A PREFABRICATED CONSTRUCTIONAL ARTICLE WITH VEGETATION SUPPORT, IN PARTICULAR FOR FACE WALLS OR RETAINING WALLS

Abstract: The constructional article (10) is equipped with vegetation support mats (14) integral with one of its faces, applied in a whatever way, accessible through openings (20) provided on the other face of said article. It further presents plants rooted in the support which pass through said openings and sprout out the exposed wall.

Description: The present invention relates to support structures for embankments and slopes, as such support structures are built, e.g., in the field of road or railway constructions. FR-A- 915 375 discloses vertically assemblable flower vases. However they refer to another technical field and could not be used as earth retaining walls. WO 86/03217 discloses a system for the vertical mounting of bales of a vegetation substance, which have, however, no structural function. The building of reinforced concrete walls alongside roads generally fulfils a support and/or sound-proofing function. Unfortunately, such walls have a remarkable impact on the surrounding environment and, in order to improve their appearance in the landscape, a vegetable coating is often resorted to. Such a target is generally achieved providing the walls with openings, so as to render accessible the soil supported by said walls or a suitable vegetation support between said wall and the soil, through said openings. Once the building of the face wall is ended, climbing plants, or the like, are sown or planted through said windows. This procedure suffers from several drawbacks: the planting operation is time-consuming and uncomfortable, the exposed wall remains bare for a long time before the plants are capable of developing to a high enough degree in order to coat it. DE-A-3402314 describes constructional articles according to the preamble of claim 1. Said articles are tray-shaped, are filled with earth and are planted after installation. Also in this case the planting operation is time-consuming and uncomfortable, the exposed wall remains bare for a long time before the plants are capable of developing to a high enough degree in order to coat it. In order to obviate such drawbacks, a prefabricated panel or constructional article or work, for use as a support means for embankments, has been developped, which comprises layers or mats of a vegetation support fastened to one face thereof which is provided to face the soil, i.e. with the face opposite to the front or exposed wall, and further comprises through-openings connecting the two faces. According to further preferred features, the panel can comprise, proximate said layers, anchoring sheets of draining material, suitable for being embedded in the soil to be supported, and a system of draining channels in order to drain a possible excess of water. On the front face of the panel, a lattice-shaped coating can be provided and made integral with said panel, said coating being of a whatever, per se known type, as used in order to allow plants to get anchored onto a wall. According to a further feature, the panel comprises pre-vegetated plants which are rooted in the substrate and sprout out the exposed wall. The novel panel or article makes it possible to build concrete retaining or face walls, which display at once an aesthetically pleasant appearance, with no waiting periods; it facilitates the operations relevant to the installation of the vegetable coating, because these latter will be carried out at the factory and not on site; it improves the water supply to the plants of the panel; and results into a better sound absorption. An embodiment of the invention is disclosed herein in the following fore merely exemplifying, non-limitative purposes, by referring to the hereto attached drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective, broken-away view of a wall constituted by a plurality of panels, seen from the side facing the embankment to be supported; some mats of vegetation support material and the anchoring sheets are shown broken-away or incomplete; Figure 2 is a broken-away view of the back of a panel or article according to this invention; Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view according to 3-3 in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a sectional view according to 4-4 in Figure 2; a plant rooted in the vegetation support material is also shown; Figure 5 is a vertical cross-sectional, schematic, broken-away view of a panel, in horizontal position, during a step of its assembling process; Figure 6 is a partial sectional view of a detail of the panel, enlarged with respect to Figure 5; Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 5, showing a subsequent assembling step. A prefabricated panel or article according to the present patent application is generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 and comprises a concrete layer or plate 12 onto which vegetation support mats or layers, indicated by the reference numeral 14, are fastened. The plate 12 can be given any desired shapes as regards its exposed face 16; it is preferably provided, along its vertical edges, with coupling means 18 of tenon-and-mortise type; it is equipped with through-slots or through-openings 20 distributed throughout it; and preferably is additionally provided with drain channels 22 possibly running along the vertical coupling edges and, crosswise, proximate the foot of said edges. On the face 24 intended to be laid against the embankment or the like, the plate is provided with containers or boxes 26, integral with it, for the vegetation support 14. Such containers or boxes are preferably constituted by wooden staves or bars arranged in cage-like fashion, i.e., spaced apart from each other and with at least a small gap between them. During the manufacturing step, the side wall of each box 26 is fastened to the plate by means of staples 28, as shown in Figure 6. Inside each box, the vegetation material is enclosed inside a wrapping sheet of non-woven fabric 29 anchored to the box in a per se known way. The vegetation material is installed at least in correspondence of the openings 20. Figure 4 shows a plant P rooted in the vegetation support material which sprout out the exposed wall 16 through the openings 20. On its face 24, the panel is preferably provided with anchoring sheets 30 fastened at one of their ends to the concrete plate, by means of concrete beams 32. The anchoring sheets 30, per se known, preferably are of a type also capable of performing a draining effect on the soil they are embedded in. On its exposed face, the panel can be provided with a metal grid, of any per se known type for supporting plants, and therefore not described in greater detail. The panel, or article, is built as follows: the concrete plate or layer is cast, with the side structure of the box 26 being affixed to it by means of the staples 28 (Figures 5 and 6); the sheet 29 is placed inside the hollow defined by the surface of the plate and the side wall of the box, said sheet 29 is anchored to the box and is filled with the vegetation material 14; the sheet 29 is anchored to a fixed structure and the box is closed with the box cover 26'. Then the vegetables are planted and are caused to grow, and emerge through the windows 20. The complete panel can be then transported and installed with the plants being already developed.

Claims: A prefabricated panel or constructional article for retaining walls for embankments, slopes, and the like, comprising a concrete plate (12), characterized in that it comprises layers or mats (14) of vegetation support fastened to one face of the plate (12) and through-openings (20) in said plate extending from said layers or mats (14) to the opposite face of said plate (12). A prefabricated panel or constructional article according to claim 1, characterized in that said mats are contained inside a sheet (29) of non-woven fabric and this latter is anchored inside a box-shaped container (26) made integral with the article, said container comprising strips integral with it and spaced apart from each other. A prefabricated panel or constructional article according to claim 2, characterized in that said strips are wooden bars. A prefabricated panel or constructional article according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises flexible anchoring sheets (30) for anchoring to the soil, said sheets being made of a draining material. A prefabricated panel or constructional article according to claim 1, characterized in that it furthermore comprises plants (P) rooted in said vegetation support and already grown through said openings, so as to sprout out the face of the panel opposite to the one to which the vegetation support is fastened. A process for manufacturing a prefabricated panel or constructional article for earth retaining walls for embankments, slopes, and the like, characterized in that a concrete plate of said panel or article is made, provided with through-openings (20) and in that a layer of vegetation support (14) is fastened to one face (24) of said plate (12) in communication with said openings. A process according to claim 6, characterized in that the side walls of a container box (26), suitable for containing said vegetation support, are integrally affixed onto said concrete plate; a container sheet (29) for the vegetation support is placed inside the hollow defined by the concrete plate and the side walls of the box and said container sheet is anchored to said box; the mat of vegetation support (14) is placed inside said sheet and the sheet is closed; said box is then closed by means of a box cover element. A process according to claim 6, characterized in that, furthermore, the planting of the vegetable coating is carried out on site, and in that the pre-vegetated panel or constructional article is then installed.

Inventors: DA RIOS, GIOVANNI
Applicants: IMPRESA CONCARI PREFABBRICATI DI P. CONCARI
Application year: 1990
Main classification: E02D17
IPC codes: E02D29, E04C1