Patent ID: 6395372
Filing Date: 2002-05-28
Classification: E02D,Y02A,Y10T

Abstract:
A cell structure comprising:(a) a plurality of elongated plastic strips in a side by side relationship bonded together in spaced-apart limited areas, wherein said plurality of strips are capable of being stretched in width to form a unitary web of cells; and (b) said strips forming walls of said cells; each of said walls having a pattern of apertures; said pattern including at least a first and a second group of apertures; (i) each of said apertures having a diameter between about 0.12 inches (3 mm) and about 0.67 inches (17 mm), said apertures being sized to receive and to interlock with at least some of the materials placed in the cell structure, such materials having internal friction angles between about 30 degrees and about 46 degrees whereby interlocking of some of the materials with the apertures improves the friction angle between the materials and walls of said cells by at least 5 degrees; (ii) each of said first group including a plurality of apertures; adjacent apertures in said first group being spaced apart from each other by first distances; (iii) each of said second group including a plurality of apertures; adjacent apertures in said second group being spaced apart from each other by second distances; and (iv) each of said first group of apertures being spaced laterally from a respective second group of apertures by a third distance greater than said first distances and said second distances, to thereby provide an aperture-free portion that forms one of the spaced-apart limited areas for bonding a region of one of said plurality of elongated plastic strips to a region of another of said plurality of elongated plastic strips.