Connector for engaging soil-reinforcing grid to an earth retaining wall and method for same

A connector for being received within a channel defined in blocks stacked side by side in tiers to define an earth retaining wall and being engaged to soil reinforcing grids to transfer loading imposed by backfill on the soil reinforcing grids to the earth retaining wall, comprising:

• an elongate first member having a plurality of pins spaced-apart along the longitudinal length thereof and each pin extending in a first direction from a first field defined on a first side of the elongate member with a second field recessed laterally of the first field;
• and
• an elongate second member having a plurality of openings spaced-apart along the longitudinal length thereof in a first field thereof for aligning with the pins and a second field therein recessed laterally of the first field of the second member,
• whereby the first member and the second member matingly connect by slidingly receiving the aligned pins within the openings while sandwiching therebetween a soil reinforcement grid having open apertures for receiving the pins therethrough with the recessed second fields defining opposing walls of a channel for receiving an enlarged portion of the soil reinforcement grid.

An earth retaining wall, comprising:

• at least two stacked tiers of blocks placed side by side, each of the blocks defining a channel extending between opposing sides, the channel defining at least two adjacent bearing surfaces and an opening between the bearing surfaces to a slot extending laterally from the channel to a back side of the block;
• an elongate connector conforming in cross-sectional shape at least relative to the pair of adjacent bearing surfaces defined in the channel, received within the channel with an apex thereof adjacent the opening of the channel to the slot, comprising:
• an elongate first member having a plurality of pins spaced-apart along the longitudinal length thereof and each pin extending in a first direction from a first side of the first member;
• and
• an elongate second member having a plurality of openings spaced-apart along the longitudinal length thereof for aligning with the pins,
• whereby the first member and the second member matingly connect by slidingly engaging the aligned pins within the openings;
• and
• a soil reinforcement grid having a plurality of apertures with a portion thereof sandwiched between the first and the second members and the pins extending through respective apertures, a portion of the soil reinforcement grid extending from the slot laterally of the blocks,
• whereby the connector, being engaged to the soil reinforcement grid and received in the channel with the soil reinforcement grid extending through the slot laterally away from the blocks and the extended portion thereof loaded by backfill, mechanically engages the bearing surfaces of the channel to distribute the tensile loading across the wall.

A method of constructing an earth retaining wall, comprising the steps of:

• (a) placing at least two stacked tiers of blocks side by side to define a length of a wall, each of the blocks defining a channel extending between opposing sides thereof, the channel defining at least two adjacent bearing surfaces and opening between the bearing surfaces to a slot extending laterally from the channel to a back side of the block;
• (b) sandwiching a portion of a soil-reinforcement grid between an elongate first member and an elongate second member that matingly engage together to define a connector, the first member having a plurality of pins spaced-apart along the longitudinal length thereof and each pin extending in a first direction therefrom, the second member having a plurality of openings spaced-apart along the longitudinal length thereof for aligning with the pins, and the soil-reinforcement grid having a plurality of apertures defined therein for being received by the pins while sandwiched between the first and the second members;
• (c) sliding the connector with the soil-reinforcement grid along the channel with a portion of the soil-reinforcement grid slidingly received within the slot and extending laterally of the wall;
• and
• (d) covering the portion of the soil-reinforcement grid lateral of the wall with backfill,
• whereby the connector, being engaged to the soil-reinforcement grid that is loaded by the backfill, mechanically engages the two bearing surfaces of the channel such that the tensile loading is distributed across the block.