Patent ID: 6050749
Filing Date: 2000-04-18
Classification: E02D

Abstract:
A reinforced retaining wall construction for an earthenwork bulk form comprising:a plurality of precast, hollow concrete block masonry facing units stacked one on top of another and in side by side relationship in generally horizontal rows extending vertically upwardly from a first row resting upon a foundation plane adjacent said bulk form, each of said block masonry units having void spaces or openings extending vertically therethrough, said blocks being stacked such that openings in said blocks in one row coincide with openings in the blocks in rows vertically adjacent said one row, and so on, upwardly from said first row to a top row, and having reinforcement means in the form of rods, sheets, grids and/or soil nails and anchors oriented in generally horizontal planes and extending generally horizontally from the front face of said block masonry units, between selected rows of said block masonry units and backwardly into said earthenwork bulk form to a distance therein, said reinforcement means being embedded within said bulk form, said blocks having poured concrete means filling at least a portion, including all, of said openings in said blocks adjacent each reinforcement means to thereby provide concrete connector means rigidly enveloping and securing said reinforcement means to said stacked block masonry units,wherein each said hollow concrete block masonry unit is in the form of a parallelepiped having length L, width W, height H and void fraction v, wherein the ratio of wall facing area per block, that is, L.times.H, to the volume of concrete per block, that is, (L.times.H.times.W).multidot.(1-v), exceeds 4.0 m.sup.2 /m.sup.3,thereby providing a mechanically stabilized, reinforced, rigid, earthen wall construction.