PT804653E - CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS FOR DRY MOUNTING VARIABLE INCLINATION SUPPORT WALLS - Google Patents

Abstract

A substantially box-shaped rectangular building element (1) for dry mounting retaining walls (2) and the like. The top surface of the element comprises at least two grooves (3), the bottom surface comprises at least one projection (4), and the side surfaces (5) are smooth and may be placed in abutment, whereby the front (6) and back surfaces of the building elements (1) are coplanar and both the projections (4) and the grooves (3) are mutually aligned so that some grooves (3) in the top surfaces of the elements (1) forming a lower row are engageable by some projections (4) on an adjacent upper row. The number of grooves (3) in the top surface is greater than the number of projections (4) on the bottom surface, so that the position of the projections (4) of one higher row of elements, relative to the grooves (3) of a lower row of elements, may be selected according to the desired angle of the retaining wall (2). Furthermore, each element comprises a lower space in which vegetation can develop. Said building element may be used to build retaining walls, pillar-reinforcing banks, etc.

Description

The present invention relates to the construction elements allowing dry mounting of support walls. The present invention relates to the construction elements for dry mounting of support walls. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The elements have the overall shape of a rectangular parallelepiped and have means enabling a variable inclination of the support walls depending on the thrust of the slope or the aesthetic effect to be obtained.

Among the prior art, certain documents also propose construction elements whose overlapping is variable in depth.

Thus FR-A-2,621,629 relates to a device enabling locking the casings between them to prevent their slipping between them in a horizontal row and between overlapping rows as well as to allow eventual positioning of reinforcements. It consists of vertical notches of triangular profile on two or four lateral faces, of triangular grooves on all or part of the two or four upper and / or lower edges. These fittings also serve in the pendant regulation for the accomplishment of the slopes; holes in the sidewalls for 1 possible passage of horizontal reinforcements. These three devices may be employed associated with each other or separately. WO-A-91.14833 relates to building elements intended to retain a land mass. In general the construction element comprises a front panel as well as a plurality of protruding arms. Said front panel comprises front and rear walls, side walls as well as top and bottom walls. The arms extend from the rear wall of the front panel and each arm has an upper wall, a lower wall, a back wall as well as side walls. The upper and lower walls of these arms each have contact nipple configurations intended to facilitate stacking of at least a portion of the protruding arm of a building element on at least a portion of the protruding arm of another building element and intended to prevent a relative sliding movement between the building elements. These construction elements can be used in order to construct a support wall and a soil reinforcement sub-system, which comprises one or more free support building elements as well as at least one grid structure positioned behind each one of said building elements. The first cited document does not allow side jointing of the two neighboring building elements in a coplanar manner. When from a classical junction, there will be a mismatch between the upper fittings of each of the 2

adjacent elements, so that it will be impossible to place on top of these two

elements, another element. The second document proposes elements that have no side faces and can be placed side by side and in contact. Generally, this type of elements allows an encavalamento between the elements with empty spaces covered by the sustained slope. The present invention proposes construction elements which can be brought into contact with each other laterally and whose different rows placed on top are regulated in depth, so that the inclination of the support wall is adjustable. US-A-4,860,505 proposes a building block apt to be positioned by means of other identical blocks, comprising an essentially parallelepipedic body having front, rear, top and bottom faces, as well as two side faces. The underside has several notches, all of substantially identical shapes, parallel to the front face and extending over the entire width of said lower face from one side to the other. These notches are of constant V-shaped or trapezoid section and are spaced at regular spacing from each other over this whole face. The upper face of the block comprises at least two fingers parallel to the notches and in a complementary manner, the fingers can be inserted into certain notches. 3

The present invention proposes, contrary to this document, much simpler construction elements since the number of notches and tongues is much smaller. A single pawl is sufficient on the underside of the block, which allows to have a maximum horizontal contact surface, and two notches allowing to have at least two tilt adjustment positions of the wall. Furthermore, the presence on the upper face of a minimum of notches allows, at the level of a row of building elements in a non-covered upper position, to have a minimum of water and debris retention concavities; therefore the elements according to the invention better support the contrasting climatic regions and have a longer life span. Finally, the vegetation of the blocks according to the patent US-A-4,860,505 is not intended. FR-A-2,675,835 relates to an element whose body is generally parallelepiped, elongated along a longitudinal axis and having a double length of the desired length for the construction. The medial pre-cut transverse notches are provided on the two opposing main faces, which also comprise transverse locating ribs. The fracture of the block in two parts makes irregular faces giving the appearance of the stone. The fracture is facilitated by the presence of certain transverse positioning veins.

Although the number of tongues and notches is reduced, the possibilities of overlapping overlapping of the overlapping elements are zero. It is necessary to have a base whose inclination is adapted during its construction. 4

To this end, an element for the erection of support or other walls in a substantially rectangular parallelepipedic shape, comprising, on the upper face, at least two notches, and on the underside, at least one tongue, the sides of which are smooth and can be engaged in such a way that the front and rear faces of the building elements are coplanar and that the tongues as well as the notches are placed in the extension of each other so that certain notches of the upper faces of the elements forming a lower row enable engagement of certain tabs of an upper and adjacent row is characterized in that the number of notches of the upper face is more important than the number of fingers of the lower face, so that the position of the of a row of elements, placed in an upper position relative to the notches of a row of elements, placed in a lower position, can be chosen according to d the inclination to be given or not to the support wall, that each element comprises at least one downstream space permitting vegetation, and that the tongues and notches have a semi-circular cross-section.

Each element is provided with at least one fracture zone so that, as far as the fracture is operated, the new face of the element thus created has a pierced stone appearance.

A fracture zone is present substantially parallel to the front and rear faces of the member and to the half-distance of these two faces, so that each half-element is provided with at least one tongue and at least two notches. 5

A fracture zone is present substantially parallel to the front and rear faces of the member and in proximity to said front face.

The tongues and notches have a semi-circular cross-section.

The tongues and indentations are parallel to each other and equally to the front and back faces of each element in which they are implanted.

At the level of the fracture zone, the element has a notch on its upper face and a notch on the underside, which facilitates fracture of the element.

The accompanying drawings are given by way of indicative and non-limiting examples. They represent a preferred embodiment according to the invention. They will make it easy to understand the invention. Figure 1 shows a construction element seen in profile. Figure 2 shows a front view according to F of Figure 1. Figure 3 shows the same element as in figure 1, under the same angle but after the construction element has been split in two seconds a fracture zone. Figure 4 shows a support wall, seen in perspective, which is constructed with the aid of the building elements. Figure 5 shows a support wall whose inclination is zero.

Figures 6, 7, 8 show support walls whose inclinations are increasing.

Finally, figure 9 shows a pillar realized with the aid of the construction elements which were previously fractured, as represented in figure 3. The present invention concerns a construction element 1 that allows to dry mount support walls 2 or still pillars 12. No element of the prior art allows this dual use for the fabrication of walls and pillars.

This property is due to the fact that the building elements 1 are of substantially rectangular parallelepipedic shape. They are also characterized by the fact that they have an upper face and a lower face, each of these faces having respectively notches 3 and fingers 4. On the contrary, the lateral faces 5 of the elements 1 are smooth and can be easily inserted into each other, which allows to have front faces 6 and rear 7 of said construction elements 1 which are coplanar.

In this position, the tongues 4 of the members 1 forming a row are arranged in the extension of each other, this is also true for the notches 3.

SF

This arrangement permits certain notches 3 of the upper faces of the elements 1 forming a lower row to receive the tongues 4 of an upper and adjacent row of element 1. The number of the notches 3, carried by the upper face, is necessarily more important than the number of tongues 4 of the lower face, in order to enable the tongues 4 to have a number of important positions within the indentations 3 of the row of adjacent element 1. By way of non-limiting, the number of the notches 3 is ten on each element 1 shown on the figures, while the number of the tongues 4 is six. The gap between the lower row and the upper juxtaposed row of the building elements 1 will allow a slope that will be adjustable depending on the support wall to be obtained, or the slope exerted on the wall support 2.

The building elements 1 therefore necessarily have at least one pawl 4 and at least two notches 3. This allows therefore to have at least two possible combinations at the wall level.

Of course, a queue may have a certain offset from the underlying queue while the queue that juxtaposed above it will have a different offset. This may give an original aesthetic appearance to wall 2. 8

Each element 1 is provided with two zones of fractures 8 and 10, the 8 is located parallel to the front faces 6 and rear 7 of the element 1 and the half-distance of these two faces 6 and 7, the other 10 is present substantially parallel to the faces front 6 and rear 7 of element 1, but in the vicinity of said front face 6.

Once the fracture is operated, the new face 9 or 16 of the element 1 thus created has a perforated stone appearance. The front part of the building element 1 receives a space that allows to vegetate the element 1. This space downstream is not represented on the figures.

As is apparent from Figures 1 and 3, the tongues 4 and the notches 3 have a semi-circular cross-section. These semi-circular shapes are compatible with the proper engagement of the tongues 4 in the notches 3.

At the level of the fracture zone 8 and in order to facilitate said fracture of the element 1, it has a notch 3 on its upper face, which is classic, but also a notch 11 on the underside, as shown on the figures 1 and 3.

Of course, the invention as defined in the claims is not limited to the described exemplary embodiment. 9 3 "

For example, the embodiment of the abutment 12 shown in Figure 9 may be made up of building elements 1 which were previously fractured according to the fracture zone 8, which creates front half-elements 13 and rear 14. However, it is clear that it is possible to use complete elements 1 for the realization of a pillar. In the same way, two piles of juxtaposed elements 1, etc. may be used. The top of the abutment 12 comprises a hat 15 which protects the assembly of the structure of said abutment 12.

REFERENCES 1. Building elements 2. Support wall 3. Top notches 4. Lower face slits 5. Side faces 6. Front faces 7. Rear faces 8. Middle fracture zone 9. Stone-like faces drilled in front position 10. Fracture zone in front position 11. Notched face 12. Pillar 10

13. Middle element of front construction

14. Half-element of rear construction 15. Hat of pillar 16. Faces with appearance of stone pierced in medium position

Lisbon, August 28, 2001 THE OFFICIAL AGENT

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Claims (1)

A building element (1) for the dry erection of supporting walls (2) or other, in a substantially rectangular parallelepipedic shape, comprising on the upper face at least two notches (3), and on the underside at least one (4) and whose side faces (5) are smooth and can be engaged, so that the front faces (6) and rear (7) of the building elements (1) are coplanar and that the tongues (4), (3) are inserted in the extension of each other, so that certain notches (3) of the upper faces of the elements (1) forming a lower row allow the engagement of certain fingers (4) of an upper row characterized in that - the number of notches (3) of the upper face is more important than the number of fingers (4) of the lower face, in such a way that the position of the fingers (4) of a row of elements, placed in upper position with respect to the notches (3) of a f (2), - that it comprises at least one downstream space allowing the planting, and - that the tongues 4) and the notches (3) have a semi-circular cross-section. A member provided with at least one fracture zone (8 and / or 10) so that when the fracture is operated, the new face (9 or 16) of the element thus created has a perforated stone aspect, in accordance with characterized in that, at the level of the fracture zone (8), the element (1) has a notch (3) on its upper face and a notch (11) on the underside, which facilitates fracture of the element (1). Lisbon, August 28, 2001 THE OFFICIAL AGENT 2