AU667458B2 - Retaining wall - Google Patents

Description

6 74 58 P/00/01O Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

o f Name of Applicant: ANDREW REID NOMINEES PTY. LTD.

Actual Inventor: ANDREW T.A. REID Address for Service: Andrew Reid Nominees Pty Ltd, 16 Naldera Crescent, Seacliff Park SA 5049 Invention Title: RETAINING WALL Details of Associated Provisional Applications: No: PK2318 dated 17th September 1990 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: L i 1- 2 This invention relates to a retaining wall, more particularly to the construction elements of the wall.

Retaining walls are well known and these are often constructed of reinforced concrete blocks of either I or hollow rectangular shape in cross section.

These are positioned on the ground but usually on a footing and are backfilled usually with gravel, and sometimes with earth. However one of the major problems encountered with these walls is that there is the tendency for the wall to slip or tilt due to the pressure of the earth fill supported by '.he wall.

One other form of retaining wall is constructed from wooden elements such as wooded railway sleepers, and these also have the tendency to slide unless they are pinned to the earth below.

It is an object of this invention to provide a retaining wall panel or element in which there is little or no tendency for the wall constructed from the panels or elements to slide or tilt.

A further object is to provide a retaining wall which does not require a footing or water proofing or drainage by an agricultural drain and without imported gravel fill and thus provide a retaining wall to facilitate fast track construction.

A further object of this invention is to provide a reinforced concrete panel for S forming a retaining wall.

j A still further object of the invention is to provide a panel for a retaining wall which can either be I shape or hollow rectangular shape in cross section.

Thus there is provided according to the invention a panel for a retaining wall, in which the panel is provided with a depending leg or the like to engage and key in the ground on which the panel is positioned to prevent or substantially prevent the panel from sliding when positioned as a retaining wall.

In order to more fully describe the invention reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:- FIGURES 1(a) and are plan and side views of a wall assembly according to the invention, 3 FIGURE 2 is a front elevation, FIGURE 3 is a horizontal section of one panel to a larger scale, FIGURE 4 is a vertical section thereof, FIGURE 5 is a horizontal section of an alternative panel, FIGURE 6 is a horizontal section of an outer corner detail, and FIGURE 7 is a horizontal section of an infill panel.

The invention in a preferred form comprises a plurality of reinforced concrete panels 1, preferably of I shape in plan. For ease of description one panel will now be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4, the panel having a rear wall 2, a front wall 3, and a web 4 connecting the front wall and the rear wall.

The rear wall 2 is preferably of greater thickness than the front wall, as the rear wall is the wall which supports the earth embankment with the top surfaces of the front and rear walls will be in horizontal plane when the panel is installed and the front wall may be slightly higher than the rear wall and web to enable concrete drive or pathway or garden beds to be laid without the protrusion of the rear wall or web.

In accordance with the present invention, in order to provide a key to the earth or other surface on which the panel is positioned, the rear wall 2 extends o downwardly by an extension 5 into the supporting ground below the level of the front wall and in use this extended portion keys the panel into the ground. In practice a trench would be formed in the ground along the line of the rear wall and the extension positioned herein. The height of the wall and the length of the extension can vary as desired for the particular situation, and in one o example the height of the front wall could be 1.5 metres, and the length of the extension could be up to 0.5 metres or more, but preferably 0.3 metres with the top surfaces of the front and rear walls in a horizontal plane when the panel is installed, however the front wall may be slightly higher than the rear wall.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4 the panel is of reinforced concrete with the front and rear walls reinforced with mesh. The central web is also reinforced with mesh 8, and to key the walls and the web together, the mesh 8 also extends at right angles to overlap the mesh 6 and also the mesh 7, so that on pouring the concrete the strong structural panel is formed.

4 The front wall 3 is also provided with a pair of weep holes 9 so that excessive water collecting between the walls 2 and 3 can drain away.

Thus it will be seen that according to the invention each panel is keyed to the supporting ground, and thus prevents or substantially prevents slippage of the panels when constructed into a retaining wall. In order to key adjacent panels to each other, each panel is preferably provided on one edge of each wall with an extending plate 10 and on the other edge of each wall with a slot 11 into which the plate of an adjacent panel can engage. In this way each of the panels is keyed to its neighbour. Instead of the plate 10, a dowel or some other form of key or the like can be used to engage in a corresponding aperture, slot or the like in the next adjacent panel.

While the above has described that the panels are an I beam shape, it is to be realised that the panels could be of other shapes, such as a hollow square or rectangle, or semi circular with or without a part or full floor with the hollow 00 portion being filled with earth or other fill material.

:00, Referring now to Figure 5 there is shown a further embodiment of one of the 20 panels, where like portions are similarly numbered. In this embodiment there are provided an additional anchorirn- each panel at the front wall.

A steel loop 12 formed by a metal rod whose ends are embedded in the front and/or real wall 3 is positioned at each end of the front and/or rear wall, the 25 loop extending towards the rear of the front wall. Also the loop extends slightly beyond the ends of the wall so that the centre of the loop would be virtually in line with the ends of the wall. The ends of the rod forming the loop extend along the reinforcing mesh, and preferably the rod is a galvanised or otherwise treated rod to prevent rusting of the rod. The loops may be positioned at the lower edge of the front and/or rear wall, or alternatively be positioned at both the top and bottom of the front and/or rear wall.

When the panels are assembled on site, it will be seen that the loops of adjacent panels overlap, so that a post can be driven into the ground, the post thus passing through each of the overlapping loops and holding the panels together in the event of soil movement.

41 In this way there is the additional support to assist in preventing the wall slipping, and also, particularly if the loops are formed at the top and the bottom of the front wall, there is additional support resisting the tipping of the wall.

Furthermore additional loops may be positioned between the top and bottom loops to thus further stabilise the panels of the retaining wall.

Figure 6 illustrates a further form of the invention where there is shown an outer corner panel 13 having a pair of front faces 14 and 15 at right angles to each other, and a stabilising wall 16 extending from the junction of the walls.

Each of the front walls and also the stabilising wall are reinforced and also the two front walls are provided with the loops as above described.

Thus this panel can be used for example at the ends of the wall, and also at the corner where the wall is not straight, but may have a stepped shape or reentrant portions in plan.

It will be seen that where the panels are provided with the loops that the panels are anchored together, and the plates and slots to key the panels to each other need not be provided.

Figure 7 shows that an insert 17 may be used to close spaces in a wall where a retaining wall has a length which is not an exact multiple of the length of each panel. This figure shows also that the loops may also be incorporated in the back panel.

The invention thus provides a simple and economical structure for a retaining wall, and one in which the tendency for slippage or tilt of the wall is eliminated 6 :"4i or minimised. Although various forms of the invention have been described in some detail it is to be realised that the invention is not limited thereto, but includes within its scope the provision of an extension on the rear surface of a panel, which extension protrudes into the supporting ground to provide a key to retain the wall against slippage.

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Claims (14)

1. A panel for a retaining wall, said panel having a vertical front wall and a vertical rear wall, means connecting the said front and rear walls, characterised in that the rear wall is extended to extend below the level of the bottom of the front wall to thus form a key into the ground on which the panel is supported to counteract the tendency of the panel to slip when positioned to form a retaining wall having the top surfaces of the front and rear walls in a horizontal plane when the panel is installed, however the front wall may be slightly higher than the rear wall.

2. A panel for a retaining wall as defined in claim 1 wherein the means connecting the front and rear walls is a central web to thus form an I section in plan.

3. A panel for a retaining wall as defined in claim 1 wherein the means connecting the front and rear walls are a pair of spaced walls to thus form a S1hollow rectangular shape in plan.

4. A panel for a retaining wall as defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein the panels are formed of cast reinforced concrete and such panel is precast to the height of the particular retaining wall being constructed. I

5. A panel for a retaining wall as defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein the rear wall extends below the level of the front wall by about 0.3 metres, however such measurement will vary according to the stability of the ground on which the panel is supported.

6. A panel for a retaining wall as defined in any one of the preceding claims characterised by interengaging means to locate adjacent panels when 1 assembled to form a wall.

7. A panel for a retaining wall as defined in claim 6 wherein the interengaging means comprise on one vertical edge of a panel a recess, and on the other vertical edge a projection, so that when assembled to form a retaining wall the respective recesses and projections interengage.

8. A panel for a retaining wall as defined in claim 6 wherein the interengaging means comprise at least one loop adjacent each vertical edge of 7 the front and/or rear wall of each panel, said loops extending towards said rear wall and towards an adjacent panel when assembled to form a retaining wall so that the so positioned adjacent loops overlap to receive a post to pass therethrough and be inserted into the grournd if required.

9. A panel for a retaining wall as defined in claim 8 wherein each panel has a loop at the top of the panel and a loop at the bottom of the panel.

A panel for a retaining wall as defined in either claim 8 or claim 9 wherein the loop is a rust resistant metal rod whose ends are embedded in the panel.

11. A retaining wall formed of a plurality of panels as defined in any one of the preceding claims.

12. A retaining wall as defined in claim 11 and including a corner panel formed of reinforced concrete and having two face walls at right angles to each other and a stabilising wall extending from the junction of the two face walls, locating loops being positioned at the top and bottom of the free edges of the face walls to co-operate with loops on adjacent panels. o

13. A panel for a retaining wall substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings in accordance with figures la, I b, 2, 3, 4 and 2

14. A retaining wall substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures la, lb and 2 of the accompanying drawings. Dated this 31st day of January 1996 ANDREW REID NOMINEES PTY. LTD. 2 ABSTRACT A retaining wall is comprised of a plurality of precast reinforced concrete panels, each panel has a front wall and a spaced rear wall to form a cavity. The rear wall extends below the level of the front wall and is engaged in a trench in the soil forming the base for the wall, and this prevents sliding of the wall. 44 0 4 (4 L L-C r'