CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/293,068 entitled “MULTI-BATTERED SEGMENTAL RETAINING WALL BLOCK WITH INTEGRAL SELF ALIGNMENT SYSTEM” filed on Dec. 22, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present disclosure relates generally to prefabricated interlocking concrete blocks, and more particularly to multi-battered segmental retaining wall blocks with integral self-alignments systems, and methods of forming retaining walls with same.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Interlocking concrete blocks are used for many outdoor construction applications, one of the most common being the construction of retaining walls. Interlocking concrete blocks are designed for durability, stability, and aesthetic appeal. Interlocking blocks used in retaining wall applications are commonly referred to as Segmental Retaining Wall Blocks, or SRWs.
Often, SRWs are dry-stacked (no mortar) on top of each other and have a connection system to interlock the blocks thereby to together resist forces from that which is being retained, such as soil. Such a connection system may involve the interaction of one or more tongues on one block with one or more corresponding grooves on an adjacent block, or some other type of shear connector or pin connector system.
Improvements in interlocking SRWs are desirable. For example, it may be useful to provide an installer with multiple installation options for a given SRW block, such as enabling the installer to use the block either as a part of a battered (slightly sloping) retaining wall, or as a part of a vertical retaining wall, all while enabling the block to interlock with other like or similar blocks adjacent to it.
However, challenges with providing blocks that permit such flexibility can arise, particularly where dimensional tolerances are incorporated into features of such blocks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with an aspect, there is provided a retaining wall block comprising: a block body comprising: a top side and a bottom side opposite the top side; a front side and a rear side opposite the front side; and a first side and a second side opposite the first side; a vertical interlock system comprising: a first female-type component comprising a first groove extending along the bottom side of the block body between the first side and the second side, the first groove being spaced from the front side by a distance of (Z or Z−T) and having a width Y+T, wherein each of Z, T and Y is greater than zero, and Z is greater than T; a second female-type component comprising a second groove extending along the bottom side of the block body between the first side and the second side, the second groove being spaced from the rear side by a distance Z+B and having a width Y+T, wherein B is greater than zero; a male-type component extending across the top side of the block body between the first side and the second side, the male-type component being spaced from the rear side by a distance Z and having a width no greater than Y+T; and a lateral interlock system comprising: a male-type lateral interlock interface integral with the first side midway between the front side and the rear side; and a female-type lateral interlock interface integral with the second side midway between the front side and the rear side and in lateral alignment with the male-type lateral interlock interface.
In an embodiment, the male-type component of the vertical interlock system is a single vertical male tongue.
In an embodiment, the male-type component of the vertical interlock system comprises a plurality of vertical male tongues.
In an embodiment, the first groove of the first female-type component is spaced from the front side by a distance of Z.
In an embodiment, the first groove of the first female-type component is spaced from the front side by a distance of Z-T.
In an embodiment, the male-type lateral interlock interface comprises: a first bearing wall that extends laterally away from the block from a first position along the first side that is a distance X from the front side; and a second bearing wall that extends laterally away from the block from a second position along the first side that is the distance X from the rear side; and the female-type lateral interlock interface comprises: a third bearing wall that extends laterally into the block from a third position along the second side that is the distance X from the front side; and a fourth bearing wall that extends laterally into the block from a fourth position along the second side that is the distance X from the rear side.
In an embodiment, the first bearing wall extends laterally away from the block at a same non-normal first angle as the third bearing wall extends laterally into the block; and the second bearing wall extends laterally away from the block at a same non-normal second angle as the fourth bearing wall extends laterally into the block.
In an embodiment, the first bearing wall is a part of a first lateral male key and the second bearing wall is a part of a second lateral male key that is spaced from the first lateral male key along the first side.
In an embodiment, the first lateral male key is a mirror image of the second lateral male key about a notional plane extending vertically through the top side and the bottom side midway between the front side and the rear side.
In an embodiment, the first bearing wall and the second bearing wall are both parts of a single lateral male key.
In an embodiment, the first bearing wall, the second bearing wall, the third bearing wall and the fourth bearing wall all extend the same distance from respective sides.
In accordance with an aspect, there is provided a set of retaining wall blocks comprising: a plurality of the retaining wall block of claim 1, wherein: in at least one of the plurality the first groove of the first female-type component is spaced from the front side by a distance of Z (“Unit A block”); and in at least one of the plurality the first groove of the first female-type component is spaced from the front side by a distance of Z-T (“Unit B block”).
In accordance with an aspect, there is provided a retaining wall formed using at least the set of retaining wall blocks.
In an embodiment, successive courses of the retaining wall are battered with respect to previous courses.
In an embodiment, successive courses of the retaining wall are not battered with respect to previous courses.
In an embodiment, at least one course of the retaining wall comprises at least one of the Unit A block and at least one of the Unit B block.
Embodiments described herein provide some or all of the following advantages: enabling retaining wall blocks to be “multi-battered” i.e., usable interchangeably in battered or vertical walls, enabling different retaining wall blocks to be used on the same course of a battered or vertical walls, enabling different retaining wall blocks to be formed together in a single mold, enabling vertical as well as horizontal interlock with other blocks when assembled in a battered or vertical wall, and other advantages.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompany drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a portion of a slightly sloped, or “battered”, retaining wall formed of stacked interlocking retaining wall blocks to retain material such as earth and stones;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of two of the stacked interlocking retaining wall blocks of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a retaining wall formed of stacked retaining wall blocks and flanking stairs;
FIG. 4A is a side view of a plurality of stacked interlocking retaining wall blocks each capable of being stacked to form either a battered or a vertical (i.e., non-battered) retaining wall and being arranged to form a battered retaining wall sloping at an angle Y with respect to the vertical;
FIG. 4B is a side view of a plurality of stacked interlocking retaining wall blocks each capable of being stacked to form either a battered or a vertical retaining wall and being arranged to form a vertical retaining wall;
FIG. 5 is a side view of a plurality of stacked interlocking retaining wall blocks only capable of being stacked to form a vertical retaining wall;
FIG. 6 is a side view of a plurality of stacked interlocking retaining wall blocks each capable of being stacked to form either a battered or a vertical retaining wall and being arranged in alternative orientations on successive courses to form a vertical retaining wall;
FIG. 7 is a magnified side view of one of the interlocking retaining wall blocks of FIG. 6 showing respective offsets of a male-type vertical interlock system component and a female-type vertical interlock system component about a notional plane extending vertically through the top side and the bottom side of the retaining wall block midway between the front side and the rear side;
FIG. 8 is a magnified side view of interfacing portions of two successive interlocking retaining wall blocks arranged for a battered wall, with the female-type vertical interlock system component of the uppermost of the retaining wall blocks having, to account for manufacturing tolerance, a slightly larger width than that of the male-type vertical interlock system component of the lowermost of the retaining wall blocks;
FIG. 9 is a side view of two successive interlocking retaining wall blocks arranged for a vertical wall, with the female-type vertical interlock system component of the uppermost of the retaining wall blocks having, to account for manufacturing tolerance, a slightly larger width than that of the male-type vertical interlock system component of the lowermost of the retaining wall blocks;
FIG. 10 is a side view of a retaining wall block having two female-type vertical interlock system components and a single male-type vertical interlock system component, each positioned to enable multiple such blocks to be stacked in a battered or vertical relationship while also, when stacked vertically, ameliorating block overhang arising due to the slightly larger width of the female-type vertical interlock system components to account for manufacturing tolerance;
FIG. 11 is a side view of the retaining wall block of FIG. 10 showing distances from the front side of the block and from the rear side of the block of the first of the female-type vertical interlock interface system components and the male-type vertical interlock interface system component, respectively;
FIG. 12 is a side view of a plurality of the retaining wall blocks of FIG. 10, stacked in multiple courses in a battered relationship;
FIG. 13 is a side view of two of the interlocking retaining wall blocks of FIGS. 10 through 12 arranged for a first two courses of a vertical retaining wall;
FIG. 14 is a side view of a third of the interlocking retaining wall blocks of FIGS. 10 through 12 arranged for a third course of the vertical retaining wall of FIG. 13;
FIG. 15A is a side view of the retaining wall block of FIGS. 10 through 12, referred to as a “Unit A”;
FIG. 15B is a side view of a variation of the retaining wall block of FIGS. 10 through 12 (the variation of “Unit A” being referred to as “Unit B”), wherein a distance from the front side of the block of the first of the female-type vertical interlock interface system component is less than the distance in the retaining wall block of FIGS. 10 through 12 by an amount T corresponding to the amount by which the width of the female-type vertical interlock interface components is greater than that of the male-type vertical interlock interface component;
FIG. 16 is a side view of two of the “Unit A” retaining wall blocks arranged for the first two courses of a vertical retaining wall;
FIG. 17 is a side view of a “Unit B” retaining wall block being added as a successive course of the vertical retaining wall of FIG. 16;
FIG. 18 is a side view of “Unit A” and “Unit B” retaining wall blocks being added as successive courses of the vertical retaining wall of FIG. 17;
FIG. 19A is a front side view of two retaining wall blocks, according to an embodiment, arranged as if in a mold;
FIG. 19B is a top side view of several of the retaining wall blocks of FIG. 19A arranged as if in a mold;
FIG. 19C is a side view of several of the retaining wall blocks of FIGS. 19A and 19B arranged as if in a mold;
FIG. 20 is a side view of a “Unit A” retaining wall block of FIG. 15A and a “Unit B” retaining wall block of FIG. 15B arranged for a first two courses of a vertical retaining wall;
FIG. 21 is a side view of two “Unit A” retaining wall blocks of FIG. 15A arranged for a first two courses of a vertical retaining wall;
FIG. 22A is a top view of an alternative “Unit A” retaining wall block having a lateral interlock system;
FIG. 22B is a side view of the alternative “Unit A” retaining wall block of FIG. 22A simplified to remove a depiction of the lateral interlock system but aligned with the block shown in FIG. 22A;
FIG. 23 is a top perspective view of another alternative “Unit A” retaining wall block which is similar to that of FIG. 22A but having a slightly different configuration of lateral interlock system;
FIG. 24 is a top perspective view of another alternative “Unit A” retaining wall block which is similar to that of FIG. 22A but with the male-type component of the vertical interlock system including multiple vertical male keys rather than a single vertical male key;
FIG. 25 is an enlarged view of a first side portion of the alternative “Unit A” retaining wall block of FIG. 22A, showing the male-type lateral interlock interface;
FIG. 26 is an enlarged view of a second side portion of the alternative “Unit A” retaining wall block of FIG. 22A, showing the female-type lateral interlock interface;
FIG. 27 is an enlarged view of a male-type lateral interlock interface of one alternative “Unit A” retaining wall block interfacing with a female-type lateral interlock interface of another alternative “Unit A” retaining wall block;
FIG. 28 is a top view of multiple alternative “Unit A” retaining wall blocks laterally interlocked in a first course of a vertical retaining wall;
FIG. 29A is a top view of an alternative “Unit B” retaining wall block beginning a successive course of the vertical retaining wall of FIG. 28;
FIG. 29B is a side view of the first two courses of the vertical retaining wall of FIG. 29A;
FIG. 30 is a top view of alternative “Unit A” and “Unit B” retaining wall blocks on a second course of the vertical retaining of FIG. 29A, interlocked laterally via the lateral interlock system;
FIG. 31 is a top view of the alternative “Unit A” and “Unit B” retaining wall blocks on the second course of the vertical retaining of FIG. 30, showing soil forces leftward being resisted by vertical interlock system components in the alternative “Unit B” retaining wall blocks interfacing with vertical interlock system components in the previous course, and by lateral interlock system components of the alternative “Unit A” retaining wall block interfacing with the lateral interlock system components of the flanking alternative “Unit B” retaining wall blocks;
FIG. 32A is a top view of portions of adjacent “Unit A” and “Unit B” retaining wall blocks in the second course of the retaining wall of FIG. 31 interacting via their lateral interlock systems to resist soil forces;
FIG. 32B is a side view of successive courses of retaining wall blocks of the retaining wall of FIG. 31, showing how the lateral interlock systems on a given course keep a retaining wall block from being shifted leftward by soil forces until the manufacturing tolerance amount afforded in the female-type vertical interlock system component is taken up by the shift, thereby preventing a left side overhang of the tolerance amount; and
FIG. 33 is a top perspective view of first and second courses of a vertical retaining wall being constructed using interacting alternative “Unit A” and “Unit B” retaining wall blocks, with arrows showing the vertical interlocking between successive courses of certain blocks and the lateral interlocking between certain blocks on a same course resisting soil forces by soil being retained.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS It may be desirable to stack segmented retaining wall SRW blocks when building a retaining wall so as to produce, in the retaining wall, a slope (a lean; or a “batter”) backwards into the retained fill (such as soil, stones). Providing a batter may provide more structural stability for resisting the pressure applied by the fill. For example, FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a portion of a slightly sloped, or “battered”, retaining wall W formed of stacked interlocking retaining wall blocks 10 to retain fill material F such as earth and stones. Only three retaining wall blocks 10 are shown in FIG. 1, and each has a male vertical interlock interface component, in this embodiment a tongue 12, that is sized to be received within a female vertical interlock interface component, in this embodiment a groove 14, of an adjacent, like, retaining wall block 10. In this embodiment, batter is achieved by offsetting the location of the tongue 14 toward the back of the retaining wall block 10, relative to the groove 14.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of just two of the stacked interlocking retaining wall blocks 10 of FIG. 1. As described in connection with FIG. 1, each of the two blocks 10 has a tongue 12. Each of the two blocks also has a groove 14 into which a tongue 12 of the adjacent block 10 may be inserted to provide vertical interlock over successive courses. It will be understood that grooves 14 of blocks 10 of a bottommost course (i.e., “layer”) of a given retaining wall do not receive a tongue 12, as there is no further underlying course of blocks 10. An offset B between the location of the tongue 12 with respect to front and rear faces of a block 10 and the location of its own groove 14 enables successive courses of like blocks to progress with a batter back into the fill material F. When multiple such blocks 10 are stacked in this way, the overall retaining wall is referred to as battered such that it will slope backwards at an angle from the vertical. In some embodiments, the angle is from about 3 degrees and about 8 degrees. Other higher or lower battering angles are possible, depending on the relative location of the tongue 12 and the groove 14 of each block being used to construct the retaining wall.
It may be desirable or necessary in certain construction situations to provide a wall without batter. That is, to provide a substantially vertical wall. For example, a space constraint may present itself in a given wall design such that lean or batter in a wall could take up too much room on site. Scenarios are possible in which a retaining wall is adjacent to a set of steps on the low side, and the designer wants to ensure the stairs do not have to widen as they progress from bottom to top as they would if the adjacent wall were to be battered. FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a retaining wall W formed vertically of stacked retaining wall blocks and that flanks a set of steps S.
FIG. 4A is a side view of a plurality of stacked interlocking retaining wall blocks 10 each capable of being stacked to form either a battered or a vertical (i.e., non-battered) retaining wall, due to a particular offset in the positions of the respective tongues 12 and grooves 14. In FIG. 4A, the blocks 10 are arranged to form a battered retaining wall WB sloping at an angle of Y degrees with respect to the vertical. FIG. 4B is a side view of a plurality of stacked interlocking retaining wall blocks 10 each also capable of being stacked to form either a battered or a vertical retaining wall due to the offset in the positions of the respective tongues 12 and grooves 14, but being arranged to form a vertical retaining wall WV (i.e., a slope of zero (“0”) degrees with respect to vertical).
It will be appreciated that another method for achieving a vertical retaining wall from interlocking retaining wall blocks is to simply provide retaining wall blocks 20 with no offset between the tongue 12 and groove 14. FIG. 5 is a side view of a plurality of such stacked interlocking retaining wall blocks 20 which, due to their non-offset configuration, can only be stacked form a vertical retaining wall WV. However, it can be more useful to provide retaining wall blocks that are each capable of being used for constructing either vertical or battered retaining walls, as the designer and/or installer see fit. Doing so allows a single product to serve multiple functions, which can ease supply and installation.
FIG. 6 is similar to FIG. 4B, and is a side view of a plurality of stacked interlocking retaining wall blocks 30 each capable of being stacked to form either a battered or a vertical retaining wall but being arranged in alternative orientations on successive courses to form a vertical retaining wall WV.
FIG. 7 is a magnified side view of one of the interlocking retaining wall blocks of FIG. 6 showing respective offsets of a male-type vertical interlock system component (in this embodiment, a tongue 32) and a female-type vertical interlock system component (in this embodiment, a groove 34) about a notional plane P. Plane P extends vertically through the top side and the bottom side of the retaining wall block midway between the front side and the rear side of block 30. The midway point is a distance A/2 from the front side and the rear side, where A is the full distance between the front side and the rear side).
In FIG. 7, where each successive block 30 is to be offset a total of a distance B from blocks 30 of a previous course, the offset about plane P of the tongue 32 is B/2 towards the rear side of block 30 (rightward in FIG. 7), and the offset about plan P of the groove is B/2 towards the front side of block 30 (leftward in FIG. 7). By dividing the total offset of B equally between a leftward offset about plane P of groove 34 and a rightward offset about plane P of tongue 32 (i.e., equal and opposite offsets), an installer can rotate each successive course with respect to a previous course by 180 degrees to form a vertical wall WV but can also, if desired, form a battered wall WB using the same blocks 30 stacked successively in the same orientation.
A challenge arises when dimensional tolerances are to be incorporated into the design of retaining wall blocks such as retaining wall blocks 30. For example, to allow room for variation in block dimensions incurred during manufacturing, the depth (distance left to right in, for example, FIG. 7) of a tongue such as tongue 32 should be less than the depth of a groove such as groove 34. A similar difference in heights of the tongue and groove is typically provided. It is typical to provide for 3-4 millimetres (mm) of clearance space between a tongue and a groove. FIG. 8 is a magnified side view of interfacing portions of two successive interlocking retaining wall blocks 30 arranged for a battered wall WB, with the groove 34 of the uppermost of the retaining wall blocks having, to account for manufacturing tolerance, a slightly larger width than that of the tongue 32 of the lowermost of the retaining wall blocks 30. The difference, in this example, is a distance of T. That is, groove 34 is T longer than tongue 32 (and, though it will not be discussed further herein, T taller as well).
The challenge that arises is that, due to the pressure of fill material F, blocks such as blocks 30 stacked to form a retaining wall W and backfilled are pushed forwards (in the diagrams, leftwards) until the rear wall of the groove 34 of the block 30 of a successive course engages the rear wall of the tongue 32 of the block 30 of the previous course. This does not tend to represent a problem for a battered wall WB because the tolerance amount T manifests on the front side of tongue 32 (in the figures, to the left of tongue 32). This is shown in FIG. 8 in particular. However, when a vertical wall WV is to be constructed by orienting successive courses with respect to previous courses by 180 degrees, this tolerance amount T causes successive courses to shift forward by an amount T/2. Over a number of successive courses, this results in the wall being “over-vertical”. That is, instead of being exactly vertical, the wall tends to slightly lean outwards (away from the fill material F, and leftward in the figures) due to the accumulation of slight tolerance overhangs course after course. As an example, if T=5 mm, over a number of successive courses the uppermost blocks in the retaining wall could be over-vertical by 25 mm to 50 mm, which may be out of specification. From a structural standpoint, such a “negative batter” could lead to performance problems and, from an aesthetic standpoint, the retaining wall may look as though it is falling forward rather than leaning against the fill material F.
FIG. 9 is a side view of two successive interlocking retaining wall blocks 30 arranged for a vertical wall WV, with the groove 34 of the uppermost of the retaining wall blocks 30 having, to account for manufacturing tolerance, a slightly larger width (by an amount T) than that of the tongue 32 of the lowermost of the retaining wall blocks 30. This leads to an overhang opposite the fill (i.e., on the left side in the diagrams) of T/2.
In order to reduce or eliminate the likelihood of negative batter due to the manufacturing tolerance amount T when retaining wall blocks capable of being stacked to form either battered or vertical walls are used to form vertical walls, alternatives are desirable. FIG. 10 is a side view of a retaining wall block 50A. Retaining wall block 50A includes a block body having a top side 52 and a bottom side 54 opposite top side 52. The block body of retaining wall block 50A also includes a front side 58 and a rear side 60 opposite front side 58. The block body of retaining wall block 50A also includes a first side 62 (not visible in FIG. 10) and a second side 64 opposite first side 62.
Retaining wall block 50A also includes a vertical interlock system. In this embodiment, the vertical interlock system includes two female-type vertical interlock system components (in this embodiment, grooves 55 and 56) along the bottom side 54 of the block body, as well as a single male-type vertical interlock system component (in this embodiment, tongue 53) extending across top side 52 of the block body. Each of grooves 55 and 56 and tongue 53 is positioned to enable multiple such blocks to be stacked in a battered or vertical relationship and positioned and dimensioned to, when stacked vertically, reduce or eliminate block overhang leading to negative batter.
FIG. 11 is a side view of the retaining wall block of FIG. 10 showing distances from the front side of the block and from the rear side of the block of the first groove 55 and the tongue 53, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, in this embodiment, first groove 55 of retaining wall block 50A is spaced from front side 58 a distance of Z, and has a width of Y+T. The width Y+T represents the width Y of tongue 53, plus a tolerance amount T as described herein. As such, each of Z, T and Y is greater than zero, and Z is greater than T. Similarly, second groove 56 is spaced from rear side 60 by a distance Z+B and, like first groove 55, has a width of Y+T. The B distance amounts to a non-zero batter offset as described herein. Tongue 53 is spaced from rear side 60 by the distance Z—the same distance that first groove 55 is spaced from front side 58—and has a width that is notionally about Y but that must be no greater than Y+T in order to fit within a corresponding groove 55 or 56, as will be described, in another like block 50A.
FIG. 12 is a side view of a plurality of the retaining wall blocks 50A, stacked in multiple courses in the same orientation, so as to form a battered wall WB. It will be appreciated that, for the battered wall WB, once each successive block 50A is pushed forwards (leftwards in the diagrams) due to fill material pressure so that its groove 56 engages a tongue 53 of the next lower course, the front-rear tolerance amount T of groove 56 is forward of tongue 53.
FIG. 13 is a side view of two of the interlocking retaining wall blocks 50A arranged for a first two courses of a vertical retaining wall WV. As shown, the upper block 50A in FIG. 13 has been rotated 180 degrees with respect to the lower block 50A. Because of the position of the first groove 55 of block 50A—in particular the distance Z that it is from front side 58, as it is pushed forwards (leftwards in the diagrams) due to fill material pressure, its groove 55 engages tongue 53 of the next lower course, and the front-rear tolerance amount T of groove 55 is forward of tongue 53. This enables the upper block 50A to be entirely vertically aligned with the lower block 50A, such that the front side 58 of the upper block 50A is in vertical alignment with the rear side 60 of the lower block 50A, and the rear side 60 of the upper block 50A is in vertical alignment with the front side 58 of the lower block 50A.
However, a further challenge with vertical alignment arises in the placement of the third course of blocks 50A. FIG. 14 is a side view of a third of the interlocking retaining wall blocks 50A arranged for a third course of the vertical retaining wall WV. At this point, for continuing to form the vertical retaining wall WV, the third course block 50A is rotated 180 degrees with respect to the second course block 50A so that it is oriented in the same way as the first course block 50A. Now, the interlocking relationship between this third course block 50A and the second course block 50A is conducted through interaction between tongue 53 of the second course block 50A and first groove 55 of the third course block 50A. It will be appreciated that, as described herein, tongue 53 and groove 55 were located at respective distances to ensure vertical alignment when groove 55 contacts a rearward-facing side of the tongue 53 (the side of tongue 53 closest to rear side 60 of the block body) due to the pressure from fill material F. However, the interaction between the third course block 50A and the second course block 50A is such that tongue 53 of the second course block 50A is contacted by groove 55 of the third course block on its frontward-facing side (the side of tongue 53 closest to front side 58 of the block body). As a result, the third course block 50A actually would shift forward due to pressure from fill material F and become over-vertical at this point by an overhang amount “T” with respect to the second course block 50A.
FIG. 15A is a side view of the retaining wall block 50A, referred to herein interchangeably as a “Unit A” block. FIG. 15B is a side view of a variation retaining wall block 50B, referred to herein interchangeably as a “Unit B” block. Unit B block 50B is the same as Unit A block 50A, except that whereas with the Unit A block the distance from the front side 58 of the block body of the Unit A block 50A to first groove 55 is Z, with the Unit B block the distance from the front side 58 of the block body of the Unit B block to first groove 55 is Z-T (i.e., is less than Z by the tolerance amount T). The Unit B block 50B may be used on the third course in lieu of the Unit A block 50A shown in FIG. 14, so that no overhang amount “T” would occur with respect to the second course block 50A. It will be appreciated therefore that, according to this description, Unit A and Unit B retaining wall blocks may be used together to form either a battered retaining wall WB or a proper (i.e., non-overhanging) vertical retaining wall WV.
FIG. 16 is a side view of two of the “Unit A” retaining wall blocks 50A arranged for the first two courses of a vertical retaining wall WV, in particular by rotating the second course block 50A by 180 degrees with respect to the first course block 50A for interlocking placement atop first course block 50A.
FIG. 17 is a side view of a “Unit B” retaining wall block 50B being added for a third course of the vertical retaining wall WV of FIG. 16, in particular by orienting Unit B retaining wall block 50B the same way as first course retaining wall block 50B (and, by implication, at 180 degrees with respect to the second course block 50A).
FIG. 18 is a side view of “Unit A” and “Unit B” retaining wall blocks 50A, 50B being added as successive courses of the vertical retaining wall WV of FIG. 17, with each successive course block 50A or 50B being rotated by 180 degrees with respect to the previous course with which it interlocks.
It may be possible to always have sufficiently equal numbers of Unit A and Unit B blocks 50A, 50B at hand on a job site to construct a vertical retaining wall as described herein. In particular, it may be possible to have enough units at hand on pallets to construct an entire first course with Unit A blocks 50A, an entire second course with Unit A blocks 50A, an entire third course with Unit B blocks 50B, and successive courses entirely of Unit A blocks 50A or of Unit B blocks 50B. Furthermore, it may be possible to provide a mold for producing a set entirely of Unit A blocks, and a different mold for producing a set entirely of Unit B blocks, such that multiple pallets—each only a Unit A pallet or a Unit B pallet—of blocks 50A, 50B produced by respective molds could be delivered to a job site and be drawn from by an installer.
However, it would be useful if both Unit A blocks 50A and Unit B blocks 50B could both be produced in a single mold so that both Unit A blocks 50A and Unit B blocks 50B could be on a single pallet for delivery to a job site. Furthermore, it would be useful for ease of installation if each course of a vertical retaining wall WV produced using Unit A and Unit B blocks 50A, 50B could itself contain both Unit A and Unit B blocks 50A, 50B, rather than each course only containing Unit A blocks 50A, or only containing Unit B blocks 50B.
FIG. 19A is a front side view of two retaining wall blocks, according to an embodiment, arranged as if in a mold, FIG. 19B is a top side view of several of the retaining wall blocks of FIG. 19A arranged as if in a mold, and FIG. 19C is a side view of several of the retaining wall blocks of FIGS. 19A and 19B arranged as if in a mold. It will be appreciated that the individual retaining wall blocks 70A, 70B shown in FIGS. 19A-C are themselves alternatives to both Unit A and Unit B retaining wall blocks 50A, 50B, and will be described in more detail below. However, they are shown in FIGS. 19A-C for the purpose of illustrating the convenience of molding Unit A type and Unit B type blocks in the same mold due to their close similarities, rather than having a one mold for forming Unit A type blocks and another separate mold for forming Unit B type blocks.
It is advantageous to manufacture both Unit A and Unit B 50A, 50B blocks (or Unit A and Unit B blocks 70A, 70B) in equal amounts in the same mold. As mold size can typically be limited to approximately 1100 mm×1100 mm, one possible arrangement is as shown in FIGS. 19A-C, where there are two rows of Unit A blocks 50A and two rows of Unit B blocks 50B. This may be referred to as a “layer of units”. Accordingly, multiple layers of units may be bundled on to a pallet, secured with steel or plastic bands or shrink wrap, and delivered to a site.
FIG. 20 is a side view of a “Unit A” retaining wall block 50A and a “Unit B” retaining wall block 50B arranged for a first two courses of a vertical retaining wall WV, with the Unit B retaining wall block 50B having been rotated 180 degrees with respect to the Unit A retaining wall block 50A that it overlies. It will be appreciated that when an installer constructs a wall, they start by laying a first or “base” course. It is typical to first lay the base course for the entire length of the wall, which may be tens or hundreds of meters in length. If an installer is required to pick out just the Unit A blocks 50A from a pallet containing both Unit A blocks 50A and Unit B blocks 50B (their being molded together given their similarities) in order to lay the base course, the installer would often find himself/herself leaving half of a pallet of blocks (the Unit B blocks 50B) and moving on to a second pallet of blocks to find more Unit A blocks 50A. This would be the case for every course. However, picking just one kind of block or another out of a pallet having multiple kinds of blocks can become cumbersome; an installer would typically rather take any block from an entire pallet when working on a course, before moving on to the next pallet.
However, the retaining wall blocks 50A and 50B are not configured to be used interchangeably on a given course of a retaining wall while also vertically interlocking with any blocks above and any blocks below in such a matter as to provide a uniform retaining wall. This is because the first groove 55 of a Unit A block 50A is slightly farther from the front face 58 of the block body than is the first groove 55 of a Unit B block 50B, as explained above.
It would be advantageous to enable a contractor to Unit A blocks 50A and Unit B blocks 50B on a given course to construct a proper wall. As will be described below, provision of a lateral interlock system that complements the vertical interlock system may provide this advantage. In order to explain the utility of a lateral interlock system in this context, the following explanation of the practical constraints referred to above is provided.
FIG. 21 is a side view of two “Unit A” retaining wall blocks 50A arranged for a first two courses of a vertical retaining wall WV, with the second course Unit A block 50A having been rotated 180 degrees with respect to the first course Unit A block 50A that it overlies. This Unit A-Unit A vertical interaction would occur, in theory, if an installer was free to select any of the Unit A and Unit B blocks 50A, 50B from a pallet for a given course. However, as can be seen in FIG. 21, under pressure from fill material, the uppermost block 50A would slide the tolerance amount T until its front groove 55 contacts the frontward-facing wall of the tongue 53 of the underlying block 50A. This would, in turn, cause the uppermost block 50A to overhang the lowermost block 50A by the tolerance amount T.
It would be useful to provide structure for preventing this overhang while also enabling the installer to freely select any of the blocks from a given pallet that contains two (or more) different kinds of blocks, such as Unit A blocks and Unit B blocks. Whereas the configurations described in connection with FIGS. 17 and 18 above are proposed with the assumption that entire courses of a retaining wall are made of the same kind of retaining wall block (Unit A or Unit B), the following proposes retaining wall block structure that enables each course to be made of two kinds of retaining wall block.
FIG. 22A is a top view of an alternative “Unit A” retaining wall block 70A. Unit A retaining wall block 70A is the same as Unit A retaining wall block 50A, except that whereas Unit A retaining wall block 50A does not have an integrated lateral interlock system, Unit A retaining wall block 70A has an integrated lateral interlock system. As will be described, the lateral interlock system of Unit A retaining wall block 70A can be used to laterally interlock two different retaining wall blocks (i.e. Unit A blocks 70A and Unit B blocks 70B; Unit B blocks 70B are the same as Unit B blocks 50B but Unit B blocks 70B have the same lateral interlock interface as Unit A blocks 70A) on a given course so as to prevent the kind of lateral sliding forward described above in connection with FIG. 21. FIG. 22B is a side view of the Unit A retaining wall block 70A, simplified slightly to remove a depiction of the lateral interlock system but aligned with the block shown in FIG. 22A for ease of understanding.
As shown in FIGS. 22A and 22B, Unit A retaining wall block 70A includes a block body that includes a top side 72 and a bottom side 74 opposite top side 72, a front side 78 and a rear side 80 opposite front side 78, and a first side 82 and a second side 84 opposite first side 82. The vertical interlock system of Unit A retaining wall block 70A includes a first female-type component and a second female-type component.
In this embodiment, the first female-type component includes a first groove 75 extending along bottom side 74 of the block body between first side 82 and second side 84. First groove 75 is spaced from front side 78 by a distance of Z. First groove has a width of Y+T. Each of Z, T and Y is greater than zero, and Z is greater than T.
In this embodiment, the female-type component includes a second groove 76 extending along bottom side 74 of the block body between first side 82 and second side 84. Second groove 76 is spaced from rear side 80 by a distance Z+B. Second groove 76 has a width Y+T. B is greater than zero.
The vertical interlock system also includes a male-type component (in this embodiment, a single tongue 73) extending across top side 72 of the block body between first side 82 and second side 84. The tongue 73 is spaced from rear side 80 by a distance Z. The tongue 73 has a width of about Y but should be no greater than Y+T so that to can be received within a corresponding groove 75 or 76 of an adjacent like block or a similar block, such as a Unit B retaining wall block 70B.
As also shown in FIGS. 22A and 22B, retaining wall block 70A includes a lateral interlock system. In this embodiment, the lateral interlock system includes a male-type lateral interlock interface 88 integral with first side 82 midway between front side 78 and rear side 80. The lateral interlock system also includes a female-type lateral interlock interface 80 integral with second side 84 midway between front side 78 and rear side 80. Female-type lateral interlock interface 90 is in lateral alignment with male-type lateral interlock interface 88. It will be appreciated that, while male-type lateral interlock interface 88 is integral with first side 82 of the block body and female-type lateral interlock interface 90 is integral with second side 84 of the block body, in alternative embodiments these may be interchanged such that male-type lateral interlock interface 88 is integral with second side 84 of the block body and female-type lateral interlock interface 90 is integral with first side 82 of the block body.
FIG. 23 is a top perspective view of an alternative Unit A retaining wall block 70A_Alt1, showing male-type lateral interlock interface components on the female-type lateral interlock interface components on opposite sides 82/84 of the block body compared to that of Unit A retaining wall block 70A. FIG. 24 is a top perspective view of a second alternative Unit A retaining wall block 70A_Alt2, which is similar to that Unit A retaining wall block 70A, but with the male-type component of the vertical interlock system including multiple vertical male keys 73_Alt2A and 73_Alt2B rather than a single vertical male key 73. Furthermore, Unit A retaining wall block 70A_Alt2 includes a hollow core in its centre to reduce weight.
Returning to Unit A and Unit B retaining wall blocks 70A, 70B (although the following is just as applicable to Unit A retaining wall block 70A_Alt and a Unit B type counterpart), it will be appreciated that blocks such as Unit A blocks 70A can laterally interlock with other like blocks or similar blocks such as a Unit B block 70B that have mating lateral interlock systems. The provision of the lateral interlock interfaces midway—centred on the midpoint—along first and second sides 82, 84, respective, enables Unit A blocks 70A to laterally interlock with either other Unit A blocks 70A or Unit B blocks 70B, in respective 0 degree or 180 degree orientations while having aligned front and rear sides 72, 74, whether or not the vertical interlock with a given underlying block is actually engaged due to the tolerance T described above in connection with FIG. 21. That is, if one starts with a Unit A block 70A on a first course, and one places another Unit A block 70A on the second course, the second course Unit A block 70A can be “held” by the lateral interlock system in the same relative position in which a Unit B block 70B would be held. Therefore, because of the lateral interlock system one can place a Unit A block 70A beside a unit B block 70B on a given course, and the Unit B block 70B would position—via the interaction between the lateral interlock interfaces of each block 70A, 70B—Unit A block 70A to laterally match the alignment of the Unit B block 70B.
FIG. 25 is an enlarged view of a first side portion of a Unit A retaining wall block 70A, showing the male-type lateral interlock interface 90. In this embodiment, male-type lateral interlock interface 90 includes a first bearing wall 91A that extends laterally away from block 70A from a first position along first side 82 that is a distance X from front side 78. Male-type lateral interlock interface 90 also includes a second bearing wall 91B that extends laterally away from block 70A from a second position along first side 82 that is the distance X from rear side 80. First and second bearing walls 91A, 91B extend the same distance from first side 82. In this embodiment, first and second bearing walls 91A, 91B are each parts of respective different keys or “horns” each extending laterally from first side 82 and separated by a gap centred at the midpoint of first side 82. These keys are mirror images of each other about a notional plane extending vertically through top side 72 and bottom side 74 midway between front side 72 and rear side 74. It will also be noted that, in this embodiment, first bearing wall 91A and second bearing wall 91B each extend at non-normal angles from first side 82, namely in this embodiment such that notional planes along first and second bearing walls 91A and 91B would eventually intersect with each other laterally beyond block 70A.
Alternative structures for providing bearing walls 91A, 91B are possible. For example, in an alternative embodiment, a single lateral male key protruding from first side 82 may provide both bearing wall 91A on a frontward-facing side and bearing wall 91B on its rearward-facing side.
FIG. 26 is an enlarged view of a second side portion of Unit A retaining wall block 70A, showing the female-type lateral interlock interface 88. In this embodiment, female-type lateral interlock interface 88 includes a third bearing wall 89A that extends laterally into block 70A from a third position along second side 84 that is the distance X from front side 78. Female-type lateral interlock interface 88 also includes a fourth bearing wall 89B that extends laterally into block 70A from a fourth position along second side 84 that is the distance X from rear side 80. Third and fourth bearing walls 89A, 89B extend the same distance into second side 84, and are mirror images of each other about the notional plane extending vertically through top side 72 and bottom side 74 midway between front side 72 and rear side 74. In this embodiment, third and fourth bearing walls 89A, 89B extend the same distance into second side 84 that first and second bearing walls 91A, 91B extend from first side 82. However, third and fourth bearing walls 89A, 89B may extend farther than first and second bearing walls 91A, 91B to account for dimensional tolerance thereby to enable adjacent blocks' first/second sides 82/84 to fully contact each other rather than be held apart due to the third and fourth bearing walls 89A, 89B being (due to manufacturing variances) just slightly too short to accommodate their first and second bearing wall 91A, 91B counterparts.
In this embodiment, third bearing wall 89A extends laterally into block 70A at a same non-normal first angle as first bearing wall 91A extends laterally away from block 70A. Also, fourth bearing wall 89B extends laterally into block 70A at the same non-normal second angle as the second bearing wall 91B extends laterally away from block 70A.
FIG. 27 is an enlarged view of male-type lateral interlock interface 88 of one Unit A retaining wall block 70A interfacing with a female-type lateral interlock interface 90 of another Unit A retaining wall block 70A.
It will be appreciated that the manufacturing tolerances between the lateral interlock interface components should be kept to a minimum. For example, approximately 1.0 mm in tolerance amount. This would ensure a tight interlock between adjacent blocks, but is also made possible due in part to the non-normal angles of the bearing walls 89A, 89B, 91A, 91B as described above. Whereas larger tolerances of, for example, 3 mm-5 mm, may be required for the vertical interlock interface components due to the requirement that they sit flatly atop of each other, for lateral interlock interface components such as those described herein with non-normal bearing surfaces, the tolerances can be much smaller and, due to the non-normal (i.e., sloping) bearing walls 89A, 89B, 91A, 91B, any problems with tolerances will indeed keep first/second sides 82, 84 of adjacent blocks slightly apart but still allow them to laterally interlock effectively.
In FIG. 21, it was shown that when a Unit A block 50A was placed atop another Unit A block 50A, rotated 180 degrees, for building a vertical retaining wall WV, the uppermost Unit A block 50A is over-vertical by the tolerance amount T. Therefore, with the Unit A blocks 70A and Unit B blocks 70B, a second such course may be started with a Unit B block 70B so that the vertical alignment on the second course is “disciplined” by the Unit B block 70B via their interlocking lateral interlock interfaces so that Unit A blocks 70A may also be used on the second course without the overhang.
FIG. 28 is a top view of multiple Unit A retaining wall blocks 70A and/or Unit B retaining wall blocks 70B laterally interlocked in a first course of a vertical retaining wall WV. It will be appreciated that, because this first course does not have to interlock with a course below, it may be formed interchangeably with Unit A blocks 70A and/or Unit B retaining wall blocks 70B. In particular, tongues 73 of both Unit A blocks 70A and Unit B blocks 70B are the same distance Z from respective rear sides 80, so they will align on the first course.
FIG. 29A is a top view of a Unit B retaining wall block 70B beginning a successive course of the vertical retaining wall WV of FIG. 28. FIG. 29B is a side view of the arrangement of FIG. 29A, showing that the frontward-facing side of tongue 53 of the lowermost block is engaged with first groove 75 of the uppermost block such that the two blocks are vertically aligned.
FIG. 30 is a top view of alternative Unit A retaining wall blocks 70A and Unit B retaining wall blocks 70A on a second course of the vertical retaining wall WV of FIG. 29A, interlocked laterally via the lateral interlock system and interlocked vertically with blocks in the underlying first course.
FIG. 31 is a top view of the Unit A retaining wall blocks 70A and Unit B retaining wall blocks 70B on the second course of the vertical retaining of FIG. 30, but also showing soil forces leftward (Fsoil) against the wall WV being resisted by the interaction between vertical and lateral interlock systems of adjacent blocks. In particular, Fsoil is resisted by the vertical interlock system components in the Unit B blocks 70B in the second course interacting with the vertical interlock system components in the underlying course, as shown with arrows F1. Fsoil is also resisted by the lateral interlock system components in the Unit A blocks 70A in the second course interacting with adjacent lateral interlock system components in the Unit B blocks 70B that flank them, as shown with arrows FLpim. In particular, by interactions between first and third bearing surfaces 91A, 89A and second and fourth bearing surfaces 91B, 89B of the female- and male-type lateral interlock interface components. In turn, such flanking Unit B blocks 70B engage with adjacent underlying blocks via vertical interlock system components, thereby to provide a complete network of resistance to Fsoil, despite the Unit A retaining wall block 70A not being pushed fully forward such that its first groove 75 engages the underlying tongues 73.
FIG. 32A is a top view of portions of adjacent Unit A retaining wall blocks 70A and Unit B retaining wall blocks 70B in the second course of the vertical retaining wall WV interacting particularly at FLpim via their lateral interlock systems to resist soil forces Fsoil.
FIG. 32B is a side view of successive courses of retaining wall blocks of the retaining wall WV, showing how the lateral interlock systems, at FLpim, on a given course keep a retaining wall block from being shifted leftward by Fsoil despite the manufacturing tolerance amount afforded in the front groove 75, thereby preventing a left side overhang of the tolerance amount T.
FIG. 33 is a top perspective view of first and second courses of a vertical retaining wall WV being constructed using interacting Unit A retaining wall blocks 70A and Unit B retaining wall blocks 70B, with arrows showing the vertical interlocking between successive courses of certain blocks and the lateral interlocking between certain blocks on a same course resisting soil forces.
While embodiments have been described, alternatives are possible.
Clauses
Clause 1. A retaining wall block comprising: a block body comprising: a top side and a bottom side opposite the top side; a front side and a rear side opposite the front side; a first side and a second side opposite the first side; a vertical interlock system comprising: a first female-type component comprising a first groove extending along the bottom side of the block body between the first side and the second side, the first groove being spaced from the front side by a distance of (Z or Z−T) and having a width Y+T, wherein each of Z, T and Y is greater than zero, and Z is greater than T; a second female-type component comprising a second groove extending along the bottom side of the block body between the first side and the second side, the second groove being spaced from the rear side by a distance Z+B and having a width Y+T, wherein B is greater than zero; a male-type component extending across the top side of the block body between the first side and the second side, the male-type component being spaced from the rear side by a distance Z and having a width no greater than Y+T; and a lateral interlock system comprising: a male-type lateral interlock interface integral with the first side midway between the front side and the rear side; and a female-type lateral interlock interface integral with the second side midway between the front side and the rear side and in lateral alignment with the male-type lateral interlock interface.
Clause 2. The retaining wall block of clause 1, wherein the male-type component of the vertical interlock system is a single vertical male tongue.
Clause 3. The retaining wall block of clause 1, wherein the male-type component of the vertical interlock system comprises a plurality of vertical male tongues.
Clause 4. The retaining wall block of clause 1, wherein the first groove of the first female-type component is spaced from the front side by a distance of Z.
Clause 5. The retaining wall block of clause 1, wherein the first groove of the first female-type component is spaced from the front side by a distance of Z-T.
Clause 6. The retaining wall block of clause 1, wherein: the male-type lateral interlock interface comprises: a first bearing wall that extends laterally away from the block from a first position along the first side that is a distance X from the front side; a second bearing wall that extends laterally away from the block from a second position along the first side that is the distance X from the rear side; and the female-type lateral interlock interface comprises: a third bearing wall that extends laterally into the block from a third position along the second side that is the distance X from the front side; a fourth bearing wall that extends laterally into the block from a fourth position along the second side that is the distance X from the rear side.
Clause 7. The retaining wall block of clause 6, wherein: the first bearing wall extends laterally away from the block at a same non-normal first angle as the third bearing wall extends laterally into the block; and the second bearing wall extends laterally away from the block at a same non-normal second angle as the fourth bearing wall extends laterally into the block.
Clause 8. The retaining wall block of clause 6, wherein the first bearing wall is a part of a first lateral male key and the second bearing wall is a part of a second lateral male key that is spaced from the first lateral male key along the first side.
Clause 9. The retaining wall block of clause 8, wherein the first lateral male key is a mirror image of the second lateral male key about a notional plane extending vertically through the top side and the bottom side midway between the front side and the rear side.
Clause 10. The retaining wall block of clause 6, wherein the first bearing wall and the second bearing wall are both parts of a single lateral male key.
Clause 11. The retaining wall block of clause 6, wherein the first bearing wall, the second bearing wall, the third bearing wall and the fourth bearing wall all extend the same distance from respective sides.
Clause 12. A set of retaining wall blocks comprising: a plurality of the retaining wall block of clause 1, wherein: in at least one of the plurality the first groove of the first female-type component is spaced from the front side by a distance of Z (“Unit A block”); and in at least one of the plurality the first groove of the first female-type component is spaced from the front side by a distance of Z−T (“Unit B block”).
Clause 13. A retaining wall formed using at least the set of retaining wall blocks of clause 12.
Clause 14. The retaining wall of clause 13, wherein successive courses of the retaining wall are battered with respect to previous courses.
Clause 15. The retaining wall of clause 13, wherein successive courses of the retaining wall are not battered with respect to previous courses.
Clause 16. The retaining wall of clause 13, wherein at least one course of the retaining wall comprises at least one of the Unit A block and at least one of the Unit B block.
