Abstract: A wire strut indicator facing unit for a retaining wall, such as a temporary retaining wall, having an upstanding face section and a rearwardly extending floor section, wherein the floor section is formed from pairs of parallel wire elements and transverse cross-wire elements, and otherwise substantially free of wire elements between the wire element pairs. The pairs of parallel wires define the attachment location for a wire strut that extends between the face section and floor section of the facing unit.

Abstract: Bonded composite open mesh structural textiles are formed of woven textile. The textile is formed from at least two, and preferably three, components. The first component, or load bearing member, is a high tenacity, high modulus, low elongation mono- or multifilament yarn. The second component is a polymer in yarn or other form which will encapsulate and bond yarns at the junctions to strengthen the junctions. The third component is an optional effect or bulking yarn. In the woven textile, a plurality of warp yarns are woven with a plurality of weft (fill) yarns. The weave preferably includes a half-cross or full-cross leno weave. At least a portion of the warp and weft yarns are first component load bearing yarns. The polymer component is used as required for the bonding properties necessary for the finished product, and especially to provide improved junction or joint strength.

Abstract: Bonded composite open mesh structural textiles are formed of woven textile. The textile is formed from at least two, and preferably three, components. The first component, or load bearing member, is a high tenacity, high modulus, low elongation mono- or multifilament yarn. The second component is a polymer in yarn or other form which will encapsulate and bond yarns at the junctions to strengthen the junctions. The third component is an optional effect or bulking yarn. In the woven textile, a plurality of warp yarns are woven with a plurality of weft (fill) yarns. The weave preferably includes a half-cross or full-cross leno weave. At least a portion of the warp and weft yarns are first component load bearing yarns. The polymer component is used as required for the bonding properties necessary for the finished product, and especially to provide improved junction or joint strength.

Abstract: Bonded composite open mesh structural textiles are formed of woven textile. The textile is formed from at least two, and preferably three, components. The first component, or load bearing member, is a high tenacity, high modulus, low elongation mono- or multifilament yarn. The second component is a polymer in yarn or other form which will encapsulate and bond yarns at the junctions to strengthen the junctions. The third component is an optional effect or bulking yarn. In the woven textile, a plurality of warp yarns are woven with a plurality of weft (fill) yarns. The weave preferably includes a half-cross or full-cross leno weave. At least a portion of the warp and weft yarns are first component load bearing yarns. The polymer component is used as required for the bonding properties necessary for the finished product, and especially to provide improved junction or joint strength.

Abstract: Precast modular concrete wall blocks are assembled to form a retaining wall in front of a limited depth cut wall face. Arched confinement cells are formed behind the courses of blocks by sections of vertically oriented sheet material for reception and retention of a particulate fill material. Each wall block is provided with a channel or slot for attaching opposed edge portions of the cell-forming sheets of material to the rear surfaces by an interference fit or by comb-like grid connecting devices to define generally semi-circular confinement cells to reinforce the retaining wall. The fill material uniformly flexes the cell-forming sheet material and also surrounds the space between the confinement cells and cut wall face.

Abstract: A mine tunnel ventilation control device and method for constructing same quickly with an easily transportable matrix material to provide a rigid flame retardant barrier wall. The air flow stopping includes a peripheral frame extending about and across a tunnel opening to which is secured a matrix material, preferably in the form of a composite including a sheet of very strong grid material, such as a biaxially oriented integral geogrid or the like, bonded to a sheet of a textile material, such as a non-woven, needle punched, geofabric or the like which spans the apertures of the geogrid. At least one side of the matrix material, and preferably both sides, are covered with a sealant composition to prevent passage of air through the mine stopping and to develop structural rigidity.

Abstract: An interconnected block system including a plurality of staggered rows of block members formed of concrete or the like secured to the upper surface only of an underlying, interconnecting, grid-like, matrix sheet. In one embodiment, a plurality of connector elements are connected to the matrix material preferably by bodkin connections to form one or a multiplicity of openings or apertures above the upper surface of the matrix sheet for reception of the block-forming material. The block members are cast on top of the matrix sheet material to capture the connector elements which provides a mechanical interlock between the block member and the matrix. The matrix sheet material preferably includes a layer of geotextile bonded on an opposite side from the block members. An alternate embodiment provides a strip or mat to underly the matrix sheet with a plurality of projections upstanding therefrom and passing through the matrix sheet.

Abstract: A non-woven needle-punched filter fabric for use in a geocomposite having a filter face and a laminating face, the fabric having a first filter and cushion zone adjacent the filter face produced from spun bond, continuous filament, a second stiff and bend resistant zone adjacent the first zone produced from a blend of staple non-fusible fiber and staple fusible fiber, and a third zone at the laminating face produced from fiber from both the first and second zones whereby the third zone has a hairy characteristic which facilitates laminating the fabric to a drainage net or a geogrid.

Abstract: A modular plastic wall block to be used for forming a retaining wall including a plurality of vertically superimposed courses, each course including a plurality of laterally juxtaposed wall blocks. Each wall block is formed of a wall block frame and an easily replaceable facing panel interconnected by a tongue and groove connection. By rotating the facing panel by 90.degree., it can be used to overly and conceal at least a portion of the top of an uppermost course of wall blocks in the retaining wall. The wall blocks include elements for side-to-side connection enabling juxtaposed wall blocks in each course to be laterally aligned to form a straight portion of a face of a retaining wall, or to be angularly positioned to form concave or convex portions of the face of the retaining wall without the formation of gaps between adjacent wall blocks.

Abstract: An interconnected block system including a plurality of staggered rows of block members formed of concrete or the like secured to the upper surface only of an underlying, interconnecting, grid-like, matrix sheet. In one embodiment, a plurality of connector elements are connected to the matrix material preferably by bodkin connections to form one or a multiplicity of openings or apertures above the upper surface of the matrix sheet for reception of the block-forming material. The block members are cast on top of the matrix sheet material to capture the connector elements which provides a mechanical interlock between the block member and the matrix. The matrix sheet material preferably includes a layer of geotextile bonded on an opposite side from the block members. An alternate embodiment provides a strip or mat to underly the matrix sheet with a plurality of projections upstanding therefrom and passing through the matrix sheet.

Abstract: A grid layout system including a grid dispenser mounted on a boom of a continuous miner for movement with a cutting drum to cut a passageway in a rock face. A roll of grid material, such as integral biaxially oriented geogrid, is fed from the dispenser and maintained under tension as it is positioned against the ceiling of the passageway to be secured thereto as a supplemental support. The tensioning device takes up any slack in the grid material during the cutting operation to preclude engagement of the grid material with the cutting drum. The edges of the grid material are longitudinally folded over the middle section and temporarily held in this manner to provide the roll of the grid material within the dispenser with a width less than the cutting drum. A spreader bar opens the grid material to its full width as it is dispensed.

Abstract: A modular wall block is formed with two integral, transverse projections extending upwardly from its top surface, spaced from the front face of the block and spaced from each other by an upwardly opening groove. Each block also includes two downwardly opening, transversely extending, grooves of different widths spaced from the front face and spaced from each other by a downwardly extending projection. The width of the downwardly extending projection and the upwardly opening groove are approximately the same and the combined distance between the extreme edges of the two upwardly extending projections is substantially equal to the width of the larger of the two downwardly opening grooves. The height of the upwardly extending projections is equal to or less than the depth of the two downwardly opening grooves.

Abstract: A retaining wall having a height of greater than ten feet which includes a lower section of inextensible reinforcements and an upper section of extensible reinforcements. By the use of inextensible reinforcements in place of extensible reinforcements in a lower portion of a wall having a height greater than ten feet, the lower portion of the wall will tend to distribute the stresses of soil compaction and require less quality control/assurance during construction. Further, by the use of extensible reinforcements in the upper section of a retaining having a height greater than ten feet, the extensible reinforcements will maintain the retaining wall in place and have significantly improved corrosion resistance over inextensible metal reinforcements.

Abstract: Bonded composite knitted structural textiles are formed of knitted polymeric fibers. The textile is formed from at least two, and preferably three or four, polymeric components. The first component, or load bearing member, is a high tenacity, high modulus, low elongation mono- or multifilament yarn. The second component is a fusible polymer in yarn or other form which will encapsulate and bond adjacent load bearing yarns. The third component is an optional effect or bulking yarn. The fourth component is a conventional multifilament warp knit stitch forming yarn to form the ground structure of the knitted textile. Knitted textiles of the present invention may be formed by any conventional knitting technique, i.e., weft insertion warp knitting, warp insertion weft knitting, and warp and weft insertion knitting. At least a portion of the laid-in warp and/or weft yarns are first component load bearing yarns.

Abstract: A method of making a biplanar net structure usable to provide reinforcement in civil engineering and/or landfill applications by extruding first and second linear arrays of plastic filaments into first and second sets of spaced-apart grooves provided in a filament receiving member. The grooves of the respective sets cross each other, and the plastic filaments bond to each other at the crossing points to provide a biplanar net structure. The net structure then is uniaxially or biaxially stretched. The apparatus employed to carry out the method and the oriented biplanar net structures also form a part of this invention.

Abstract: Precast concrete wall panels are assembled to form a retaining wall in front of a cut wall face. Arched confinement cells are formed behind the wall panels by sections of vertically oriented sheet material for reception and retention of a particulate fill material. Preferably, flat, precast concrete wall panels provided with vertically oriented tabs of integral geogrid projecting rearwardly from opposite sides of a rear face thereof which are connected to opposite end portions of a length of vertically oriented geogrid by a Bodkin joint. The thus formed confinement cells are generally semi-circular. The fill material initially used fills the confinement cells and then the space around the confinement cells and in front of the cut wall face. The wall panels are vertically staggered and successive courses of confinement cells are filled until reaching a desired height for the retaining wall.

Abstract: A simple and inexpensive method and apparatus for molding a peripheral frame around a sheet or grid of thermoplastic material to produce a framed panel. A peripheral frame, preferably of structural foam or the like, is injection molded about a thermoplastic sheet or grid of panel-forming material which has been previously drawn or stretched at a temperature which orients the molecules of the polymer, i.e., below the glass transition temperature of the polymer, T.sub.g. Either during the frame molding process, or subsequent thereto, the panel-forming material is heated sufficiently to cause the material to shrink or revert toward its prestretched condition so as to tension the panel-forming material within the frame. Elastomeric sealing means are disclosed for sealing the mold during injection of the frame-forming material and locator fingers are provided to position a grid-like panel-forming material prior to initiation of the molding process.

Abstract: A modular wall block is formed with a T-shaped through-opening defining arm sections projecting from a stem portion in each surface of the block. One arm section in the upper surface of each block is dimensioned to frictionally receive fingers of a rake-like connection device which may thereby secure an end portion of sheet of reinforcing material such as a geogrid or the like, to the block. The connection device includes enlarged tabs projecting away from the fingers to engage in a different width arm section defined in the lower surface of superimposed wall blocks for positioning the front faces of the blocks in the retaining wall relative to each other in either a vertically aligned or vertically set back relationship depending upon the direction of extension of the tabs. Stair-step sections of interconnected blocks may be interleaved to form a retaining wall. Additional connection devices may be inverted to further integrate juxtaposed stair-step sections.

Abstract: A simple and inexpensive method and apparatus for molding a peripheral frame around a sheet or grid of thermoplastic material to produce a framed panel. A peripheral frame, preferably of structural foam or the like, is injection molded about a thermoplastic sheet or grid of panel-forming material which has been previously drawn or stretched at a temperature which orients the molecules of the polymer, i.e., below the glass transition temperature of the polymer, T.sub.g. Either during the frame molding process, or subsequent thereto, the panel-forming material is heated sufficiently to cause the material to shrink or revert toward its prestretched condition so as to tension the panel-forming material within the frame. Elastomeric sealing means are disclosed for sealing the mold during injection of the frame-forming material and locator fingers are provided to position a grid-like panel-forming material prior to initiation of the molding process.

Abstract: A self-tensioning fencing system includes a tensioner bar which is mounted directly to a structural support such as a fence post using standard nails, screws or bolts as required according to the type of a particular fence post. The tensioner bar includes a projection for pressing plastic fencing material into a recess in the fence post to allow the plastic fencing material to be tensioned across the structural support posts. A trim cap extrusion is shaped complementary to a side of the tensioner bar, opposite to the projection for engaging with the fencing material, so as to engage and cover the tensioner bar. A post cap covers the upper end of the fence post, tensioner bar and trim cap extrusion.