Retaining wall system using soil arching
AssigneeStresswall International, Inc.
InventorsJohn W. Babcock, Ronald K. Wormus, John D. Nelson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A retaining wall system which uses rigid tieback elements having portions, column portions and web portions and wall panels disposed between the tieback elements. The tieback elements are designed to produce arching in the soil to reduce bearing stresses on the soil below base portions of the tieback elements by providing web portions sufficiently large to produce a complete ditch condition in the soil upon movement of the rigid tieback elements. This provides an economical retaining wall system in which multiple tiered walls can be spaced by an amount sufficient to produce a complete ditch condition. The wall can be implemented as a vertical wall or as a battered wall.
Claims16
A method of retaining soil using a multitiered, substantially vertical retaining wall system having a plurality of individual tiers which are substantially vertically aligned, each of said individual tiers having a plurality of rigid tieback elements which support a plurality of wall panels that engage said soil, said rigid tieback elements having base portions, column portions and web portions that couple said base portions and said column portions comprising the steps of:
- forming each individual tier of said plurality of individual tiers as follows:
- placing said rigid tieback elements of each individual tier on a substantially horizontal plane with said base portions disposed substantially horizontally;
- placing wall panels between said tieback elements such that said wall panels engage said column portions;
- backfilling said soil against said wall panels and over said base portions to form said substantially horizontal plane for an adjacent higher tier such that said base portions engage said soil;
- stacking said individual tiers to form said multitiered, substantially vertical retaining wall as follows:
- placing each individual tier of said plurality of individual tiers so that said substantially vertical retaining wall system is formed;
- providing a predetermined vertical gap between each individual tier of said plurality of individual tiers by forming said substantially horizontal plane so that said rigid tieback elements and said wall panels are vertically spaced from adjacent vertically disposed tiers by said predetermined vertical gap, said predetermined vertical gap having a spacing sufficient for soil conditions to allow each individual tier of said plurality of individual tiers to move in a vertical direction independently of said adjacent vertically disposed tiers in response to forces generated by said soil such that shears are produced in said soil which cause arching in said soil around said base portions of said rigid tieback elements that supports said base portions and which resists additional vertical movement of said plurality of individual tiers so as to provide stability to said multitiered, substantially vertical retaining wall system.
A single tier retaining wall system for retaining soil comprising:
- wall panel means for retaining said soil such that said soil produces a resultant force which acts on said wall panel means at a predetermined location;
- column member means for engaging said wall panel means and supporting said wall panel means in a substantially vertical orientation such that said resultant force acting against said wall panel means is transferred to said column member means, and said resultant force acts against said column member means at a predetermined location on said column member means;
- base member means connected to said column member means at approximately said predetermined location on said column member means such that a portion of said column means extends below said base member means and a longer portion of said column member means extends above said base member means such that said resultant force on said column member means is substantially aligned with said base member means causing an equilibrium moment condition wherein moment arms of said resultant horizontal force acting on said column member means are substantially eliminated.
A substantially vertical, multitiered retaining wall system for retaining soil comprising:
- a plurality of vertically positioned tiers which are substantially vertically aligned with each individual tier of said plurality of vertically positioned tiers which are stacked in a substantially vertical orientation to form said substantially vertical, multitiered retaining wall system, each individual tier of said plurality of individual tiers comprising:
- wall panel means for retaining said soil;
- tieback means aligned to engage said wall panel means said tieback means comprising:
- column member means for engaging and supporting said wall panel means;
- base member means rigidly coupled to said column member means and disposed in said soil substantially horizontally a predetermined distance;
- predetermined vertical gap means provided between each individual tier of said plurality of vertically positioned tiers for providing sufficient vertical spacing between said plurality of vertically positioned tiers for site specific soil conditions to allow each individual tier to move in a vertical direction independently of adjacent vertically positioned tiers in response to forces generated by said soil by an amount sufficient to ensure that shears are produced in said soil upon independent vertical movement of each individual tier, said shears causing soil arching around said base member means that supports said base member means and resists additional vertical movement of said base member means so as to provide stability to said multitiered, substantially vertical retaining wall system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.