MECHANICAL EARTH STABILIZING SYSTEM INCLUDING REINFORCING MEMBERS WITH ENHANCED SOIL SHEAR RESISTANCE
A mechanical earth stabilizing system is provided that includes at least one facing panel that retains compacted soil, and at least one reinforcing member connected at one end to the facing element and disposed within the retained soil. The reinforcing member is formed from a pair of parallel, bar-shaped legs disposed in a horizontal plane. Each of the bar-shaped legs includes a plurality of deformations along its length to resist axial movement of the leg through the surrounding soil. The parallel legs are spaced apart a distance of no more than about four times the thickness of the legs in order to synergistically increase the resistance of the legs to axial shearing through the compacted soil. The legs are preferably formed from a single length of bar-shaped material having a U-shaped bent portion that integrally connects the legs in parallel. Such a structure facilitates manufacture and the rounded portion of the integrally formed U-shaped portion provides a strong and convenient site for connecting the reinforcing member to a facing element.
The present invention generally relates to a mechanical earth stabilizing (MSE) system for forming structural components from compacted soil reinforcing members formed from a pair of parallel legs that are spaced apart a selected distance to synergistically increase the resistance of the legs to axial shear movement through the compacted soil.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONMechanically stabilized earth (MSE) is used to build a variety of structures such as retaining walls, bridge abutments, and sea walls. These structures are formed from a network of soil reinforcing members embedded in a volume of engineered frictional backfill formed from soil that has typically been compacted to a high percentage (>90%) of its maximum dry density. The reinforcing members are connected at one end to a structural facing that retains the engineered backfill. Stresses in the engineered backfill are partially transferred to the reinforcement members by way of frictional forces acting between the reinforcing members and the engineered backfill, or passive resistance between protruding surfaces on the reinforcing members and the surrounding soil, or a combination of both, resulting in a composite structural material of reinforced soil, the strain of which, in the working condition, is limited by the strain in the soil reinforcing element. The tensional forces in the reinforcing members are also partially transferred to the structure facings, which most commonly include precast concrete facing panels, welded wire facing forms, or modular blocks.
A number of different types of soil reinforcing members are known in the prior art, including steel strips, bar mats, ladder-type reinforcements and geosynthetic sheets, grids and strips. Ideally, the soil-reinforcing members should carry the tensile loads applied to them by the surrounding compressed soil in a uniform manner along their lengths. In order for the forces in the soil to be transferred to the reinforcement, the reinforcing member must effectively engage the surrounding soil along its length through friction, or bearing resistance on protrusions, or a combination of both mechanisms. The ability of soil reinforcing elements to engage the surrounding soil is commonly referred to by practitioners in the art as “pull out resistance.” Ladder-type reinforcements, usually made of steel, are commonly formed by welding cross bars at regular intervals to parallel steel bars. The cross bars on this type of reinforcement are particularly good at providing pullout resistance. However, ladder-type reinforcements are relatively expensive to produce in view of the welding required in mounting the large number of cross bars. The cross bars also add significantly to the unit weight of the reinforcing member, increasing the cost of transportation and installation. Finally, the welds may make ladder-type reinforcing members more susceptible to accelerated corrosion in service.
While steel strip-type reinforcements are easier and less expensive to manufacture, they typically provide less resistance to shearing through the soil than do ladder-type reinforcements even when manufactured with ribs or other types of protrusions to enhance soil engagement. Moreover, the applicant has observed that reinforcing members that are wider than they are thick require a greater weight of steel per unit of tensile strength, since a loss of thickness due to corrosion (generally on the order of 1.5 mm to 2 mm) is assumed to occur over the design life of the structure. Additionally, narrow relatively flat reinforcements also suffer from the need to create a penetration at the connection with facings to accommodate a connection member, commonly a bolt, which in turn reduces its structural capacity at the location of the penetration.
Accordingly there is a need in the field of MSE for a soil stabilization system having reinforcing members that generate a high resistance to pullout, are relatively simple and easy to manufacture, provide maximum tensile strength with a minimum amount of material, maintain full strength at the connection with the facing, and maintain structural efficiency in tension over the design life of the resulting MSE structure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention solves or at least ameliorates all of the aforementioned shortcomings associated with the prior art. To this end, the mechanical earth stabilizing system comprises at least one facing element that retains compacted soil, and a plurality of reinforcing members connected at one end to the facing element and disposed within the retained soil, the reinforcing member including a pair of legs, each of which includes a plurality of deformations along its length that generate passive resistance to sliding through the soil. The longitudinal axes of the legs are mutually parallel and preferably disposed in a same horizontal plane. Preferably, the legs are spaced apart a distance of no more than about four or five times the thickness of the legs. The applicant has surprisingly found that such spacing synergistically increases the resistance of the legs to shearing through the compacted soil. Stated differently, the total amount of shear resistance for both legs when such spacing is present is greater than the sum of the shear resistance of the individual legs when such spacing is not present.
The legs are preferably formed from a continuous bar-shaped member and formed into a U-shaped configuration, with the U-shaped bend connected to the facing element. Such a structure facilitates manufacture and the rounded portion of the integrally formed U-shaped portion provides a strong and convenient site for connecting the reinforcing member to a facing element. Alternatively, the legs may be independent elements connected to a separate facing connection apparatus.
The legs have a same or substantially same cross-sectional shape which is preferably round or oval, but which could be square or hexagonal or any other regular polygon, the only constraint being that the legs are not substantially flat. The deformations along the length of the legs may be protrusions such as ribs or ridges which circumscribe the outer surface of the legs. Alternatively, the deformations may take the form of crimps or bends in the legs, such as an undulating pattern of sinusoidal bends in the legs. In order to effectively engage the surrounding soil, the deformations should have a regular pattern and be spaced at regular intervals of not more than about 200 mm. If the deformations are protrusions, then they preferably protrude between about 2 and 4 mm.
The present invention further includes a connection assembly that fixedly connects the reinforcing member to the facing element. One embodiment of the connection assembly includes a loop member fixedly mounted to the facing element and having a rounded section that overlaps with the rounded portion of the U-shaped bar element. A tubular linking element is disposed in the overlapping rounded portion of the U-shaped bar element and the rounded section of the loop element. The tubular linking element is secured to the rounded section of the loop element and the rounded portion of the U-shaped bar element by opposing cotter pins. Another embodiment of the connection assembly includes a mounting plate that projects from the face of the facing element and that overlaps with the rounded portion of the U-shaped bar element. A bolt in combination with a thick washer, nut, and clamping plate clamps the U-shaped bar element to the mounting plate extending from the facing element.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of the invention and, together with the written description, serve to explain various principles of the invention.
Reference will now be made in detail to various exemplary embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The following detailed description is provided to give details on certain embodiments of the invention, and should not be understood as a limitation on the full scope of the invention.
The ability of the MSE structure formed by the system 100 to carry a load is dependent upon the ability of the reinforcing members to generate pullout resistance 108 and to withstand tensile loads. So, if the soil easily shears between the reinforcing members 104 and surrounding soil 108, it will pull out of the soil long before reaching the tensile capacity of the element. While pullout resistance may be increased by increasing the number of reinforcing members in the system 100, such a solution would require substantial increase in material and labor. Accordingly, the reinforcing members 104 are designed to provide a high degree pullout resistance.
With reference now to
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The tubular linking element 128 has a cylindrical outer surface that is preferably complementary in shape to the circular opening made after the U-shaped bent portion 116 is inserted between the curved sections 126 of the anchor loops 122a, 122b. The tubular linking member 128 is disposed within this circular opening as shown. To secure the bent portion 116 and the curved section 126 to the tubular linking member 128, cotter pins 130a, 130b are slipped over the upper edge of the linking member as shown in
With reference now to
While the facing elements 102 have been described as pre-cast concrete wall panels in the descriptions of both connecting assembly embodiments 106, 135 they may just as easily be cast-in-place panels or blocks or welded wire the facings.
The foregoing examples have been provided merely for the purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limiting of the present invention. While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is understood that the words which have been used herein are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. Changes may be made, within the purview of the appended claims, as presently stated and as amended, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention in its aspects. Although the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular means, materials and embodiments, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed herein; rather, the present invention extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods and uses, such as are within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A mechanical earth stabilizing system, comprising:
- at least one facing element that retains soil;
- at least one reinforcing member connected at one end to the facing element and disposed within the reinforced soil, the reinforcing member including a pair of legs, each of which includes a plurality of deformations along its length that resists axial movement of the leg through the surrounding soil, the pair of legs having mutually parallel longitudinal axes and being disposed in a same horizontal plane,
- wherein the legs are spaced apart a distance of no more than about five times the thickness of the legs for at least a substantial portion of their lengths.
2. The mechanical earth stabilizing system of claim 1, wherein the legs are integrally connected together at the end connected to the facing element.
3. The mechanical earth stabilizing system of claim 2, wherein the legs are integrally connected together by a U-shaped member.
4. The mechanical earth stabilizing system of claim 3, wherein the legs are formed by a single length of bar-shaped material having a U-shaped bent portion that integrally connects the legs in parallel.
5. The mechanical earth stabilizing system of claim 1, wherein the deformations are protrusions that extend from the surface of the legs at a distance of at least about 10% of the thickness of the legs.
6. The mechanical earth stabilizing system of claim 1, wherein the deformations are protrusions that extend from the surface of the legs at a distance of between about 2 and 4 millimeters.
7. The mechanical earth stabilizing system of claim 1, wherein the legs have a rounded cross-sectional shape, and the deformations are ridges that circumscribe the outer surface of the legs at least partway.
8. The mechanical earth stabilizing system of claim 1, wherein the deformations are spaced along the length of the legs a distance of not more than about 200 millimeters apart.
9. The mechanical earth stabilizing system of claim 1, wherein the deformations are spaced along the length of the legs a distance of not more than about twenty times the thickness of the legs.
10. The mechanical earth stabilizing system of claim 1, wherein the deformations are crimps or bends in the legs.
11. The mechanical earth stabilizing system of claim 10, wherein the deformations are sinusoidal bends in the legs.
12. The mechanical earth stabilizing system of claim 11, wherein the sinusoidal bends are of uniform length and amplitude.
13. The mechanical earth stabilizing system of claim 12, wherein the sinusoidal bends on both legs are uniformly spaced along the longitudinal axis of each leg.
14. The mechanical earth stabilizing system of claim 3, further comprising a connection assembly that fixedly connects the end of the reinforcing member to the facing element, wherein the connection assembly includes a loop member fixedly mounted to the facing element and having a rounded section that overlaps with the rounded portion of the U-shaped bar element.
15. The mechanical earth stabilizing system of claim 14, wherein the connection assembly further includes a tubular linking element disposed in the overlapping rounded portion of the U-shaped bar element and the rounded section of the loop element.
16. The mechanical earth stabilizing system of claim 15, wherein the connection assembly further includes a mounting element that fixedly connects the tubular linking element to one or both of the rounded portion of the U-shaped bar element and the rounded section of the loop element.
17. The mechanical earth stabilizing system of claim 15, wherein the mounting element includes at least one cotter pin.
18. The mechanical earth stabilizing system of claim 3, further comprising a connection assembly that fixedly connects the end of the reinforcing element to the facing element, wherein the connection assembly includes a plate element fixedly mounted to the facing element, and a fastener for fixedly mounting the U-shaped bar element of the reinforcing element to the plate.
19. The mechanical earth stabilizing system of claim 18, wherein the plate element includes an opening, and the fastener of the connection assembly includes a bolt that extends through the rounded portion of the U-shaped bar element and the opening of the plate, and a nut.
20. A mechanical earth stabilizing system, comprising:
- at least one facing element that retains compacted soil;
- at least one reinforcing element connected at one end to the facing element and disposed within the compacted soil, the reinforcing element including a pair of bar-shaped legs, each of which includes a plurality of protrusions along its length that resist axial movement of the leg through the surrounding soil, the pair of legs being mutually parallel and in a horizontal plane and having about a same cross sectional area,
- wherein the parallel legs are spaced apart a distance of no more than about five times the thickness of the legs, and are connected together at the facing element by a U-shaped element.
21. The mechanical earth stabilizing system of claim 16, wherein the legs are formed by a single length of bar-shaped material having a U-shaped bent portion that integrally connects the legs in parallel.
22. The mechanical earth stabilizing system of claim 16, wherein the legs have a rounded cross-sectional shape, and the protrusions are ridges that circumscribe the outer surface of the legs at least partway.
23. The mechanical earth stabilizing system of claim 18, wherein the ridges extend from the surface of the legs at a distance of between about 2 and 4 millimeters.
24. The mechanical earth stabilizing system of claim 16, wherein the protrusions are spaced along the length of the legs a distance of not more than about 200 millimeters apart.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 29, 2012
Publication Date: May 30, 2013
Applicant: EarthTec International LLC (Lorton, VA)
Inventor: EarthTec International LLC (Lorton, VA)
Application Number: 13/689,162
International Classification: E02D 29/02 (20060101);