Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02368894 2001-10-09
WO 00/61880 PCT/CA00/00370
RETAINING WALL SYSTEM WITH
INTERLOCKED WALL-BUILDING UNITS
Technical Field
The invention pertains to retaining walls and to methods
of constructing retaining walls. In particular, it pertains to retaining
walls built of units such as sand/soil bags or hardenable units such as
fresh clay bricks, wherein the units in adjacent courses are connected
together.
Background
Retaining walls are used in a wide variety of civil engin-
Bering and landscaping applications, for example to support slopes and
embankments for highways and railways, support noise barriers, etc.
Retaining walls are commonly made having a supporting face structure
made of interconnecting blocks with soil or other fill placed and
compacted in back of the wall, and with sheets of geogrid laid in the
fill at various levels, extending back from the wall. The geogrid
sheets, which stabilize the backfill, are often attached to the interlock-
ing blocks .
It is known to build retaining walls of sandbags instead of
interlocking blocks to hold the backfill. In the prior art, sandbags in
retaining walls are not attached to each other, relying essentially on
their mass to stabilize the wall. This limits the steepness and the
height of retaining walls that can be build with sandbags. Sandbag
retaining walls, in the prior art, are normally temporary, rather than
permanent, structures.
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Also, it is known to build retaining walls with blocks of
various kinds. Such blocks, in the prior art, generally need to be
made with interfitting parts or be affixed by concrete or the like in
order to make a secure stable retaining wall.
Japanese Abstract JP-A-06-322730 published November
22, 1994 shows the use of a disc-like solid with a projection on both
sides to prevent slippage between bags of ready-mix concrete in a
retaining wall. However, such device can prevent slippage only
between two vertically-adjacent bags. Japanese abstract JP-A-59-
048525 published March 19, 1984 shows the use of sand and soil bags
provided integrally on the ends of water-permeable sheets which
extend into fill in back of a vertical bank.
Summary of Invention
The invention provides a permanent retaining wall struc-
ture in which the wall-building units, such as sand/soil bags, used to
make the face of the structure are attached to wall-building units in
adjacent courses, and preferably to geogrid sheets. The attachment is
done by means of a plate having projections on both sides thereof
which protrude into the wall-building units in adjacent courses, and
which also protrude through the holes in the geogrid sheets, stabilizing
the retaining wall structure and backfill.
In one embodiment of the invention, the wall-building
units are bags of sand, soil or similar fill material. In this specifica-
tion, "sand/soil bag" means a bag filled with any suitable fill material,
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including sand, soil, mixtures thereof and including fill mixed with
seeds for grass or other plants. In another embodiment, the wall-
building units are units that harden, or that can be made to harden,
after they are placed in the wall and interconnected together by means
of the attachment devices of the invention. Examples are freshly-
formed bricks of clay or similar material prior to their hardening; or
bags of cement or a mixture of cement and aggregate that can be made
to harden by wetting them and allowing them to cure after they are set
in place. Such wall-building units are collectively referred to as
"hardenable building units" in this specification. Thus "wall-building
units" can be either "sand/soil bags" or "hardenable building units,"
the distinction being that the former have fill that remains friable after
the wall is made and the latter harden or cure after the wall is con-
structed, forming rigid units.
The invention provides a retaining wall structure compris-
ing a first plurality of wall-building units positioned adjacent to one
another forming a first, horizontally-extending course; a second
plurality of wall-building units positioned adjacent to one another
above the first course forming a second course; and interconnecting
members placed between the first and second courses attaching them
together. The interconnecting members comprise a plate having an
upper side and a lower side, a first set of projections on the lower side
and a second set of projections on the upper side, the projections being
capable of protruding into a wall-building unit. The interconnecting
members are positioned between the wall-building units of the first and
second courses so that the first set of projections protrudes into a unit
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in the lower course and the second set of projections protrudes into a
unit in the upper course. The interconnecting members may also be
placed on the ground or on a footing, under the base course of wall-
building units .
The retaining wall structure. can optionally comprise a
sheet of geogrid extending from between adjacent courses into backfill
behind the retaining wall. The geogrid sheet is positioned so that
projections of the interconnecting member protrude through holes in
the sheet.
The invention also provides an interconnecting member
for attaching a first horizontally-extending course of wall-building units
to a second horizontally-extending course positioned vertically adjacent
to the first course. The member comprises a plate having an upper
and lower side with a set of projections on each side capable of pro-
truding into a wall-building unit. The projections can also serve the
function of providing attachment means for a sheet of geogrid, but
preferably, the interconnecting member includes a set of geogrid-
holding members on the upper side of the plate that are shaped and
adapted specifically to protrude through holes in a sheet of geogrid.
There may be retaining caps affixed to the geogrid-holding members
for retaining a sheet of geogrid thereon. The interconnecting member
may also have a flange around the base of each projection on the
upper side of the plate, having a lip for sealing against a wall-building
unit.
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The retaining wall structure can also optionally include
cover plates to improve the durability and appearance of the wall.
The invention also provides a method of constructing a
retaining wall structure having a plurality of courses of wall-building
units. The method comprises the steps of placing a first plurality of
wall-building units adjacent to one another to form a first, horizontal-
ly-extending course; placing interconnecting members on the first
course, the interconnecting members having a first set of projections
on their lower side and a second set of projections on their upper side,
such that the projections in the first set protrude into wall-building
units in the first course of wall-building units; and placing a plurality
of wall-building units adjacent to one another to form a second course
above the first course, such that the projections of the second set
protrude into wall-building units of the second course. The method of
constructing a retaining wall can include the step of placing a sheet of
geogrid extending from between the courses of wall-building units into
the backfill, with projections of the interconnecting member protruding
through holes in the geogrid to anchor it in place.
Brief Description of Drawings
Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional end view of a retaining wall
structure according to one embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one emb~liment of an
interconnecting member;
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Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line 3 - 3 of Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a course of sand/soil bags
with interconnecting members positioned thereon;
Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view through adjacent, intercon-
nected sand/soil bag courses;
Figs. 6(a) to (e) illustrate steps in a method of construct-
ing a retaining wall structure;
Fig. 7 - 10 are perspective views of alternate embodiments
of the interconnecting member;
Figs. 11(a) to (c) are perspective views of the cover plate
assembly and the parts thereof;
Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a wall with the cover
plate assemblies affixed thereto;
Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of
the interconnecting member;
Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view on the line 14 - 14 of
Fig. 13, and including an attached sheet of geogrid;
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Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of
the interconnecting member;
Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view on the line 16 - 16 of
Fig. 15, and including an attached sheet of geogrid;
Fig. 17 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of
the interconnecting member;
Fig. 18 is cross-sectional view on the line 18 - 18 of Fig.
17, and including an attached sheet of geogrid;
Fig. 19 is a perspective view of the further embodiment of
the interconnecting member;
Fig. 20 is a cross-sectional view on the line 20 - 20 of
Fig. 19, and including an attached sheet of geogrid;
Fig. 21 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of
the interconnecting member;
Fig. 22 is a cross-sectional view on the line 22 - 22 of
Fig. 21, and including an attached sheet of geogrid;
Fig. 23 is a perspective view of the further embodiment of
the interconnecting member;
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Fig. 24 is a cross-sectional view on the line 24 - 24 of
Fig. 23, and including an attached sheet of geogrid;
Fig. 25 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of
the interconnecting member;
Fig. 26 is a cross-sectional view on the line 26 - 26 of
Fig. 25, and including an attached sheet of geogrid;
Fig. 27 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of
the interconnecting member;
Fig. 28 is a cross-sectional view on the line 28 - 28 of
Fig. 27, and including attached sheet of geogrid;
Fig. 29 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of
the interconnecting member;
Fig. 30 is a cross-sectional view on the line 30 - 30 of
Fig. 29, and including an attached sheet of geogrid; and
Figs. 31 - 33 are perspective views of three further
embodiments of the interconnecting member.
Description
Referring to Fig. 1, retaining wall structure 10, con-
structed on ground 12, comprises a plurality of horizontally-laid
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courses of sand/soil bags 14, the courses being arranged vertically is a
wall structure. The face of the wall may be sloped, rather than
vertical, if so preferred for a particular application. The bags 14 are
preferably made of a geotextile material which is durable and of a
weave which permits water to flow in and through the bag, and seed-
lings to grow out, while retaining fine soil particles within the bags.
The material of the bags 14 should not be biodegradable, for durability
of the wall.
Backfill 16 is compacted behind and supported by
sand/soil bags 14. Geogrid sheets 18 extend horizontally back into the
backfill from between courses of sand/soil bags 14, affixed thereto as
described hereunder. Interconnecting members 26 are placed between
the adjacent courses of sandlsoil bags 14.
Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, interconnecting member 26
comprises a plate 22, generally rectangular and planar in a preferred
embodiment, with a plurality of projections 24 extending vertically
from both sides of the plate 22. Projections 24 are sufficiently strong
and pointed to protrude into sand/soil bags 14. Interconnecting mem-
ber 26 is preferably made of plastic or aluminum or other non-corros-
ive metal or material.
Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, interconnecting members 26
are used in the construction of a retaining wall structure 10 by placing
them on top of sand/soil bags 14 in a course so that projections 24 on
the lower side protrude into the bags. A second course of bags is
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placed on top of the first course and of interconnecting members 26.
The projections on the upper side of member 26 protrude into the bags
in the second course, and the weight of those sand/soil bags presses
the interconnecting members so that the projections on their Iower side
protrude fully into the bags in the first course. The projections 24 can
be configured to fully penetrate the bags or, preferably, to simply
indent them. In either case, the projections are considered to "pro-
trade" into the bags.
The interconnecting members 26 are also used to anchor
geogrid sheets to the sandbags. Geogrid sheets 18 are known and
commercially available plastic mesh products commonly used for soil
reinforcement. Referring to Fig. 5, geogrid sheet I8 has a plurality of
holes 28 therein. The sheet 18 is affixed to the face of the wall by
placing the edge of the sheet over interconnecting members 26 atop a
course of sandbags 14 so that the projections 24 on the upper side of
the interconnecting member and adjacent its back edge protrude
through holes 28 in the geogrid. When the next upper course of bags
14 is put on top, projections 24 on the upper side of the interconnect-
ing member, extending through the geogrid sheet, protrude into the
underside of the bags in said upper course.
Instead of being placed over an interconnecting member
26, the geogrid sheet can be placed directly on top of a course of
. sand/soil bags and the interconnecting members placed over it, with
the projections 24 on the lower side of the member 26 protruding
down through holes 28 in the geogrid sheet and into the bags. In
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other words, the geogrid can be placed under the interconnecting
member instead of over it.
Geogrid sheets are installed at selected levels during the
construction of the wall,, for example on top of every third course of
bags, or as required for a particular application.
Fig. 6 illustrates the steps in a preferred method of con-
structing a retaining wall structure according to the invention. Refer-
ring to Fig. 6(a), a trough 30 is dug in ground 12, with the base of the
trough being suitably prepared with a levelling pad or a concrete
footing in order to support the wall. Such preparation is conventional
in the building of retaining walls. A first course of sand/soil bags 14
is laid in trough 30 (Fig. 6(b)). A row of interconnecting members 26
is placed on top of bags 14 in the first course (Fig. 6(c)). Next, a
further course of bags 14 is laid, and backfill 16 is placed and com-
pacted in back of the sand/soil bags. A row of interconnecting mem-
bers 26 is laid on it and then a further course of bags 14 (Fig. 6(d)).
Then, a row of interconnecting members 26 is placed along the upper-
most course of bags 14 and a sheet of geogrid 18 is placed on it,
extending back along the surface of the backfill 16 (Fig. 6(e)). The
construction of the wall is continued in the same manner, until a
retaining wall of the required height is completed, as shown in Fig. 1.
In some applications, it is desirable to place interconnect-
ing members 26 on the ground under the base course of bags 14.
Here, a row of interconnecting members 26 is placed on the levelling
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pad or concrete footing and the first or base course of bags 14 is
placed on it. The wall is then further constructed as described above.
This reduces movement or slippage of the base course of bags and
assists in their being properly positioned.
According to one embodiment of the invention, bags 14
include seeds of grass or other ground covers mixed in their fill.
After the retaining wall is built, the bags are watered, naturally or
artificially, and the ground cover plants grow out of the bags, provid-
ing a green foliage face on the retaining wall.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the
bags do not include seeds but are instead made in shapes which, in a
completed wall, will form an attractive wall face. For example, the
face side of the bags can be rectangular, square or hexagonal, to
permit the construction of a wall face with any of various interlocking
patterns. The bags can also be of transparent material, such as plastic,
and in such case the fill can be decoratively colored. For example, the
fill caa be green-colored gravel.
Figs. 7 - 10 illustrate alternative embodiments of the inter-
connecting member. In these embodiments, the interconnecting
member has different shapes to permit optimal interlocking of bags of
various shapes and in various arrangements. Rounded or shapeless
bags may have gaps between adjacent bags in a course such that an
interconnecting member extending across such bags is not fully sup-
ported across such gap by the lower bags. In such cases it is prefer-
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able to use an interconnecting member with a cut-out in the unsup-
ported area, so that an upper bag does not press down on an unsup-
ported part of the interconnecting member. In Fig. 7, interconnecting
member 126 comprises plate 122 with projections 24 on both sides
thereof. The plate 122 is generally C-shaped with a space or cut-out
123 between the arms of the C. The interconnecting member 126 is
positioned between courses of sand/soil bags such that the space 123 is
above the gap between adjacent bags in the lower course. A portion
of the bag in the upper course extends through the space 123 and rests
directly on the lower bags. Also, the design of Fig. 7 permits a
reduction in the amount of plastic or other material required for the
member and is accordingly less costly. A similar design is shown in
Fig. 10, in which interconnecting member 226, having projections 24
on both sides thereof, is in the form of a generally trapezoidal frame
with a cut-out 52 in the middle thereof. As with the embodiment of
Fig. 7, this interconnecting member permits part of the upper bag to
rest directly on the lower bags while still interlocking bags in adjacent
courses together. The narrower side of the trapezoidal frame is
intended to be positioned rearward, with the geogrid attaching only to
said narrower side. Again, such design effects a cost savings with
regard to the amount of material required to make the interconnecting
member.
Two further alternate configurations are shown in Fig. 8
and Fig. 9. In Fig. 8, interconnecting member 326 is a plate that is
hemi-cylindrical in shape. In Fig. 9, interconnecting member 426 is a
plate that is L-shaped. Both these forms of interconnecting members
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are adapted for use in interlocking sand/soil bags of the appropriate .
shapes. For example, the plate of Fig. 9 can be used where the bags
14 have a face or cross-section that is hexagonal. The plate of Fig. 8
can be used where the cross-section of the bags is round. The shaping
of the plate, as in Figs. 8 and 9, to fit shaped bags ensures secure
contact between the plate and the bags. It will be apparent that the
interconnecting member can be configured as required to interlock
sandlsoil bags of any desired shape.
In another embodiment of the invention, the wall-building
units are hardenable building units. For example, the hardenable
building units can be freshly-formed bricks of clay, concrete or similar
material used prior to their hardening; or they can be bags of cement
or a mixture of cement and aggregate that can be made to harden by
wetting them and allowing them to cure after they are set in place; or
any similar material that is sufficiently soft to be penetrated by the
projections of the interconnecting members but which hardens (for
example by drying out, as in the case of a clay or concrete brick) or
that can be made to harden (for example by wetting and then allowing
to cure, as in the case of a bag of cement or cement and aggregate)
after it is set in place. The hardenable building units must be firm
enough at the time of use to retain their form and to be stackable, i.e.
capable of being stacked without collapsing or breaking. In the case
of freshly-formed clay or concrete blocks, such blocks should be semi-
hardened. A retaining wall made in accordance with this embodiment
of the invention, using hardenable building units, is made in the same
manner as described above for retaining walls where the wall-building
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units are sand/soil bags. Here, the method of making a retaining wall
includes the additional step of allowing, or causing, the hardenable
building units to harden. For example, where the hardenable building
unit is a clay brick, it is used in the construction of the retaining wall
when it is still soft enough to be easily penetrated by the projections
24 of plate 122. As the wall is built, the clay bricks gradually cure
and harden. Where the hardenable building unit is~ a bag of cement, or
cement and aggregate, it is used in the same manner as the sand/soil
bags as described above to construct the retaining wall; then, the bags
are wetted and allowed to cure, causing the cement or cement and
aggregate in each bag to harden. As described above in respect of the
construction of walls made from sand/soil bags, a row of interconnect-
ing members 26 can also be used under the base course of hardenable
building units.
Figs. 13 and 14 illustrate a further embodiment of the
interconnecting member. Interconnecting member 60 comprises a
plate 62, generally rectangular and planar in a preferred embodiment,
with a plurality of projections 64 extending perpendicularly from both
sides of the plate. A set of geogrid-holding members 66 extends
perpendicularly from the upper side of the plate along an edge thereof.
Unlike the embodiment of Fig. 2, in which projections 24 serve both
to attach the geogrid and to protrude into the wall-building units,
geogrid-holding members 66 of interconnecting member 60 are
specifically shaped to provide a very secure means of attachment to the
geogrid. Geogrid-holding members 66 have relatively steep, almost
vertical walls, and are sized and arrayed in a row along the edge of
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the plate to fit snugly into adjacent holes along the edge of the sheet of
geogrid. Cap 67, which can be made of rubber or similar material,
fits snugly over the top end of a member 66 and can optionally and
preferably be put in place on one or more of members 66 after the
geogrid 18 is fitted over the members 66 in order to better secure the
attachment of the geogrid to the interconnecting member. The outer
diameter of the cap 67 is larger than the diameter of the holes in the
geogrid, thus restraining the geogrid from slipping up and off the
members 66. The geogrid sheet 18 fits and is held on the member 66
between the plate 62 and the lower edge of the cap 67.
Projections 64 are preferably formed in plate 62 by
pressing and molding the plate, resulting in a corresponding depression
68 in the opposite side of the plate. However, the projections can also
i5 be. solid, as in the embodiment of Fig. 2.
As shown in Figs. 13 and 14, a protruding ring or flange
70 is provided around the base of each projection 64 on the upper side
of plate 62. The flange has an upper end or lip 72. Flange 70 has
particular application when the interconnecting member is used in a
wall in which the wall-building units are sandlsoil bags. Here, there is
a possibility that some of the projections 64 may puncture the bag
placed on top of the interconnecting member, causing a leakage of
sand from the bag. The function of flange 70 is to reduce such leak-
age by pressing against the bag' and forming a seal around the projec-
tion 64 sufficient to reduce or stop the leakage of sand or soil from the
hole. Optionally, and as illustrated in Figs. I3 and 14, a flange 70
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may also be provided on the lower side of the plate 62 to reduce
leakage from a bag underneath plate 62 that is punctured by a projec-
tion 64 on the underside of plate 62.
The interconnecting member 60 can be configured so that,
in use, the geogrid-holding members 66 are covered by the sand/soil
bags that are above them. In this case, the distance between the row
of members 66 and the row of projections 64 that is nearest to it is
relatively small, so that the sand/soil bag on top of the interconnecting
member 60 covers both the projections 64 and the geogrid-holding
members 66. Alternatively, the interconnecting member 60 can be
configured so that, in use, the geogrid-holding members 66 are not
covered by the sand/soil bags that are above them. In this case the
distance between the row of members 66 and the row of projections 64
that is closest to it is relatively large, so the section of the plate 62
bearing members 66 extends beyond sand/soil bags and is not covered
by them. In this case, holes (not illustrated in the drawings) can be
provided in plate 62 in the region between the row of geogrid-holding
members 66 and the nearest row of projections 64 to facilitate water
drainage through the retaining wall, and also to economize on
material, i.e. to permit cheaper fabrication of the interconnecting
members. It will be understood that these features, though described
in relation to the embodiment of Figs. 13 and 14, can equally be
applied to the embodiments illustrated in Figs. 15 - 16, 17 - 18, 19
20, 21 -22, 23 - 24, 25 - 26, 27 - 28 and 29 - 30.
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Figs. IS and 16 show an alternative embodiment of the
interconnecting members of Figs. 13 and 14. The structure of inter-
connecting member 80 is the same as that of interconnecting member
60 shown in Fig. I4 except for the lip of the flange. Interconnecting
S member 80 has a flange 74 with a lip having two concentric ridges 76
with a concentric depression 78 therebetween. Both ridges 76 press
against a sand/soil bag placed on top of the interconnecting member
72, forming, in effect, a double seal. The concentric ridges 76 on a
lip may be the same height or different heights. In the latter case, the
outer ridge 76 is preferably somewhat higher than the inner ridge, as
illustrated in Figs. 15 and 16, the object being to achieve the most
effective seal possible around a projection 64 against a sand/soil bag
punctured thereby. As for the embodiment of Figs. 13 - 14, the flange
70 and ridges 74 may be on the upper side only of the interconnecting
member or, optionally, on both the upper and lower sides.
It will be apparent that the geogrid-holding members 66 of
the interconnecting member 60, 80 is a feature that can also be incor-
porated into the structure of the embodiments of the interconnecting
member shown in Figs. 2, 7 and 10; it is not limited to use in inter-
connecting members having flanges as depicted in Figs. 13 - 16. Nor
is the feature of flanges limited to interconnecting members having
geogrid-holding members 66; either feature can be included in an
interconnecting member with or without including the other.
Figs. 17 and 18 illustrate a further embodiment of the
interconnecting member, indicated by reference numeral 90, which is
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substantially the same as the embodiment of Figs. I3 and 14 except
that the feature of sealing flanges around the projections 64 is not
included.
Figs. 19 - 30 illustrate embodiments of the interconnecting
member in which the geogrid-holding members are configured in other
forms for effective attachment to a sheet of geogrid.
Refernng first to Figs. 19 - 24, geogrid-holding member
94 is generally L-shaped, having a first, upright part 96 that projects
upward from the plate 62, and a second, horizontal part 98 extending
from the upright part towards the projection 64. When a sheet of
geogrid 18 is fitted over retaining members 94, by inserting part 98
into a hole in the geogrid and pulling the geogrid down onto the
upright part 96, the horizontal part 98 restrains the sheet from slipping
off the retaining members 94.
Figs. 19 and 20 illustrate an embodiment of the intercon-
necting member, indicated by reference numeral 95, having geogrid-
holding members 94. The structure of the remainder of the intercon-
necting member 95 is the same as the embodiment illustrated in Figs.
13 - 14.
Figs. 21 and 22 illustrate a further embodiment of the
interconnecting member, indicated by reference numeral 100, having
geogrid retaining members 94. The structure of the remainder of the
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interconnecting member 100 is the same as the embodiment illustrated
in Figs. 15 - 16.
Figs. 23 and 24 illustrate a further embodiment of the
interconnecting member, indicated by reference numeral 102, having
geogrid-holding members 94. The structure of the remainder of the
interconnecting member 102 is the same as the embodiment illustrated
in Figs. 17 - 18.
Referring next to Figs. 25 - 30, geogrid holding member
104 is a tapered post with a relatively narrow base 109 and a relatively
wide top 108. Member I04 is generally rectangular in horizontal
cross-section. The side 106 nearest the projections 64 slopes towards
the projections 64 in the upward direction. The top 108 of the mem-
ber 104 is sized and configured to fit snugly into a hole in a sheet of
geogrid. When a sheet of geogrid 18 is fitted over a set of geogrid-
holding members 104 on an interconnecting member, the taper and the
wide top of the geogrid-holding member 104 restrains the sheet from
slipping off.
Figs. 25 and 26 illustrate an embodiment of the intercon-
necting member 110 having geogrid-holding members 104. The
structure of the remainder of the interconnecting member 110 is the
same as the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 13 - 14.
Figs. 27 and 28 illustrate a further embodiment of the
interconnecting member, indicated by reference numeral 112, having
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geogrid-holding members 104. The structure of the remainder of the
interconnecting member 112 is the same as the embodiment illustrated
in Figs. 15 - 16.
Figs. 29 and 30 illustrate a further embodiment of the
interconnecting member, indicated by reference numeral 114, having
geogrid-holding members 104. The structure of the remainder of the
interconnecting member 114 is the same as the embodiment illustrated
in Figs. 17 - 18.
Interconnecting members according to the invention are
also used in applications which do not include the use of geogrid, or in
which geogrid is used but is not attached to the retaining wall. For
such applications, the interconnecting member does not include
geogrid-holding members as described above. Figs. 31 - 33 illustrate
further embodiments of such interconnecting members. Fig. 31 shows
an interconnecting member 116 which is similar in structure to the one
illustrated in Figs. 17 - I8, but does not include any geogrid-holding
members. Fig. 32 shows an interconnecting member 118 which is
similar in structure to the one illustrated in Figs. 13 - 14, but does not
include any geogrid members. Fig. 33 shows an interconnecting
member 120 which is similar in structure to the one illustrated in Figs.
15 - 16, but does not include any geogrid-holding members.
Retaining walls of the invention can optionally include
cover plates which attach to the face of the wall. Referring to Figs.
11 and 12, the cover plate assembly 30 has a generally rectangular
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cover plate 32, which can be made of wood, concrete, plastic or other
materials. Plate 32 has opposed edges 34, 36 and 38, 40 and is
provided with a bore 42 in each corner adapted to receive an attach-
ment rod 44. As shown in Fig. 11(b), attachment rod 44 has a sinu-
ous portion 46 and point 48 at one end and is threaded at the other end
to engage into nut 50 which has head 52. Attachment rod 44 is
affixed to cover plate 32 by inserting it through bore 42 and engaging
it with nut 50.
Cover plate assembly 30 has particular application to
retaining walls of the invention when made of sand/soil bags, or of
hardenable building materials such as bags of cement and aggregate
(rather than to walls made of freshly-formed molded blocks) to
improve the durability and appearance of such walls. A cover plate
assembly is attached to the wall by pressing the pointed ends of rods
44 through the bags until the inner side of the cover plate 32 abuts the
wall. The sinuous portions 46 of the rods 44 enhance the engagement
of the rods in the fill material of the sand/soil bags or in the material
of the hardenable building units. Additional cover plate assemblies are
afFxed to the wall, abutting each other, to form a substantially com-
plete cover. As shown in Fig. 11, the opposed edges 34, 36 and 38,
40 are alternately concave and convex, so the edges of abutting covers
nest together to align the covers and provide some engagement.
Preferably, the covers are positioned so as to a form a staggered, brick
wall-type array, illustrated in Fig. 12.
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Rods 44 can optionally have different means for engage-
went in the fill material of the sand/soil bags or in the hardenable
building units instead of sinuous portion 46. For example rods 44 can
have threads, ridges or other structures for engagement.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light
of the foregoing disclosure, many alterations and modifications are
possible in the practice of this invention without departing from the
spirit or scope thereof. For example, the interconnecting member can
be made flexible to conform to the shape of the wall-building units.
The projections on it can be barbed, to enhance their attachment to the
wall-building units, and they can project at angles other than the
vertical from the plate. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to
be construed in accordance with the substance defined by the following
claims.
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