Composite masonry block

A mortarless retaining wall block comprising:

• a) a block body that,
• i) in top plan view presents a top surface that is substantially free of cores and recesses, and that has a front edge, an opposed rear edge, and opposed first and second side edges, the side edges include portions that converge toward the rear edge and are oriented at oblique angles relative to the rear edge,
• ii) in side elevation view presents a side surface that is substantially free of cores and having a generally vertical front edge, an opposed, generally vertical rear edge, a generally horizontal top edge, and a generally horizontal bottom edge, wherein no portion of the block body is visible above the top edge or below the bottom edge, and that
• iii) has a decorative front surface;
• and
• b) a flange formed on the block body below the bottom edge of the side surface and in front of the rear edge of the side surface, that has a forward-facing locking surface.

A retaining wall comprising a plurality of courses of masonry blocks, each course comprising a plurality of masonry blocks, and the blocks of each said course after the first course of blocks being positioned on the blocks of a next lower course in succession, and each said masonry block comprising:

• (a) a generally horizontal upper surface;
• (b) a lower surface;
• (c) a front face that is generally vertical over a substantial portion of the front face and which is substantially perpendicular to the upper surface at the intersection of the front face and the upper surface;
• (d) a rear face;
• (e) a pair of generally vertical side faces joining the front and rear faces;
• (f) a flange extending below the lower surface of the block to provide a surface suitable for engaging the block with the rear face of an adjacent block in the next lower course to thereby provide a set-back of the course above with respect to the next lower course;
• and
• (g) wherein the block is wider at the front face than it is at the rear face;
• and wherein the wall further comprises a distortable supporting matrix having a portion thereof positioned between the upper surfaces of blocks in the next lower course and the lower surfaces of adjacent blocks in the course above, and having a portion thereof positioned in soil behind the retaining wall, whereby the matrix is distorted by the flanges of blocks in the course above.

A pre-split concrete unit adapted to be split in a splitting machine to yield at least two concrete blocks, said pre-split concrete unit comprising:

• a body comprising a pair of integral face-to-face concrete blocks, the body having a top surface, a bottom surface opposed to said top surface, opposed first and second end surfaces joining said top and bottom surfaces and being generally perpendicular to them, and opposed sides joining said top and bottom surfaces and joining said first and second end surfaces, said opposed sides being generally perpendicular to said top and bottom surfaces and said first and second end surfaces;
• said sides comprise portions that converge as they approach said first and second end surfaces, and each side includes a portion that interconnects said converging portions and that extends generally perpendicular to said end surfaces;
• and
• two flanges integrally formed on said body and extending above said top surface, one said flange formed adjacent the first end surface and the other flange formed adjacent the second end surface.