RETAINING WALL

• US 20120073229A1
• Filed: 09/28/2011
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Les Materiaux de Construction Oldcastle Canada Inc
• Original Assignee: Les Materiaux de Construction Oldcastle Canada Inc
• Inventors: CASTONGUAY, Bertin, DAOUST, Robert, LACAS, Marc-André
• Granted Patent: US 8,992,131 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 52/426
• CPC Class Codes: E02D 29/0225 comprising retention means in the backfill
• CPC Class Codes: E02D 29/0233 the retention means being anchors details of anchors E02D5/80
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2/8641 using dovetail-type connections
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2002/0247 Strips or bars
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2002/867 Corner details
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2002/8676 Wall end details
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 1/395 for claustra, fences, planting walls, e.g. sound-absorbing pots for vertical horticulture A01G9/022

Abstract

Disclosed is an economical and effective way of producing a modular retaining wall, using only blocks which in and of themselves are of insufficient thickness to function as retaining wall blocks. The modular wall includes backer blocks and facing blocks which are connected by connectors in a back to back, spaced apart arrangement, thereby forming a hollow retaining wall. The hollow wall can be filled with loose filler material to increase the mass and retaining capacity of the wall. Further disclosed are wall components and a wall kit for a modular retaining wall. A double sided decorative wall is also disclosed. The modular wall system allows for the construction of retaining walls and freestanding, double sided, decorative walls forming both straight and curved walls.

Claims

1. A modular retaining wall system for constructing a retaining wall for retaining a material, the wall having a preselected total mass, the system comprising

backer blocks for engagement with the material to be retained and stackable into a continuous rear wall portion of a first mass;

facing blocks to be exposed in the installed condition of the wall system and stackable into a continuous front wall portion of a second mass, a sum of the first and second mass being less than the total mass; and

connectors for connecting each facing block with at least one backer block in a spaced apart back to back arrangement, the connectors having a length for forming between the front and back wall portions an intermediate hollow space for filling with a filler material of a third mass constituting at least the remainder of the total mass.

3. The modular retaining wall system of claim 1, wherein the sum of the first and second mass is less than half of the total mass.

4. The modular retaining wall system of claim 1, wherein the connectors each have at least two connecting ends for respective interlocking engagement with a facing block and backer block and each of the facing and backer blocks having multiple spaced apart retaining structures for respectively receiving one of the connecting ends.

5. The modular retaining wall system of claim 3, wherein the facing blocks have a first width, the backer blocks have a second width, and the connectors have a length exceeding the sum of the first and second width.

6. The modular retaining wall system of claim 4, wherein the retaining structures are one of a retaining protrusion on and retaining recesses in a back surface of the facing blocks and a back surface of the backer blocks.

7. The modular wall system of claim 4, wherein the retaining recesses are oriented to extend vertical or horizontal in an installed condition of the blocks.

8. The modular retaining wall system of claim 4, wherein the facing blocks have a base width W and the retaining structures in the facing blocks are spaced at 1W.

9. The modular retaining wall system of claim 8, wherein the retaining structures in the backer blocks are spaced at 1W or less.

10. The modular retaining wall system of claim 4, wherein the retaining structures are retaining recesses constructed as keyhole slots and each connector has a central portion with opposite, terminally positioned and enlarged terminal portions forming the first and second interlocking members respectively, or the retaining structures are retaining protrusions constructed as dovetail protrusions and each connector has a central portion with opposite terminal portions for respectively interlocking with one of the dovetail protrusions.

11. The modular retaining wall system of claim 10, wherein the central portion is a planar central web and each interlocking member is shaped and constructed for interlocking engagement with a keyhole slot.

2. A modular retaining wall system for constructing a retaining wall for retaining a material, the wall having a preselected height and total mass per unit length, the system comprising

backer blocks for engagement with the material to be retained;

facing blocks to be exposed in the installed condition of the wall system; and

connectors for connecting each facing block with at least one backer block in a spaced apart back to back arrangement, the backer blocks and facing blocks when connected by the connectors being respectively stackable into a continuous rear wall portion of the preselected height and a first mass per unit length and a continuous front wall portion of the preselected height and a second mass per unit length, a sum of the first and second mass being less than the total mass; and

the connectors having a length for forming between the continuous front and back wall portions an intermediate hollow space for filling with a filler material of a third mass per unit length constituting at least a remainder of the total mass per unit length.

12. A modular retaining wall of preselected height and mass per unit length, comprising

backer blocks for engagement with material to be retained;

facing blocks exposed on a front face of the retaining wall; and

connectors connecting each facing block with at least one backer block in a back to back arrangement, the backer blocks and facing blocks being respectively stacked into a continuous rear wall portion of the preselected height and a first mass per unit length and a continuous front wall portion of the preselected height and a second mass per unit length, a sum of the first and second mass being less than the total mass; and

the connectors maintaining the front and rear wall portions in a spaced apart position in which the front and rear wall portions define an intermediate space, the intermediate space being filled with a filler material of a third mass per unit length constituting at least the remainder of the preselected total mass.

13. The modular retaining wall of claim 12, wherein the sum of the first and second mass is less than half of the total mass.

14. The modular retaining wall of claim 12, wherein the connectors each have at least two connecting ends for respective interlocking engagement with one facing block and one backer block and each of the facing and backer blocks having multiple spaced apart retaining structures for respectively receiving one of the connecting ends.

15. A kit for a modular retaining wall of a preselected total mass, comprising X backer blocks, Y facing blocks, and connectors for connecting the backer blocks with the facing blocks in a back to back arrangement, the facing blocks being stackable into a front wall portion and the backer blocks being stackable into a rear wall portion for the front and rear wall portions to define an intermediate space for filling with loose filler material when the facing blocks and backer blocks are connected by the connectors in the back to back arrangement, the connectors each having at least two connecting ends for respective interlocking engagement with a facing block and a backer block and each of the facing and backer blocks having multiple spaced apart retaining structures for respectively receiving one of the connecting ends, and instructions for selecting a length of the connectors to adjust a volume of the intermediate space so that a mass of the filler material in the intermediate space together with a mass of the front wall portion and a mass of the rear wall portion adding up to at least the total mass.

16. The kit of claim 15, wherein X and Y are the same and the retaining structures are one of retaining protrusions on and retaining recesses in a back surface of the facing blocks and a surface of the backer blocks.

17. A method for assembling a retaining wall having a preselected height and total mass per unit length, comprising the steps of

obtaining a plurality of facing blocks respectively having a back surface and a front surface, and a known mass;

obtaining a plurality of backer blocks respectively having a back surface and a front surface, and a known mass,

determining a first mass per unit length of a continuous wall of stacked facing blocks of the selected height;

determining a second mass per unit length of a continuous wall of stacked backer blocks of the selected height;

determining a required volume of a filler material of known density needed per until length of the wall to provide a mass of filler material equal to at least a difference between the total mass per unit length and the sum of the first and second mass per unit length;

stacking the facing and backer blocks in a back-to-back orientation to form a continuous front wall portion of facing blocks and having the preselected height and a continuous rear wall portion of backer blocks having the preselected height;

during stacking of the facing and backer blocks, connecting the back surface of each facing block in the front wall portion with the back surface of a least one backer block in the rear wall portion with a connector for connecting the front and rear wall portions in the back-to-back orientation and forming an interior space for receiving the filler material, a length of the connectors being selected for the interior space having a volume at least equal to the required volume; and

filling the interior space with the filler material to form the retaining wall of the preselected total mass.

18. A method of forming a corner of first and second intersecting retaining walls each assembled in accordance with the method of claim 17, including the steps of

placing at least one of the backer blocks of the first wall at the corner within the intermediate space of the second wall and

placing at least one of the backer blocks of the second wall at the corner within the intermediate space of the first wall.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the steps of placing the at least one backer block of the first wall and placing the at least one backer block of the second wall are carried out for each horizontal row of backer blocks.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein at the corner and in each row of backer blocks, the row of backer blocks of one of the first and second walls is continuous with the backer block placed within the intermediate space of the other of the first and second walls.