical connectors in the front and rear of said wall, each of said stringer members being generally hat-shaped in cross section with outwardly extending flanges, the flanges of each of said stringer member being overlapped so as to be juxtaposed and contiguous with the flanges of adjacent stringer members, and the flanges of said stringer members being attached at the ends thereof to a part of the flange portion on one side of the web portion of adjacent ones of said T-shaped vertical connectors, and lapped spacer members joining said pairs of vertical connectors, each of said spacer members being generally hatshaped in cross section with outwardly extending flanges, the flanges of each said spacer member being overlapped so as to be juxtaposed and contiguous with the flanges of adjacent spacer members, and the flanges of said spacer members being attached at the ends thereof to the web portions of adjacent ones of said T-shaped vertical connectors, whereby a plurality of bins are formed between said pairs of vertical connectors which are soil tight and which hold the back filled soil therein so as to form an integral retaining wall.

2. The structure claimed in claim 1 including means for capping the ends of those spacer members joining certain at least of said pairs of connectors, said capping means comprising vertically oriented elongated elements having a U-shaped cross sectional configuratlon, said elements being so sized as to accept the ends of the spacer members between the legs of said U-shaped configuration, said elements being aflixed to those connectors being joined by the spacer members being capped.

3. The retaining wall according to claim 1, includmg a deformable grade plate at the bottom of each said vertical,

connector which will maintain alignment of said retaining wall during construction and which will permit penetration of the original elevation by said connectors to ac commodate the draw down of said retaining wall by the action of the soil in said bins against said hat-shaped stringer and spacer members, whereby deflection is minimized in said retaining wall.

4. The retaning wall according to claim 3, including a stringer cap covering the uppermost edge of the flange of each one of the uppermost stringer members in the front of said wall.

5. In a retaining wall of the bin-type having a plurality of pairs of vertical connectors, one vertical connector of of each pair being in the plane of the front of said wall and the other vertical connector being in the plane of the rear of said wall, stringer members joining said vertical connectors in the front and rear of said wall, and spacer members joining said pairs of vertical connectors, the improvement in combination therewith wherein said vertical connectors are T-shaped in cross section and comprise a web portion substantially normal to and positioned centrally on a flange portion, and wherein said stringer members and spacer members are lapped, the shingle effect thereof prevening soil leakage through said laps, each of said stringer members being generally hat-shaped in crosssection with outwardly extending flanges, the flanges of each said stringer member being overlapped so as to be juxtaposed and contiguous with the flanges of adjacent stringer members, and the flanges of said stringer members being attached at the ends thereof to a part of the flange portion one side of the web portion of the adjacent ones of said T-shaped vertical connectors, and each of said spacer members being generally hat-shaped in cross section with outwardly extending flanges, the flanges of each said spacer member being overlapped so as to be juxtaposed and contiguous with the flanges of adjacent spacer members, and the flanges of said spacer members being attached at the ends thereof to the web portions of adjacent ones of said T-shaped vertical connectors, whereby the plurality of bins between said pairs of vertical connectors are soil tight and hold the back filled soil therein so as to form an integral retaining wall.

6. The structure claimed in claim 5 including means for capping the ends of those spacer members joining certain at least of said pairs of connectors, said capping means comprising vertically oriented elongated elements having a U-shaped cross sectional configuration, said elements being so sized as to accept the ends of the spacer members between the legs of said U-shaped configuration, said elements being aflixed to those connectors being joined by the spacer members being capped.

7. The retaining wall according to claim 5, including a deformable grade plate at the bottom of each said vertical connector which will maintain alignment of said retaining wall during construction and which will permit penetration of the original elevation by said connectors to accommodate draw down of said retaining wall by the action of the soil in said bins against said hat-shaped stringer and spacer members, whereby deflection is prevented in the front and rear walls of said retaining wall.

8. The retaining wall according to claim 7, including a stringer cap covering the uppermost edge of the flange of each one of the uppermost stringer members in the front of said wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 710,115 9/1902 Neuman 61-47 1,843,041 1/1932 Nagel 61-47 1,909,299 5/1933 Mette 6147 X 2,092,646 9/1937 Grother 61-39 2,210,264 8/1940 Schenk 61--47 2,358,698 9/1944 Flath -6147 DENNIS L. TAYLOR, Primary Examiner