Constructions and Reinforcement Structures of Connected Sandbags
A construction element for making retaining walls and erosion control structures comprises a plurality of sandbags connected together by means of a cord. The bags have flexible walls and holes through which the cord extends. The holes can be in various positions on the bags, and various spacings of the bags on the cord can be used. The construction elements can be used to form retaining walls, structures for protecting underwater shoreline areas from erosion, and other structures in the civil engineering field.
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The invention pertains generally to the field of erosion control and retaining walls. More specifically, it pertains to construction elements that can be used for making erosion control structures, retaining walls and similar structures.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONRetaining wall and erosion control structures are commonly constructed using poured concrete or blocks that are affixed together with concrete. For underwater erosion control applications, permanent rock covers such as riprap are commonly used on streambanks and other shoreline areas. All such structures are costly to construct in view of the materials and labor required.
For some applications, structures made of sandbags can be used for retaining walls and erosion control purposes. Permanent structures made of sandbags have been built, using interconnecting members such as those disclosed in WO 00/61880 (Kim) published Oct. 19, 2000, to connect the sandbags together in stable and permanent arrangements. Sandbag retaining walls and similar structures have several advantages over prior art systems in those applications where they can be used, including lower cost, ease of construction and the ability to make vegetation-covered walls from seeds in the sandbag fill material. It would desirable to extend the range of applications for which sandbag structures can be used by being able to enhance the strength and stability of such structures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe invention provides construction elements that are made from a plurality of sandbags that are connected together by means of a cord that extends through holes in the sandbag walls. In one embodiment, the bags have two such holes in their walls and the cord extends through both of the holes. In another embodiment, there is a single hole in the bag wall and the cord extends through that hole and through the open mouth of the bag; when the bag is filled with fill material and the open end is sealed closed, a small opening is left to permit passage of the cord.
The invention also provides wall structures that are made of the construction elements. The elements can be laid in courses to form a retaining wall face and the free ends of the cords may be secured to the slope or fill in back of the wall face.
In another embodiment, the invention provides a structure for protecting underwater shoreline areas from erosion, comprising a plurality of the construction elements positioned on the underwater shoreline area.
Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the referenced figures of the drawings. It is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.
In the following description and the drawings, corresponding and like parts are referred to by the same reference characters.
Bags 12 have two holes 22 in the walls 14 thereof. Cord 24 extends through these holes in each of the bags and attaches the bags together to form the construction element 10. Hole 22 preferably has a grommet (not shown) surrounding it. The cord 24 fits sufficiently snugly in hole 22 to prevent significant leakage of fill material from the hole. The cord may be made of any suitable and durable material, preferably a strong synthetic, non-degradable material. Plastics material such as nylon or high-density polyethylene are preferred.
The cord 24 includes knots 26 adjacent to either end. The knots have a diameter that is larger than the diameter of hole 22 and serve to retain the bags on the cord. Alternatively, clips or other kinds of retaining devices can be used on the cord in place of knots.
In one embodiment, the bags 12 are spaced sufficiently closely along the cord 24 that when they are filled they abut or nearly abut each other, as shown in
The construction elements can have the holes 22 positioned in various different locations on the bags to facilitate specific applications. Referring to
In another embodiment, construction element 40, shown in
For convenience of illustration, the construction elements are shown in the figures having three or four bags, but it will be understood that they may comprise any number of bags that would be suitable for a particular application, for example two bags, five bags, ten bags, etc.
The construction elements of the invention can be used in the construction of retaining walls and similar structures. In general terms, they can be used in any application in which ordinary sandbags could be used. To such applications they bring the superior qualities of strength and stability that are imparted by virtue of the attachment of several bags together into a single unit.
The wall may be further strengthened and stabilized by various means. Optionally, rods 58, made of a non-degradable material such as fiberglass, may be driven through multiple courses of sandbags. Also optionally, the construction elements may be arranged so that the sandbags in vertically-adjacent courses are in a staggered arrangement, i.e with each sandbag being positioned over two sandbags of the vertically-adjacent lower course. Also optionally, and preferably, interconnecting members are used between each course 52 in order to attach vertically- and horizontally-adjacent sandbags together. Such interconnecting members are described in WO 00/61880 and are commercially available under the trademark DELTALOK from Deltalok Inc. of Vancouver, British Columbia.
Although
Another example of a retaining wall structure made using the construction elements is shown in
While exemplary embodiments have been discussed above, those of skill in the art will recognize that certain modifications thereof may be made. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims are interpreted to include all such modifications, as are within their true scope.
Claims
1. A construction element comprising:
- (a) a plurality of bags having flexible walls and a sealable opening for insertion of fill material into said bag, each of said bags having at least one hole in said wall thereof; and
- (b) a cord extending through said holes attaching said bags together.
2. A construction element according to claim 1 wherein each of said bags has two said holes in said wall thereof and said cord extends through both of said holes.
3. A construction element according to claim 1 wherein said bag wall has a side portion and opposed end portions and said hole is at or proximate to one of said end portions.
4. A construction element according to claim 1 wherein said bag has a side portion and opposed end portions and said sealable opening is in one of said end portions.
5. A construction element according to claim 4 wherein said cord extends through said sealable opening and wherein said at least one hole is in or proximate to said end portion opposite to said sealable opening.
6. A construction element according to claim 1 wherein said cord comprises a plastics material.
7. A construction element according to claim 6 wherein said plastics comprises nylon.
8. A construction element according to claim 1 wherein said bags are sandbags containing said fill material.
9. A wall structure comprising a plurality of construction elements according to claim 8.
10. A wall structure according to claim 9 comprising a plurality of courses, each of said courses comprising one or more of said construction elements.
11. A wall structure according to claim 10 wherein said cords of said construction elements extend from ends of said courses and are secured to a slope supported by said wall structure.
12. A wall structure according to claim 10 further comprising rods extending through said sandbags in a plurality of said courses.
13. A wall structure according to claim 10 wherein said sandbags in said courses are attached together by means of interconnecting members which attach vertically and horizontally-adjacent sandbags together.
14. A structure for protecting underwater shoreline areas from erosion, comprising a plurality of construction elements according to claim 8 positioned on said underwater shoreline area.
15. A structure according to claim 14 wherein said sandbags comprise sandbags of different sizes.
16. An structure according to claim 14 wherein said construction elements are anchored to said underwater shoreline area by means of said cords.
17. A retaining wall structure comprising:
- (a) a plurality of courses of sandbags forming a wall face supporting a mass of fill material, each of said courses comprising a plurality of sandbags;
- (b) interconnecting members positioned between adjacent courses to connect sandbags of each course to said sandbags of each adjacent course; and
- (c) a construction element according to claim 8 wherein said sandbags of said construction element extend from said wall face into said fill material, said extending sandbags being attached by means of an interconnecting member to one or more of said sandbags forming said wall face, said cord of said construction element being anchored to said fill material or to a slope supported by said wall face.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 13, 2006
Publication Date: Oct 9, 2008
Applicants: DELTALOK INC. (North Vancouver, BC), DELTALOK INTERNATIONAL INC. (Singapore)
Inventor: Hun S. Kim (North Vancouver)
Application Number: 12/066,258
International Classification: B65D 30/08 (20060101); E02D 17/00 (20060101); E02B 3/06 (20060101);