Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
- 2173649
CONSTRUCTION BLOCK FOR BUILDING A RETAINING WALL
FIELD OF T~E INVENTION
The present invention relates to a construction block for building a lelAinillg wall
which may be straight or right-angled.
The invention also relates to units made of a plurality of such blocks connected to each
other side by side.
DESCRIPTION OF TIIE PRIOR ART
Construction blocks for building re~ g walls are known per se in the art. For
example, reference may be made to Canadian patent 1,182,295 and its U.S. counterpart
4,490,075, which disclose a retAining wall system using interlocking blocks to build the wall,
that is naturally inclined to the vertical at a predetermined angle. The blocks have projecting
means on the top surface and recess means on the bottom surface such that when the blocks
are staggered and interlocked, they are in sliding fit with each other. The projecting means
and the recess means are offset with respect to each other by a predetermined amount in order
20 to provide for the desired angle of inclination of the assembled wall.
RerelellcemayalsobemadetoU.S. patents 5,017,049 (Sievert), 2,313,363 (Schmitt),
5,248,221 (Risi - equivalent to C~nA-liAn patent 2,045,953) and 4,815,897 (Risi - equivalent
to Canadian patent 1,204,296) which disclose blocks used in building retAining walls.
One of the disadvantages with the above-mentioned construction blocks is that
although they may interlock, they cannot easily be converted into end blocks to form an even
edge at the ends of the wall. Another disadvantage is that they are laterally unstable, given
their longitudinal sliding fit.
Furthermore, none of these blocks may be used to build a retaining wall and, using the
same block, also interlock a side wall at a right angle to the retAining wall in order to form a
30 U-shaped or an L-shaped wall. A separate block or device must be used in order to provide
for the possibility of making a corner.
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SUMMARY OF TEIE INVENTION
It is a first object of the invention to provide a construction block for building a
etai~ g wall which can also be used to make an end block, and which is laterally stable.
In accordance with the invention, this first object is achieved with a construction block
having a length L, a width W, a thickness T, two opposite ends, two opposite sides, a top
surface, a bottom surface, a tongitudinal axis and a center point on said top surface. The
construction block comprises:
- a projection having a length 1, a width w and a thickness t, approximately
10 centered about the center point, on the top surface;
- a groove at each of the opposite ends on said bottom surface, each groove
having a length 1", a width w" and a thickness ~", approximately centered about the
longitudinal axis; and
- at least one slot, transverse to the longitudinal axis, on either the top surface
or the bottom surface, located appl o~hllalely halfway between the center point and one of the
opposite ends, the at least one slot defining an end piece,
where 1, w, t, 1", w" and t" meet the following equations:
I > 1/21;
- t" > t; and
- w">w.
In use, the block may be stacked on two identical blocks having their opposite ends
facing each other, with the block resting on half of each of the two identical blocks, so that the
groove at one of the opposite ends of the block is located above half of the projection of one
of the identical blocks and the groove at the other opposite end is located above half of the
projection of the other identical block, thus staggering the blocks. Furthermore, the one slot
makes it possible to have the end piece slitted and cut off from the block to be used as an end
block for a lelaining wall having a straight edge, by having the groove of the end piece located
above half of the projection of the block having had its end piece slitted and cut off.
It is a second object of the invention to provide a construction block for building a
30 ret~ining wall which can also be used as a corner block, and which is laterally stable,
hereinafter referred to as a "construction corner block".
In accordance with the invention, this second object is achieved with a construction
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corner block having a length L, a width W, a thickness T, an outside end, an inside end, two
opposite sides, a top surface, a bottom surface, a longitudinal axis and a center point on said
top surface. The construction corner block comprises:
- a projection on the top surface, having a length 1, a width w and a thickness t,
approximately centered about the center point;
- a groove at each of the opposite ends on said bottom surface, each groove
having a length 1", a width w" and a thickness t", approximately centered about the
longitudinal axis;
- at least one slot, transverse to the longitudinal axis, on either the top surface
10 or the bottom surface, located at a distance S from the center point near the outside end, the
at least one slot defining a corner piece; and
- a transverse groove, having an opening on one or the other of the opposite sides
on the bottom surface, the transverse groove being located approximately halfway between
the center point and the slot and having a length 1', a width w ', and a thickness t',
where L, W, S, 1, w, f, 1', w ', ~', 1", w" and t" meet the following equations:
I' ~ t/2l;
- w >w;
f ~ ~;
- I > I/21;
- t">~;
- w">w; and
- S zW.
In use, the comer block may be stacked on two identical blocks, or on two construction
blocks or on a combination of both, having their opposite ends facing each other, with the
comer block resting on half of each of the two blocks, so that the groove at one of the opposite
ends of the corner block is located above half of the projection of one of the blocks and the
groove at the other opposite end is located above half of the projection of the other block, thus
staggering the blocks. Furthermore, the corner block may be used to form a corner by having
the corner piece slitted and cut offfrom the corner block and have the corner block located
30 adjacent another block with their longitudinal axes perpendicular to each other and have the
transverse groove of the corner block aligned with one of the grooves of the other block.
A third object of the present invention is also to provide multiple retaining wall block
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, .
units made of a plurality of construction blocks or construction corner blocks as defined
above, or of a combination of both.
B~F DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention and its advantages will be more easily understood after reading
the following non-restrictive description of a prerelled embodiment thereof, made with
reference to the following drawings where:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a retaining wall built with construction blocks
10 according to a preferred embodiment ofthe invention;
Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the retaining wall of Figure 1 showing how the
construction blocks are staggered;
Figure 3 is a top perspective view of a construction block according to a prerelled
embodiment of the invention;
Figure 4 is a bottom perspective view of the construction block of Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a top perspective view of a construction corner block according to the
prerel l ed embodiment of the invention;
Figure 6 is a bottom perspective view of the construction corner block of Figure 5;
Figure 7 is a top plan view of a multiple ret~ining wall unit including two construction
20 blocks and two construction corner blocks according to the invention;
Figure 8 is a front elevational view of the multiple retaining wall unit of Figure 7;
Figure 9 is a side elevational view of the construction corner block at one end of the
multiple let~ining wall unit of Figure 7;
Figure 10 is a side elevational view of the construction block of the multiple retaining
wall unit of Figure 7;
Figure 1 1 is a front elevational view of the construction corner block of Figure 9;
Figure 12 is a front elevational view of the construction block of Figure 10;
Figures 13A and 13B are top plan views of two rows of blocks to form a retainingwall, where Figure 13A is the bottom row and Figure 13B is the top row, according to one
30 preferred embodiment of making a corner; and
Figures 14A and 14B are top plan views of two rows of blocks to form a retaining wall
where Figure 14A is the bottom row and Figure 14B is the top row, according to another
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preferred embodiment of making a corner.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIM:ENT OF TIIE INVENTION
The invention is concerned with two variants of a block for building a retaining wall,
a "construction block" and a "construction corner block", having essentially the same basic
structure. The invention is also concerned with multiple ret~ining wall units made of such
blocks. For the purposes of simplicity, the same numerals will be used to refer to similar parts
in each block.
1. Construction block
Referring to Figure 3, there is shown a construction block 1 for building a ret~ining
wall according to a first pl erel . ed embodiment of the invention. The construction block 1
according to this first plerelled embodiment has a length L, a width W, a thickness T, two
opposite ends 3, two opposite sides 5, a top surface 7, a bottom surface 9, a longitudinal axis
11 and a center point 13 on the top surface 7. It is preferable for at least one of the opposite
sides 3 to have bevelled edges 6, 8 although the construction block 1 of Figures 3 and 4 has
bevelled edges 6 on both of the opposite sides 3 . For aesthetic purposes, the bevelled edges
20 6, 8 are deeper than the bevelled edges 8.
The construction block 1 comprises a projection 21 having a length l, a width w and
a thickness ~, approximately centered about the center point 13, on the top surface 7.
Preferably, the projection 21 is inwardly and upwardly tapered, the purpose of which will be
detailed hereinafter.
The construction block l also comprises a groove 3 l at each of the opposite ends 3 on
the bottom surface 9, each groove 31 having a length 1", a width w" and a thickness t",
approximately centered about the longitudinal axis 11.
On either the top surface 7 or the bottom surface 9 or both, there is at least one slot 41,
ideally two slots 41, oriented in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis 11. Each slot
30 41 is preferably V-shaped as shown on Figures 3 and 4, and located approximately halfway
between the center point 13 and one of the opposite ends 3. Advantageously, the slot 41 on
the top surface 7 is deeper than the slot 41 on the bottom surface 9. The slots thus define an
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"end piece" 43.
The length l, width w, thickness t, length 1", width w" and thickness t" of the
construction block 1 are selected so that they meet the following equations:
1" > 1/2l;
- t" > t; and
- w > w.
P~ere~bly, however, the thickness t" should equal the thickness T ofthe construction
block 1.
In use, the construction block 1 may be stacked on two identical construction blocks
10 1, 1, or on two construction corner blocks as hereinafter defined or on a combination of a
construction block and a construction corner block, having their opposite ends 3 facing each
other, with the construction block 1 resting on half of each of the two identical blocks 1, 1, so
that the groove 31 at one of the opposite ends 3 of the block 1 is located above half of the
projection 21 of one of the identical blocks I and the groove 31 at the other opposite end 3 is
located above half of the projection 21 of the other identical block 1, thus staggering said
blocks, as better shown on Figures I and 2. This feature of the invention provides a laterally
stable assembly, as the size of the slot 31 and the projection 21 are selected so as to prevent
the staggered blocks 1, 1, 1 from sliding along the longitudinal axis 11 of the block 1.
Additionnally, the inwardly, upwardly tapered projection 21 of the block permits snug fitting
20 of the grooves 31 on each side, and allows for variances in the size of the slots and the
projection during manufacture.
Furthermore, the slots 41 make it possible to have the end piece 43 slitted and cut off
from the block 1 by using, for eAaml~lc, a chisel and a hammer. The end piece 43 may be used
as an end block for a retaining wall having a straight edge, by having the groove 31 of the end
piece 43 located above half of the projection 21 of the block 1 having had its end piece 43
slitted and cut off as shown on Figure 2 by the arrow.
At times it may be necessary to build a ret~ining wall which can be either inwardly or
outwardly staggered in order to comply with applicable regulations. Thus, the projection 21
on the top surface 7 of the construction block 1 is preferably transversely offset with respect
30 to the longitudinal axis 11, as better shown on Figures 8, 11 and 12. When a plurality of
blocks are staggered and stacked one on top of the other in rows such as in Figures 1 and 2,
the offset projection results in that each row that is stacked and staggered one on top of the
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other is uniformly set back or set forward from the row of blocks below it. This feature is
better shown on Figure 2, showing an inwardly staggered wall. Preferably, the projection is
offset so as to gradually set back or set forward each row by a distance of 8 mm.
2. Construction corner block
Additionnally, although some of the retaining walls are straight structures, it is at times
preferable to be able to turn a corner when building a ret~ining wall to obtain an L-shaped or
a U-shaped structure. Previously, this had to be done by using a specially designed block for
this specific purpose. The present invention discloses a construction corner block 101 which
can be used to build a straight wall or can be used to turn a corner. The construction corner
block 101 according to the invention is similar in shape and size to the construction block 1.
The construction corner block 101 has a length L, a width W, a thickness T, an outside end
2, an inside end 4, two opposite sides 5, a top surface 7, a bottom surface 9, a longitudinal axis
11 and a center point 13 on the top surface 7. It is preferable for at least one of the opposite
sides 5 to have bevelled edges 6, 8 as shown on Figures 5 and 6. For aesthetic purposes, the
bevelled edge 6 is deeper than the bevelled edge 8.
The construction corner block 101 comprises a projection 21 on the top surface 7,
having a length 1, a width w and a thickness ~, approximately centered about the center point
13. Preferably, the projection 21 is inwardly and upwardly tapered, the purpose of which will
be detailed hereinafter.
The construction corner block 101 also comprises a groove 31 at the inside end 4 and
at the outside end 2 on the bottom surface 9, each groove having a length 1", a width w" and
a thickness t", approximately centered about the longitudinal axis 11. On either the top
surface 7 or the bottom surface 9 or both, there is at least one slot 141, ideally two as seen on
Figures 5 and 6, each preferably V-shaped. Advantageously, the slot 141 on the top surface
7 is deeper than the slot 141 on the bottom surface 9. The slots 141 are transverse to the
longitudinal axis 11, located at a distance S from the center point 13 near the outside end 2,
defining a-"corner piece" 143.
Theconstructioncornerblock 101 furthercomprisesatransversegroove 131, having
an opening on one or the other of the opposite sides 5 on the bottom surface 9. The transverse
groove 131 is located approximately halfway between the center point 13 and the slot 141 and
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has a length l', a width w', and a thickness f'. Preferably, the transverse groove 131 is
inwardly and upwardly tapered, the purpose of which will be detailed hereinafter.
The length L, width W, distance S, length l, width w, thickness f, length 1', width w',
thickness f ', length 1", width w" and thickness f" are selected so that they meet the following
equations:
- l ' > 1/2l;
- W >W;
- l" > 1/2l;
- t" > t;
- w " > w; and
- S~W.
Preferably, however, f " should equal the thickness T of the corner block.
In use, the construction corner block 101 may be stacked on two identical blocks, or
on two construction blocks or on a combination of a construction block and a construction
corner block, having their opposite ends 3 facing each other, with the construction corner
block 101 resting on half of each of the two blocks, so that the groove at one of the opposite
ends of the corner block is located above half of the ptojection of one of the blocks and the
groove at the other opposite end is located above half of the projection of the other block, thus
20 staggering the blocks, in a fashion as that shown on Figures 1 and 2.
Furthermore, the construction corner block 101 may be used to form a corner by
having the corner piece 143 slitted and cut offfrom the construction corner block 101 and
have the corner block located adjacent another block 1 with their longitudinal axes l l
perpendicular to each other and have the transverse groove 131 of the corner block aligned
with one ofthe grooves 31 ofthe other block 1. This embodiment is shown in Figure 13A and
13B, where Figure 13A shows that row that would be stacked on top of the row shown on
Figure 13B.
Preferably, the length L and the width W are selected so that they meet the following
equation:
- L = 3W.
Thus, in use, the construction corner block 101 may be used to form a corner, byhaving the comer piece 143 slitted and cut offfrom the corner block 101 (see Figure 14B) and
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have the corner block 101 stacked and staggered on two blocks 1, 1 (see Figure 14A). The
two blocks 1, 1 have their longitudinal axes perpendicular to each other, such that the first
block 1 has one of its opposite ends 3 located adjacent one of the opposite sides 5 of the
second block 1 so that one of the opposite sides 5 of the first block 1 is in line with one of the
opposite ends 3 of the second block 1. The corner piece 143 is then located adjacent the
comer block 101 on the second block 1 such that the groove 31 of the corner piece 143 covers
half of the projection 21 of the second block 1. This embodiment is shown on Figures 14A
and 14B, where Figure 14A shows the row that would be stacked on top of the row shown on
Figure 14A. This manner of assembling the blocks is pl ere- ably used for building a retaining
10 wall that is for eAalllpl~ U-shaped as shown in Figures 14A and 14B, where the bevelled edges
of the blocks are oriented inwardly and the earth or other material that is to be retained is on
the outside ofthe wall. Furthermore, as shown on Figure 14B, the corner piece 143 may or
may not be slitted and cut off from the block 101 as the corner piece is located in the earth or
other material to be retained.
In order to build a let~illing wall which can be either inwardly or outwardly staggered,
the projection 21 on the top surface of the corner block 101 is preferably offset with respect
to the longitudinal axis 11. Thus, when a plurality of blocks are staggered and stacked one
on top of the other in rows, the offset projection 21 results in that each row that is stacked and
staggered one on top of the other is uniformly set back or set forward from the row of block
20 below it. This feature is better shown on Figure 27 showing an inwardly staggered wall.
P~ere,~bly, the projection 21 is offset so as to gradually set back or set forward the blocks by
a distance of 8 mm.
When an inwardly staggered wall is built, some blocks need to be shortened in order
to allow for the gradual incline of the wall, by cutting the desired amount from the block as
shown on Figure 2. In the event that such a wall is built, and since a straight end is usually
desired, the projection 21 on the construction block 1 and the construction corner block 101
advantageously co."l" ises a transverse slit. Thus, when the blocks become smaller, it is easier
to remove a section of the projection so that the subsequent block may easily fit above it.
30 3. Multiple retaining wall unit
In order to make the transportation and storage of the above-described construction
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blocks and corner blocks easier, they are preferably manufactured as a unit 201. According
to a prert;l,t;d embodiment, the unit 201 comprises at least two construction blocks 1 that are
integrally connected to each other side by side with one of the opposite sides S of one of the
construction blocks 1 e ,~l~nfl;~g flat against one of the opposite sides 5 of the other main block
1 whereby the bevelled edges 6 of the opposite sides S make it possible for each of the main
blocks 1 to be easily slitted and cut offfrom the lelllhini"p blocks.
The multiple retaining wall block unit 201 may further comprise at least two corner
blocks 101 that are integrally connected to each other or to one or more ofthe construction
blocks 1 side by side, whereby the bevelled edges 6 of the opposite sides 5 make it possible
10 for each of the blocks 1 and the corner blocks 101 to be easily slitted and cut off from the
If,lllS~ blocks.
Advantageously, the construction blocks 1 and the construction corner blocks 101 also
comprise a recess 51 on their respective bottom surfaces 9, located opposite the projection 21,
similar in shape and size to the projection 21 on the top surface 7. Thus, when a plurality of
units 201 are stacked one on top of the other, the projection 21 is inserted into the recess 51.
Preferably, since the projection 21 is offset with respect to the longitudinal axis 11, then so
is the recess 51 so that when a plurality of units 201 are stacked one on top of the other, the
stack is straight, which makes transportation and storage easier.
Although the present invention has been explained hereinabove by way of a prerel I ed
20 embodiment thereof, it should be pointed out that any modifications to this pler~lled
embodiment within the scope of the appended claims is not deemed to alter or change the
nature and scope of the present invention.
