Seawall connector for attachment of geogrid material

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for joining and supporting adjacent sheet pile panels for the construction of wall structures. A connection beam is provided with male and female connectors to attach to the male and female connectors of sheet pile panels. The connection beams allow for connection of a geogrid thereto. The geogrid is secured to the connection beams with a connection rod. Each connection beam has an extension that is provided with at least one through hole for receiving the connection rod. The geogrid is then buried under the backfill of the retaining wall. The backfilled grids, which are attached to the connection beams, support and prevent deflection of the sheet pile panels of the retaining wall.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally a system for joining adjacent sheet pile panels employing connection beams and a geogrid for providing an anchoring system. The connection beam is positionable between adjacent sheet pile panels and provides a mechanism for attachment of geogrid material.

The present invention provides a connection beam having complementary male and female connectors on opposing sides that interlock with their respective male and female connectors on sheet pile panels. The connection beam has an extension or flange that projects reward of the beam. The extension or flange is provided with through holes for the insertion of a connection rod therein. The connection rod is joined to the geogrid by any suitable emans. The geogrid forms the anchor for the wall structure once the back fill of the wall structure has buried the geogrid.

2. Description of the Prior Art

There are other sea wall retaining panels designed for the same purpose, typical of these is U.S. Pat. No. 972,059 issued to Clarke on Oct. 4, 1910.

Another patent was issued to Weber on Dec. 10, 1929 as U.S. Pat. No. 1,739,108. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 1,933,483 was issued to Pennoyer on Oct. 31, 1933 and still yet another was issued on May 7, 1935 to McKeen as U.S. Pat. No. 2,000,492.

Another patent was issued to Smith on Oct. 22, 1935 as U.S. Pat. No. 2,018,423. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 3,638,435 was issued to Mason on Feb. 1, 1972. Another was issued to Muller on Mar. 22, 1977 as U.S. Pat. No. 4,012,883 and still yet another was issued on Dec. 31, 1985 to Weatherby as U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,804.

Another patent was issued to Kulchin on Aug. 28, 1990 as U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,097. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,414 was issued to Miller on Nov. 29, 1994. Another was issued to Wheeler Jr., et al. on Aug. 17, 1999 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,375 and still yet another was issued on Oct. 9, 2001 to Byrne, et al. as U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,386.

Another patent was issued to Grossman on Mar. 5, 2002 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,352,230. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 6,709,201 was issued to Race on Mar. 23, 2004. Another was issued to Timmerman on Jun. 21, 2005 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,908,258. Another was issued to Chaplin on Chaplin as U.K. Patent No. GB 2 314 575. and still yet another was published on Jun. 3, 1999 as International Patent Application No. W99/27191 to Burt, et al.

In a structure of the character described, the combination with a foundation having a continuous groove, of a series of metal sheet piles adapted to be set in said groove to form a temporary wall.

A retaining wall, comprising a row of driven metal piles, concrete slabs recessed at their ends to enclose said piles, and hangers passed over the tops of the latter and having their ends embedded in the end faces of said slabs to support and align the same said recesses being filled with cement to form an integral waterproof structure.

A wall comprising a plurality of interlocking steel sheet piling inserted into the ground with king piles spaced therealong and standing above the others, pre-cast concrete wall sections having recessed in their side edges receiving said king piles so their bottom portions are supported by the rest of said piles and bonding material between said sections and piles forming the whole into a water tight unity.

The method of building a retaining wall upon a bed of solid rock which consists of drilling a series of vertical sockets in the rock, placing a beam as a simple beam vertically on end in each socket, reducing the bending moment of each beam by rigidly and structurally fixing its inserted end with respect to its socket, and connecting the upstanding portions of the beams by a bearing surface arranged to receive a horizontal load.

A wall structure comprising sheet piling, anchored tie rods engaging said sheet piling and formed of sections certain of which are pivotally connected at one end with said sheet piling below the surface of the water for movement downwardly from a substantially vertical position and are of a length less than the distance from their pivots to the top of the piling, and pivoting means connecting said pivotally connected sections with the anchored ones of said sections.

A retaining wall for supporting the embankment of a cut excavation. The wall structure consists of a skin of concrete, an array of rows and columns of dowels or tendons extending from the skin into the cut embankment and rows of wale beams at the juncture of dowels and the face of the skin tying the components together. The retaining wall is built as the cut proceeds. A cut to a selected depth is covered by a skin of pneumatically applied concrete. The dowels are formed as reinforcing, grout filled boreholes and the wale beams are formed as reinforced concrete members pneumatically sprayed against the skin.

There is disclosed a device for fixedly attaching a double-t or an i-beam to a sheet piling. Such fixed attachment of the beam is effected by welding an anchor bolt to the rib of the beam and/or bracing bars which in turn are welded to the flanges of the beam. Such welding is effected prior to transporting the beam to the location for attaching it to the sheet piling. Due to the welding of the anchor bolt to the flanges or the rib of the beam, the beam can be driven into the ground with the anchor bolt already attached thereto. Mounting of the anchor bolt and thus of the beam is effected in a conventional manner by a screw connection and a hinge disc.

A tied back retaining wall structure is disclosed comprising channel-shaped sheet piles, a reinforcing bar matrix and a concrete wall encasing the matrix and filling the channels of the piles. The reinforcing bar matrix comprises an array of laterally disposed reinforcing bars which span the spaces between the piles. Headed studs welded to the piles insure a secure connection of the wall to the piles. A method of constructing such a wall is disclosed which comprises excavating downwardly in stages after installing sheet piling in the ground, erecting a reinforcing bar matrix and pouring or spraying concrete over the structure to form the finished wall.

Permanent concrete wall construction disposed adjacent the face of an excavation cut in the earth and having a base comprising a plurality of soil anchors extending into the earth through the face of the excavation cut. The soil anchors include reinforcing elements which have a definite liftetime in excess of 50 years. The soil anchors have proximal extremities which extend outwardly away from the face of the cut. A permanent concrete wall extending upwardly from the base of the excavation with the proximal extremities of said soil anchors being buried within the concrete wall. The concrete wall has a finished architectural surface formed as an integral part thereof.

The invention relates to a method and system for rehabilitation of an existing retaining wall or bulkhead.

A method and device for sealing the joint formed by the connection of adjacent sheet piling sections. Prior to installation in the ground, a housing having an open side is attached near the edge of a sheet piling section. A barrier is inserted between the open side of the housing and the sheet piling section and a sealant material is added to the housing. After the sheet piling section and the attached housing are installed in the ground, the barrier is removed and the sealant material contacts the joint to form a watertight seal.

A retaining element system is provided that improves face stability in poorer quality soils that are not suited to conventional soil nailing. The method includes inserting retaining elements substantially vertically into an earthen mass to shore the face of an excavation. The earthen mass can be any material or combination of materials, such as soil, clay or rock that requires excavation for the installation of a shoring wall. The plurality of retaining elements are placed side by side in a substantially linear arrangement. A plurality of soil nails are then inserted into the excavation plane, at the approximate midpoint between a pair of adjacent retaining elements. An exposed tip portion of each soil nail attaches to a wale, which is a substantially horizontal element that contacts a retaining element on both sides of each soil nail. The wale can be a beam, bracket, or a set of concrete reinforcement bars. The beam or bracket can either be a structural member, formed of steel or the like, or alternatively formed from a precast concrete. The concrete reinforcement bars can then receive a concrete fill to form a solid wale structure. Face stability is achieved with the pre-installed retaining elements, which with the wales provide complete facing support.

The modular wall includes a sheet pile wall 12 with support brackets 20 that provide cantilever support to a facade of interlocking rows of blocks 30-34. The support member 20 includes vertical members that extend from the top of the sheet piling part way down the length of the sheet piling. Base members 24 extend firm the vertical members and are supported by angled braces 22. Horizontally extending key members rest on the base members and are affixed thereto. The key members provide a key for connecting to a slot of a first row of modular blocks. The modular blocks are stabilized by geogrid 28 that is captured in the key and slot interconnection of the modular blocks and is affixed to the sheet piling 12 or embedded in concrete fill.

Connectors for use in a retaining wall and a retaining wall having grooved blocks configured to receive the connector. Connectors can be used in various orientations within the grooves of the blocks. In a retaining wall, a flexible geosynthetic material fits into a channel of a channel connector, and is held in place by an elongate bar. The connector prevents abrasion of geosynthetic material. The connector can also be a plurality of spaced-apart projections for use with an apertured, relatively rigid geogrid. The connectors hold geogrid firmly in place, providing for increased connection capacity.

Apparatus for maintaining a seawall disposed between a body of water and retained earth includes at least two anchoring devices installed on the seawall at spaced locations and a connecting member for rigidly interconnecting the anchoring devices to maintain the separation distance therebetween. The connecting member may have a fixed length or may be adjustable in length to adjust the separation distance between the anchoring devices. A method of maintaining a seawall involves forming a passage through the seawall from a water facing side to an earth facing side of the seawall, inserting an anchoring member in the passage, advancing the anchoring member into the retained earth to anchor an anchor of the anchoring member in the retained earth, and securing a retaining member on the anchoring member along the water facing side of the seawall to apply compressive force against the seawall.

Interlocking sheet piling (60, 62) is made of extruded hollow section reinforced structural plastics, and is anchored in position, after being lightly driven into place, by anchor pins (64) extending through passages in the individual piles and deep driven into the waterway bed, and ground anchors (66) locked in open channels (87) on the rear faces of some of the piles, retained by infill (104). The installed piling is covered by capping (68).

The present invention is directed to a retaining panel of one-piece construction for a body of water. A preferred embodiment of the retaining panel comprises a central portion, two side portions, and two flanges. The central portion has a first end and a second end. One side portion is integrally connected to and extends at a first angle from the first end of the central portion. Similarly, the other side portion is integrally connected to and extends at a second angle from the second end of the central portion. It is preferred that the first angle and the second angle are approximately equal. It is further preferred that the lengths of the first and second side portions are approximately equal. One flange is integrally connected to and extends at a third angle from a rear end of one side portion, and the other flange is integrally connected to and extends at a fourth angle from a rear end of the other side portion. It is preferred that the third and fourth angle are approximately equal. Each of the flanges has a proximal portion and a distal portion. The distal portion of one of the flanges defines a female connecting portion, and the distal portion of the other flange defines a male connecting portion. The retaining panel is preferably adapted to be interlocked with a substantially similar, adjacent retaining panel by inserting its male connecting portion into the female connecting portion of the adjacent retaining panel.

While these sea wall retaining apparatus may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention, as hereinafter described.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

A primary object of the present invention is to provide means for attachment of geogrid material to seawall panels or retaining wall panels.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a connection beam having opposing side portions with complementary male and female connectors.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a connection beam having an extension or flange, which extends from the connectors where the flange can be drilled for attachment of a geogrid which functions as an anchor.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method of connecting the geogrid material to sheet pilings comprising inserting the connection beam between adjoining sheet pile panels, drilling a through hole in the extension or flange of each of the connection beams, installing a connection rod in the through holes and connection a geogrid to the connection rod.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a quick method of seawall or retaining wall construction.

Additional objects of the present invention will appear as the description proceeds.

The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a connector beam positionable between seawall panels for attachment of geogrid material. The connector beam has male and female connectors, which are designed to mate with the male and female connectors on a sheet pile panel. These connectors allow a connection beam to join to adjacent sheet pile panels when the beam is inserted between the adjacent sheet pile panels. The connector beam has an extension or flange projecting rearward. The extension provides a means for attaching the geogrid material to the connection beams. The geogrid may be secured to the connection rod by any suitable means including but not limited to fasteners.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description reference is made to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In the accompanying drawing, like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views.

The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, it will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is an illustrative view of prior art.

FIG. 2 is an illustrative view of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an illustrative view of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an illustrative view of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sequence of construction chart of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a section view of a connection beam of the present invention.

FIG. 6A is a section view of another connection beam of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a detailed view of the present invention.

FIG. 7A is a side view of a clamping member of the present invention.

FIG. 7B is a rear view of the present invention.

FIG. 7C is a rear view of the present invention FIG. 8 is a detailed view of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a top view of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view of multi-level mat of the present invention.

FIG. 13 shows various extension designs of the present invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

With regard to reference numerals used, the following numbering is used throughout the drawings.

2 Tie Rod (Prior Art)

4 Deadman Anchor Piling (Prior Art)

10 Present Invention

12 Bulkhead

14 Ground Level

16 Water level

18 Cap

20 Wale Beam

22 Connection Beam

24 Female Connector

26 Male Connector

28 Central Section

30 Joining Member

32 Sheet Pile Panel

34 Geogrid

36 Mat

38 Profiled Portion

40 Extension

42 Connection Rod

44 Through Hole

46 Clamping Member

48 Threaded Fastener

50 Threaded Hole

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following discussion describes in detail one embodiment of the invention (and several variations of that embodiment). This discussion should not be construed, however, as limiting the invention to those particular embodiments, practitioners skilled in the art will recognize numerous other embodiments as well. For definition of the complete scope of the invention, the reader is directed to appended claims.

FIG. 1 is an illustrative view of prior art. Prior art retaining structures for reinforcement of bulkheads tend to stress and displace due to ground pressure. The arrows indicate the direction of the ground pressure forces. The first frame illustrates what is known as a toe failure on a prior cantilevered system. In a cantilevered system the sheet pile panels of the bulkhead are driven into the ground and the exposed or cantilevered part (above ground) of the sheet pile panels are unsupported. The ground pressure forces are greatest at the lower end of the sheet pile panels or toe of the bulkhead and the wall can displace. The third frame illustrates an upper end failure of a cantilevered system. Ground pressure tends to stress and displace the upper end of the sheet pile panels causing a failure. The second frame illustrates prior art tie back system employing two wale beams, tie rods 2 and deadman anchor pilings 4. Two wale beams extend laterally across the exposed face of the sheet pile panels. Tie rods 2 extend through the wale beams and the sheet pile panels and are secured to a deadman anchor piling 4.

FIGS. 2-4 are illustrative views of the present invention 10 in use. The present invention 10 relates to a system for supporting sheet pile panel walls. It can be employed in a seawall, which is commonly referred to as a bulkhead 12. It may also be employed in a retaining wall. FIGS. 2 and 3 show a bulkhead 12 made of sheet pile panels where the tops of the sheet pile panels are finished off with a cap 18. The cap 18 also provides lateral support to the upper end of the wall. The cap 18 may be formed by poring concrete in place on the wall once the wall has been installed or the cap 18 may be preformed. The cap 18 may also be made of any suitable plastic or metal material. The wall support system of the present invention 10 employs connection beams 22 and an attached geogrid 34 to provide the necessary support to the wall structure. The connection beams 22 are joined to the individual sheet pile panels 32 of the wall. The connection beams 22 have connectors which mate with the connectors of the sheet pile panels 32. The geogrid 34 is able to provide support since it is buried by the fill of the wall. The load on the geogrid prevents the wall from being displaced. The geogrid replaces the tie rods and deadman anchors of the prior art. Wale beams 20 may be employed to further enhance and support the wall (see FIG. 4). They are typically secured across the front surface of the sheet pile panels 32 for additional wall support and are secured to the support system. If necessary multiple layers of beams 20 and geogrids 34 can be employed as seen in FIG. 4. FIG. 3 shows an illustrative view of the present invention 10 in use as a retaining wall. The retaining wall can be formed without a wale beam 20 (as shown) or it may be formed with a wale beam 20 to provide additional support if required.

FIGS. 6-8 show the wall support system of the present invention 10 and how it is employed with the sheet pile panels 32 of a bulkhead 12 or retaining wall. The support system employs a connection beam 22, which is an elongated beam like member that extends the entire height of the sheet pile panels 32 on which it is deployed. The connection beam 22 has a connector portion with a female connector 24 and a male connector 26 disposed thereon. The connector portion has a central section 28 that is joined to an extension 40 or flange. The male connector 26 is secured to the central section 28 of the connector portion by a joining member 30. The female connector 24 is secured to the central section 28 by a joining member 30 or it can be secured directly to the central section 28 as seen in 6A. These connectors are aligned in the same plane and are on opposite sides of the connection beam 22. The male connector 26 engages with the female connector 24 on a sheet pile panel 32. The female connector 24 engages with the male connector 26 on a sheet pile panel 32. The connection beam 22 joins and secures together two adjacent sheet pile panels 32. The connection beam 22 provides several functions in addition to its primary function of joining together sheet pile panels 32 and providing a simple and easy manner of securing a geogrid to a bulkhead or wall structure. The connection beam 22, since it is a beam, stiffens each of the sheet pile panels 32, to which it is joined. Looking at the FIGS. 6-8, it is easy to see how the connection beam 22 will stiffen the panels 32 it joins. The connection beam 22 has an extension 40 that terminates in a profiled portion 38. The profiled portion 38 in combination with the extension 40 act as a beam to provide vertical stiffness to the connection beam 22. The connection beam 22 is shaped like a “T”. The Cross bar of the “T” has male 26 and female 24 connectors secured thereon. The vertical portion of the “T” is the extension 40 and the base portion of the “T” is the profiled portion 38. The connection beam 22 acts in the same manner as an “I” beam would. A “T” beam has a wider cross bar and has a narrower base. An “I” beam has uniform top and bottom members. As seen in FIG. 14, the profiled portion 38 may take on a variety of shapes, some of which will give the beam an almost true “T” or “I” shapes. The profiled portion 38 (which is the base of the “T”) may be thicker than the thickness of the extension 40. It is preferable that it is thicker since it will make the connection beam 22 stiffer providing the beam with a greater load bearing capacity. The individual shapes provide for varying strengths for the connection beam 22. This allows for supplying connection beams 22 to meet specific load requirements. The connection beams 22 can be made of plastic such as polyvinylchloride (PVC), copolymers or any other suitable plastic material. The beams can be made of fiber reinforced plastic with reinforcing fibers such as nylon, glass, carbon, and aramid. KEVLAR is the trade name for a popular aramid manufactured by Dupont. The connection beams 22 can also be made of metals such as steel, aluminum or any other suitable metal. The metal beams may be coated or galvanized to inhibit rust.

The geogrid 34 is secured to the beams via a connection rod 42. The connection rod 42 is seen in FIG. 13 can be made of plastic, fiber reinforced plastic, steel or any other suitable metal. The connection rod 42 need not be made of the same material as the connection beam 22 on which it is deployed. The geogrid 34 may be fastened to the connection rod employing any suitable means including but not limited to fasteners. The fasteners may be rivets, screws, bolts, etc or any other suitable mechanism that is capable of securing the grid to the connection rod 42. In one method of installation, (not shown) the end of the geogrid 34 could be wrapped around the connection rod 42 forming a flap which is then, folded onto the body of the geogrid 34 and then the flap is secured to the body of the geogrid 34 by any suitable means including but not limited to fasteners. The flap of the geogrid 34 creates a pocket for the connection rod 42 so that the geogrid 34 is retained on the connection rod 42.

The geogrid 34 is modular structure made of individual mats 36 secured to each other. A geogrid 34 may have a width of just one mat 36 as seen in FIGS. 9 and 10. Here two separate geogrids 34 are shown, where the geogrids 34 are laterally spaced from each other. The geogrid 34 may also be employed in a laterally continuous manner as seen in FIG. 11. Looking at FIG. 11, it is seen that individual mats 36 may be secured to each other by connection rods 42. The mats 36 may be secured to the connection rods 42 by any suitable means including but not limited to fasteners. The mats may be secured to each other directly without the use of connection rods 42. The mats may be secured directly to each other by any suitable means including but not limited to fasteners. The geogrid 34 is formed of the desired width and length by securing additional mats 36 to make the grid as long and as wide as necessary to support the wall structure. It has been contemplated that in the event that a continuous geogrid 34 is employed, a way to join connection rods 42 is desired. The ends of the connection rods 42 could be externally threaded (male threads) and an internally threaded connector with female threads at each end may be employed to secure the connection rods 42 together. Or each connection rod 42 may be threaded, where one end has external male threads and the other end has internal female threads, making the joining of connection rods 42 simple and rapid. If required, the geogrids 34 can be vertically stacked as seen in FIG. 12. Stacked geogrids 34 provide additional support to a single sheet pile panel 32 when the grids 34 are one mat 36 wide. Stacked geogrids 34 provide additional support to multiple sheet panels 32 when the geogrids 34 are continuous. It is desired that the mats 36 of the geogrid 34 be made of a plastic material that will not degrade in a buried environment. Suitable plastics would be PVC, polypropylene, polyethylene, or other polymers or copolymers. The mats 36 can be of woven construction or they can be extruded in sheet form. The extruded sheets could be solid, i.e. without holes or they could be perforated to allow drainage of the soil or fill which rests upon the sheets. It has also been considered that the mats 36 can be made of a non-woven plastic fabric. One such non-woven fabric is sold under the trade name TYVEK. These non-woven fabrics can be made of PVC, polypropylene, polyethylene, or other polymers or copolymers. The non-woven fabrics may be perforated to enhance their water permeability to provide for soil drainage as noted above.

The through holes 48 in the extensions 40 of the connection beams 22 are typically drilled on site. They also could also be drilled prior to bringing the connection beams 22 to the installation site. These through holes 44 extend through the extension 40 of the connection beam 22 as seen in FIGS. 6 and 6A. It has also been considered that the beams 22 could be manufactured with a plurality of through holes 44 in predetermined locations in the extension 40 to eliminate the need for drilling. If the beams 22 are manufactured with a plurality of through holes 44, the beams 22 may be provided with a wider extension 40 to compensate for the loss in strength due to the plurality of through holes 44. The connection rods 42 can be held in place or provided with limited side-to-side movement by clamping members 46 secured around the circumference of the connection rods 42. The clamping member is seen in FIG. 7A. The clamping member 46 has a through hole 44 therein for receiving the connection rod 42. A threaded fastener 48 disposed in a threaded hole 50 in the clamping member 46, which is tightened to press against the connection rod 42 and secure the clamping member 46 to the connection rod 42. There would typically be two clamping members 46 on each connection rod 42, one secured adjacent each end of the rod 42. They can be positioned on the rod 42 such they are both either outside of the extensions 40 as in FIG. 7B. They could also be deployed as seen in FIG. 7C where both are interior of each extension 40. If joined connection rods 42 are employed on a continuous geogrid 34 it will be necessary to provide clamping members 46 on at least one of the connection rods 42. Additional clamping members 46 may be used if desired.

FIG. 5 shows one possible sequence for the installation of a wall employing sheet piles panels 32 and the connection beams 22 of the present invention. In step 1, a sheet pile 32 in driven into the ground and then a connection beam 22 is joined to and slid down the sheet pile panel 32 and driven into the ground. In step 2, a second sheet pile panel 32 is joined to and slid down the connection beam 22 and driven into the ground. In step 3, a second connection beam 22 is joined to and slid down the previous sheet pile panel 32 and driven into the ground. In step 4, another sheet pile panel 32 is joined to and slid down the second connection beam 22 and driven into the ground and then holes 44 are drilled into the extensions 40 of the connection beams 22. In step 5, a connection rod 42 is inserted through the holes 44 in the connection beams 22. In step 6, a geogrid 34 of the desired length and width is secured to the connection rod 42 employing any suitable means. The wall is then back filled and the geogrid 34 is buried. The weight of the fill on the geogrid 34 provides the wall with the required support. It has been contemplated that other sequences can be employed for the installation. It is possible to begin an installation sequence by first driving a connection beam 22 into the ground. Then a sheet pile panel 32 can be installed on one side of the connection beam 22, slid down the length of the connector and then driven into the ground. A connection beam 22 can be slid down the other side of the just installed sheet pile panel 32 and then driven into the ground. This eliminates having an exposed edge of a sheet pile panel 32, which is unsupported and may be easily damaged. It is envisioned that in creating walls that the completed sections with attached geogrids be back filled prior to the completion of the entire wall.

The support system of the present invention may be employed on any sheet pile panel with male and female connectors. Once such sheet pile panel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,667 to Burt et al. The support system of the present invention may be employed with the sheet pile panels disclosed in my copending Patent Application with the title Corrugated Asymmetrical Retaining Wall Panel, (attorney docket number JM-4-jm) filed with the United States Patent Office on 5 Sep. 2006, application Ser. No. 11/515,935, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

Claims

1. A system for joining and supporting sheet pile panels so that the sheet pile panels can form a wall structure, the system comprising:

at least two connection beams, a connection rod, a geogrid secured on or about the connection rod, wherein the geogrid is a planar mat made of plastic for supporting the connection beams when secured thereto, wherein each connection beam has a through hole which is capable of receiving the connection rod, wherein each of the connection beams has a male and a female connector, wherein the extension of each connection beam has a terminal end with a profile portion thereon, wherein the profile is selected from the group consisting of “T” shaped, “U” shaped, diamond shaped, “T” shaped where the top surface of cross bar is crowned, ring shaped, or a rectangular shape with a rectangular through hole therein, and wherein the profile of each connection beam is substantially “T” shaped in section where the section is taken perpendicular to the extension and in the plane that is parallel to each of an upper and lower end surface of the beam.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the male and female connectors is joined to a central section of the connection beam by a joining member such that the male and female members are spaced from the central section by the joining member.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the male profile is joined to a central section of the beam by a joining member and the female member is joined directly to the central section of the beam so that the male profile is spaced from the central section and the female connector is not spaced from the central section of the beam.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein each of the male and female profiles extends to an upper and to a lower terminal of their respective connection beams.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein each of the male and female profiles extends to an upper and to a lower terminal of their respective connection beams.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein each connection beam is made from a material selected from the group consisting of plastic, fiber reinforced plastic, polyvinylchloride, steel, or aluminum.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the connection beam is made from a material selected from the group consisting of plastic, fiber reinforced plastic, polyvinylchloride, steel, or aluminum.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the connection rod has a first end and a second end, the first end has male threads and the second end has female threads where the female threads of one connection rod are capable of receiving the male threads of another connection rod.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the connection rod has a first end and a second end, the first end has male threads and the second end has female threads where the female threads of one connection rod are capable of receiving the male threads of another connection rod.

10. The system of claim 8, including at least one sheet pile panel, wherein each of the at least one sheet pile panels has two connectors secured thereon, wherein one of the connectors is a male connector which is capable of securing to any of the female connectors on the at least two connection beams and the other connector is a female connector which is capable of securing to any of the male connectors of the at least two connection beams.

11. The system of claim 9, including at least one sheet pile panel, wherein each of the at least one sheet pile panels has two connectors secured thereon, wherein one of the connectors is a male connector which is capable of securing to any of the female connectors on the at least two connection beams and the other connector is a female connector which is capable of securing to any of the male connectors of the at least two connection beams.

12. A method of joining and supporting sheet pile panels, the method comprising:

providing at least two connection beams, wherein each connection beam has a male and a female connector thereon, said beam having an extension thereon, said extension having a width, a height and a thickness, wherein the height is greater than its width, and the width is greater than its thickness,

providing at least one sheet pile panel,

providing at least one connection rod,

providing at least one geogrid,

driving a first connection beam into the ground,

connecting a first of the at least one sheet pile panel to the first connection beam and driving the sheet pile panel into the ground,

connecting the a second of least two connection beams to first sheet pile panel and driving the second connection beam into the ground,

drilling a through hole in the extension of each of the at least first and second connection beams after the beams have been driven into the ground,

installing the connection rod in the through holes,

securing the geogrid to the connection rod, wherein the geogrid is a plurality of modular mats wherein each mat is secured to at least one adjacent mat,

burying the geogrid such that the geogrid supports the at least one sheet pile panel.

13. A method of joining and supporting sheet pile panels, the method comprising:

providing at least two connection beams, wherein each connection beam has a male and a female connector thereon, said beam having an extension thereon, said extension having a width, a height and a thickness, wherein the height is greater than its width, and the width is greater than its thickness,

providing at least one sheet pile panel,

providing at least one connection rod,

providing at least one geogrid,

driving a first of the at least one sheet pile panels into the ground,

connecting a first of the at least two connection beams to the first sheet pile panel and driving the first connection beam into the ground,

connecting the a second of least two connection beams to first sheet pile panel and driving the second connection beam into the ground,

drilling a through hole in the extension of each of the at least first and second connection beams after the beams have been driven into the ground,

installing the connection rod in the through holes,

securing the geogrid to the connection rod, wherein the geogrid is a plurality of modular mats wherein each mat is secured to at least one adjacent mat,

burying the geogrid such that the geogrid supports the at least one sheet pile panel.

14. A connection beam for connection adjacent sheet pile panels, the connection beam comprising:

an elongated member having upper and lower distal ends, a connection portion, said connection portion having male and female connectors formed therein, wherein each the male and female connectors extends to the upper and lower distal ends, an extension portion extending away from said connection portion to a profiled portion on the terminal end of the extension portion, the extension portion extending from to the upper and lower terminal ends, wherein the extension portion has a width between the upper and lower terminal ends which is greater than a thickness of the extension, wherein the profiled portion extends from to the upper and lower terminal ends

15. The connection beam of claim 14, wherein the connection beam is made from a material selected from the group consisting of plastic, fiber reinforced plastic, polyvinylchloride, steel, or aluminum.

16. The connection beam of claim 14, wherein the extension has at least one through hole therein.

17. The connection beam of claim 14, wherein the extension has a plurality of through holes therein.

18. The connection beam of claim 16, wherein the connection portion has a central section joined to the extension and each of the male and female connectors is joined to the central section by a joining member such that the male and female members are spaced from the central section by the joining member.

19. The connection beam of claim 17, wherein the connection portion has a central section joined to the extension and each of the male and female connectors is joined to a central section of the beam by a joining member such that the male and female members are spaced from the central section by the joining member.

20. The connection beam of claim 17, wherein the connection portion has a central section joined to the extension, the male profile is joined to the central section by a joining member and the female member is joined directly to the central section so that the male profile is spaced from the central section and the female connector is not spaced from the central section.

21. The connection beam of claim 18, wherein the profile of the profiled portion is selected from the group consisting of “T” shaped, “U” shaped, diamond shaped, “T” shaped where the top surface of cross bar is crowned, ring shaped, or a rectangular shape with a rectangular through hole therein.

22. The connection beam of claim 19, wherein the profile of the profiled portion is selected from the group consisting of “T” shaped, “U” shaped, diamond shaped, “T” shaped where the top surface of cross bar is crowned, ring shaped, or a rectangular shape with a rectangular through hole therein.

23. The connection beam of claim 20, wherein the profile of the profiled portion is selected from the group consisting of “T” shaped, “U” shaped, diamond shaped, “T” shaped where the top surface of cross bar is crowned, ring shaped, or a rectangular shape with a rectangular through hole therein.