Wall element for the dry construction of walls

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Patent issued

01/12/1993

Inventor(s):	Winkler, Bernhard Steiner, Alfred
Assignee	Waldormills Company Establishment (Vaduz)
Application	No. 07/619,725 filed on 11/29/1990
Current US Class	52/607, 52/608, 405/284, 405/286, D25/114
Field of search	52/604, 52/605, 52/606, 52/607, 52/608, 52/609, 52/DIG.2, 405/284, 405/286, D25/114, D25/118, D25/115, 47/83
International Classes:	E04B 504, E04C 204
Examiners
Primary	Scherbel David A.
Secondary	Nguyen Kien
Attorney, agent or firm:	Maioli; Jay H. Eslinger; Lewis H.
US patent references	3418774, 4016693, 4379659, 4380887, 4521138, 4532748, 4802320, 5072566
Foreign patents	4282/89 (11/30/1989, CH), 0013535 (06/30/1979, EP), 2537408 (03/31/1976, DE), 2924310 (05/31/1978, DE)

A wall element consists of a ground wall with a shield that is placed on itperpendicularly and side walls extending laterally from the shield to therear. In high walls that can be 7 meters or higher, in order to withstandthe high static load that exerts force on the ground wall the side wallsare formed in such a manner that their upper front surfaces are situatedabove the groove-shaped recesses located in the bottom surface of theground wall, so that the load is transferred only via the side walls andprevents the side walls from collapsing.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a wall element for the dry constructionof walls and, more particularly, to a construction kit used to fortifyembankment, as well as to an embarkment wall that is formed with the helpof the construction kit.
2. Description of the Background
Elements of this type are generally known in the construction oflandscaping, as well as for supporting steep embankments. Probably theoldest form of a trough-shaped element consisting of a front wall, aground wall, and two side walls is described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,542,909.This element is intended as a brick to be filled with mortar, whose troughis situated in the direction of the longitudinal extension of the wall.
A similar element is described in Swiss Patent CH-A-587 390, however, it isintended for layering and to this end exhibits two groove-shaped recessesthat are arranged perpendicular to the shield and come to lie over theside walls of the elements located below when the elements are layered instaggered form. This provides a retaining wall with an extraordinarydegree of stability, because the elements cannot be displaced sideways. Inorder to make it at least more difficult for a forward displacement tooccur, the shield is formed to be higher than the side walls, so thatupper elements arranged with gaps are situated behind the shields of thetwo element located beneath them which presses them downward as a resultof the weight. The troughs are filled with soil or humus and can beplanted. On the one hand, this makes it possible to provide the concretewall with greenery and, on the other hand, allows the plants to root inthe natural soil located to the rear of the wall.
A variant of this element is described in European Patent Ep-A- 0 047 718.Both the shield and the wings project over the side walls on both sides. Atransverse wall in the trough divides same into a front pan that is closedand into a rear trough that is open to the rear. In connection with otherelements, both the broadened shields and the extending wings result inadditional chambers which together with the pans located in the front,form wave traps in the case of waterways or lakes in the area of therespective water level. This makes it possible to plant the troughslocated in the rear, because the pan make it somewhat more difficult forthe soil to be washed out of the troughs.
Experience has shown that in the case of a higher construction, that is, inexcess of approximately 7 meters, the elements according to theabove-mentioned Swiss patent CH-A- 587 390 can collapse, especially whenthe trough is filled with a compressible material, such as humus, forexample. Inspections undertaken on broken elements have shown that thesupport at the ground in the recesses causes a moment on the side walls,making it possible to break off the side wall.
Hence, it is an object of this invention to eliminate these disadvantagesin all embodiments of such elements.

What is claimed is:
1. A concrete, trough-shaped, wall element for the dry construction ofwalls comprising: a front shield, two side walls extending to the rear,and a ground wall located beneath the front shield and two side walls,wherein the ground wall on its underside includes at least one recessarranged parallel to the side walls, wherein each side wall is narrower onits free upper front surface than at its base part, and wherein a slothaving parallel walls is provided in each side wall extending through theentire width of each side wall, and wherein an insertion plate is insertedin said slot to subdivide the trough-shaped, wall element into a front panand rear trough, the insertion plate having a width for insertion intosaid slots, a breadth exceeding a total breadth of the element andextending beyond outer surfaces of each side wall, a height substantiallyequal to a height of the element, and a bottom recess for enabling theinsertion plate to engage lower portions of the outer surfaces of eachside wall.
2. An element according to claim 1, wherein the at least one recess isarranged from an edge perpendicular to and at the bottom surface of theground wall, and wherein the ground wall includes on outer surfacesthereof respective lateral support ledges located beneath the side wallsand extending over at least part of the length of the trough-shaped wallelement.
3. An element according to claim 1, wherein the shield projects over theside walls in both width and height.
4. An element according to claim 3, wherein the shield is formed as arounded plate.
5. An element according to claim 1, wherein all front surfaces on the sidewalls are rounded.
6. An element according to claim 1, wherein all front surfaces of theshield are rounded.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wall element similar to Swiss PatentCH-A- 587 390 in a form that is modified according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 3 is a cross-section of a dry-constructed wall having elementspursuant to FIG. 2, whereby the cutting plane is situated behind theshields of the two elements;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention;
FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views of an element according to FIGS. 1 or 2to be used for building obstacles on river embankments in the area of thewater level:
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of two adjacent elements according to FIG.8 having a textile fabric used to anchor the wall elements;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a wall element having a modified shield;
FIG. 11 is a perspective representation of an embankment brick in a sixthembodiment of the invention;
FIG. 12 is a perspective representation of an embankment brick in a seventhembodiment of the invention;
FIG. 13 is a ground plan of an embankment wall with embankment brickspursuant to the embodiment of FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is an elevational view of an embankment wall according to FIG. 13;
FIG. 15 is a ground plan of an embankment wall with embankment brickspursuant to the embodiment according to FIG. 11; and
FIG. 16 is an elevational view of an embankment wall with embankmentbricks, combining the sixth and seventh embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The brick according to FIG. 1 shows the generally known embodiment havingground wall 10, a shield 11 arranged on it to be perpendicular, and sidewalls 12, 13 that are arranged on both sides of the ground wall 10. As isvisible at the bottom of the parallel, gutter-shaped recesses 14, 15. Atthe top and on its sides the shield is rounded, moreover, all frontsurfaces can be rounded in order to create similarity to a natural stone.The shield 11 can be aligned with the side walls according to Swiss PatentCH-A- 587 390 or can project over the side walls according to EuropeanPatent EP-A- 0 047 718.
As is shown in FIG. 3, the side walls 12, 13 can be designed to be thickerthan in the known embankment brick according to Swiss Patent CH-A- 587390; specifically, the upper front surface 12a, 13a is flat and is locatedperpendicularly above the gutter-shaped recesses 14, 15 in such a mannerthat in the case of elements layered in composite form, the ground wall 10of an element A is supported beneath its side walls 12a, 13a with sidewalls B12 and C13 by elements B and C located below. As is clearlyindicated by the dash-dot lines S1 and S2, according to the arrows P1 andP2, the forces are always exerted on the side walls 12, 13, thuspreventing the loads from bearing on the points of contact to preclude theresulting destruction of the elements.
As is shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, instead of having groove-shaped recesses 14,15, the underside of the ground wall could be designed with two lateralsupport ledges 16, 17 projecting into the shield 11. The shield 11, inturn, could also be extended downward, so that the wide recess 18 betweenthe support ledges 16, 17 remains invisible from the front.
The shield 11, which projects in width or in height or both makes itpossible that elements layered in composite form according to FIG. 1 or 2,crop out or extend together with parts in front of the side walls 12, 13,at the rear of the shield 11, thus receiving support that prevents themfrom sliding forward. This provides the layered wall with an angle ofinclination that is determined by the thickness of the shield 11. It isoften desirable, however, to form a wall that appears to be perpendicular.In the case of wall elements of the type previously described according toFIGS. 2 or 3, this can be achieved according to FIG. 4 by providing theshield 11 on both sides at its lower lateral parts with clearances 41, 42whose boundary lines have the same shape as the upper lateral parts of theshield 11. This makes it possible to layer the elements in perpendicularfashion adjacent to and above one another in such a manner that theelements protrude into these clearances 41, 42 with their adjoiningshields, thus making it unnecessary to offset by the thickness of theshield and allowing perpendicular construction of the wall. Thiseliminates the security provided by the support behind the shields, andthe bricks remain in place only as a result of the friction, whichsuffices in many cases.
Instead of the extensive manufacturing process required for elementsaccording to the previously mentioned European Patent EP-A- 0 047 718,whereby the trough is divided into two chambers, by providing thethickened side walls 12, 13 according to FIG. 5, a slot-shaped clearance51, 52 in the two side walls 12, 13 can be arranged at equal distancesbehind shield 11. According to FIG. 6, a separating wall 53 in the shapeof a plate can also be used to create an element intended for constructingobstacles at river embankments that is equipped With a front wave trap 54and trough 55 that is open to the rear.
Specifically, in light of the design of the side walls 12, 13 according tothe invention, the elements can be equipped with such slot-shapedclearances 51, 52 in all applications, because the particularlyadvantageous arrangement of the layers according to FIG. 3 does not at anypoint result in a possibly destructive exertion of force, as occurred inearlier embodiments.
Instead of the slot-shaped clearances 51, 52, the upper front surfaces 12a,13a of the side walls 12, 13, could be equipped with notches 71, 72 atequal distances behind shield 11 (FIG. 8). According to FIG. 9,reinforcing iron 81 for concrete or the like, that is enclosed in a wovenfabric is placed inside these notches and its free end is inserted intothe soil located all the way in the rear in order to provide the wall witha high degree of stability.
Finally, FIG. 10 shows yet another variant of the rounded shield 11presented in the previously mentioned embodiments. This shield consists ofthree triangular surfaces 92, 93, 94, of which the front surface 92 isarranged perpendicular to the ground wall 95, thus representing anisosceles or an equilateral triangle. The two additional triangularsurfaces 93, 94 are also isosceles or equilateral triangles whose baselines, in contrast to the first-mentioned triangle 92, are now located atthe top, thus forming the upper boundary. Here, too, of course, provisionis made to ensure that the side walls exhibit a certain form, so that inthe case of composite layering the load resulting from elements locatedabove one another is exerted only via the side walls of the elementslocated below. In order to obtain a perpendicular arrangement of thefrontal, center triangles 92 when the lateral triangles 93, 94 are pulledfar to the rear, the supporting ledges 96 may extend forward only to sucha degree that they can engage in the trough behind the lateral triangles93, 94.
As is shown in FIG. 2, the ground wall 10 can have a clearance 20 in therear. This clearance, however, could also be arranged in the center, sothat the rear edge appears to be bounded by a transverse bridge. Such aclearance makes it possible specifically to decrease further the greaterweight of the elements resulting from the greater thickness of the sidewalls.
Often, surface water from rain or wet surroundings must be collected anddrained. With the help of a recess 73 arranged in the center of shield 11(FIG. 7), these wall elements can be combined to form a channel, which, inturn, forms a channel extending along the entire length of the wall, forexample, when the element wall is inclined.
The two embankment bricks according to FIG. 11 and 12 each have a groundwall 104, 124 which, in turn, can also be equipped with partial clearances107, 108 and 127, 128, two side walls 102, 102, 121, 122, as well as ashield 103, 123. At the end where the shield is located, the distancebetween the side walls 101, 102 in FIG. 11 is greater than the distance atthe free end and, in contrast, the distance between the side walls 121,122 in FIG. 12 is narrower at the end where the shield is located. Hence,the two embankment bricks according to FIGS. 11 and 12 differ from oneanother only insofar as the shield 103, 123 could be arranged at one ofthe two ends. In each case, the troughs 104, 124 conform to one anotherand exhibit side walls 101, 102, or 121, 122, respectively, whose distancerelative to one another broadens. The shields 103, 123 are arched upwardin convex form, and the front edges can be rounded.
This arrangement results in the formation of a trough that is open at thetop and in the rear. The shield 103, 123 projects over the respective sidewalls 101, 102, and 121, 122, respectively, at least in height, but theycould also project over same in width. In each instance, at the time thewall is built, this creates support for the respective upper stone, thus,preventing it from sliding forward. In the rear area of the ground wall104, 124, provision can be made for a traverse rib extending upward inorder to form a pan-shaped recess above the ground wall. Such transverseribs are not represented in FIGS. 11 and 12, because such a raised part iseasily imagined.
It is the purpose of the recess thus formed to retain water so that thesoil does not dry out even when the shield is subjected to lots of sun.Hence, the plants used to provide the wall with greenery receive thehumidity the require until their roots have grown into the soil locatedbehind the wall.
A brick having a trough that tapers toward the rear, as is shown in FIG.11, provides additional support with the help of the root ball of theplant. The rib can fulfill a similar purpose in the brick according toFIG. 12, whereby the composite construction of a wall a narrowing is alsoformed in this manner in the rear part of the brick.
Clearances 107, 108, 127, 128 located opposite one another are arranged onthe upper front surfaces 105, 106, 125, 126 of the side walls 101, 102,121, 122. At the time the wall is built, reinforcing iron for concrete orconcrete beams can be placed inside these clearances in order to connectthe stones sideways or to secure woven meshes according to FIG. 10. On theother hand, the shield 103, provided it is equipped at its bottom with alobe 109 that projects under the ground wall 104, can engage in theseclearances, thus forming a tooth-shaped linkage.
As is indicated in FIG. 11, the ground wall 104 can exhibit two recesses130, 131 in its bottom surface. These recesses 130, 131 can be arrangedparallel to the side walls 101, 102; however, they can also form anotherangle relative to the front surface of the shield, namely to make itpossible for the side walls 101, 102 to engage in the recesses when thebricks are layered, thus forming a lateral tooth-shaped linkage. Thegrooves can also be crossed or arranged in pairs in the shape of a V inorder to permit an engagement when stones of the same kind are usedaccording to FIG. 15 and when dissimilar stones are arranged according toFIG. 16.
FIGS. 13 and 14 each show a wall that is constructed using embankmentbricks according to FIG. 12. Such stones can be used to build straight, aswell as concave, walls.
The situation is different with the embankment bricks according to FIG. 11which also permit the construction of straight walls according to FIG. 15but are better suited for building walls having a convex curvature.
The front view according to FIG. 16 shows a wall, which can beadvantageously built with the help of both types of embankment bricksaccording to both FIG. 11 and FIG. 12. Although even in this case theresult is an emphasis on the horizontal lines, at least the regularity inthe vertical is eliminated. Thus, the wall receives a visible surfacereminding the observer more of a natural stone wall than, for example,walls according to FIGS. 13 through 15.
Undoubtedly, surface striations in the shield 103, 123 can result in astrongly modified appearance. Although shields 103, 123 are representedwith flat front walls in FIGS. 11, 12, they can, of course, also becurved, as is shown in FIGS. 13 through 16, where the shields arerepresented in curved fashion and merge seamlessly into the sidewalls.
Having described preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited tothose precise embodiments and that various changes and modifications couldbe effected by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit orscope of the novel concepts of the invention, as defined in the appendedclaims.