US2828613A - Reinforced concrete cribbing - Google Patents

Description

April 1, 1958 T. D. WILSON REINFORCED CONCRETE CRIBBING Filed Sept. 26, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,INVENTOR 'THERON D. WILSON BY ana M.

ATTORNEY April 1, 1958 T. D. WILSON 2,823,613

REINFORCED CONCRETE CRIBBING Filed Sept. 26, 1955 5Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.4

INVENTOR THERON 1) WILSON TTORNEY April 1, 1958 T. D. WILSON 2,828,613

REINFORCED CONCRETE CRIBBING Filed Sept. 26, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 l N VEN TOR THERON 1). WILSON BY GHfi L ATTORNEY April 1, 1958 T. D. WILSON 2,828,613

REINFORCED CONCRETE CRIBBING Filed Sept. 26, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN VENTOR THEEON 1). WILSON,

BY 6M4.

ATTORNEY April 1, 1958 T. D. WILSON 2,828,613

REINFORCED CONCRETE CRIBBING Filed Sept. 26, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 7

INVENTOR THERON D. WILSON ATTORNEY United States Patent F REINFORCED CONCRETE CRIBBING Theron D. Wilson, Knoxville, Tenn. Application September 26, 1955, Serial No. 536,621

2 Claims. (CI. 61-47) Because of their comparatively low cost, it is commonplace today to employ prefabricated concrete units for the construction of crib retaining walls and the like as a substitute for the more expensive gravity or cantilever type Wall. Since crib retaining walls, regardless of how they are formed, are subjected to the same forces, their stability against overturning and sliding has heretofore been secured by anchoring the front members, or stretchers, in various ways. been successfully used in the continuous back wall anchorage type constructed in the form of rectangular cells in which the back wall is tied to the front Wall by headers, the members being articulated by means of concrete lugs. Another such crib is the fish tail anchorage type in which the fish tail anchorages overlap to-support the anchor ends of the headers and in which the stretchers are pinned to the free ends of the headers. Still another type employs a single unit more or less in the form of a closed V, wherein the legs of the unit-extend back into the fill. Such arrangements are described in the April, 1944, bulletin of the Portland Cement Association (Structural Bureau) entitled Concrete Information, designated No. ST 46, commencing on page 1 thereof.

Although these and other similar cribbing arrangements have been found very useful, yet they possess cerr tain disadvantages, the most important of which are their comparative inflexibility because of the different shapes of the units or elements employed, such as distinctive headers, stretchers and fillers, and the relative high costs of their fabrication and installation.

Accordingly, an object of my invention is toprovid an article of manufacture consisting of a-standard,-specially shaped, preformed, reinforced concrete element adapted to be used both as a header and stretcher in the construction of a retaining Wall or as the principal building unit in the erection of piers, silos, pools, storage bins,

formed, reinforced, moulded parts which can be erected in the minimum amount of time by unskilled labor.

Another object of my invention is to provide a concrete retaining wall consisting of similar preformed interlocked elements which is inherently stable and at the same time is of sufficient yieldability for self-adjustment without disruption or injury to itself.

A further object of my invention is to provide a species of cribbing constructed of preformed, reinforced concrete elements of substantially the same size and shape wherein the members thereof are interlocked in such manner that the interlocks become tighter in direct proportion to the back pressures tending to overturn or to slide the same.

In general, the preferred form of my crib comprises the use of similar preformed concrete units or elements laid in zig-zag fashion with their ends overlapped and interlocked together to form a wall although, as will later appear, such units or elements may also be used to form several different types of structures.

For example, one such crib which has 2,828,613 Patented Apr. 1, 1 958 'ice- The precise nature of my invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which like reference numerals have been used to designate corresponding parts, and in which- Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of one form of my cribbing element;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of another form of my cribbing unit similar to Fig. 1 except the vertical dimension of the middle portion thereof is smaller;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the preferred form of my cribbing; I

Fig. 5 is another form of cribbing employing the unit illustrated by Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is another form of cribbing of the continuous back wall type of anchorage employing the unit illustrated by Fig. 1; and

Fig. 7 is a pier, pool, silo, storage bin or the like employing one form of my unit.

In' the particular exemplification of my invention illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that I have provided a prefabricated, reinforced concrete unit or element 1 moulded into a predetermined length and substantially rectangular in cross-section at its mid-section. Two channels, 3 and 4, are moulded in both the top and bottom sides of the ends of the unit to. provide heads or lugs 2, the channels intersecting at such angles as to provide on each side of the unit upstandingand depending enlargements 5 and 6 having V-shaped sidewalls or shoulders constituting channel boundaries. These heads or lugs are of the same vertical dimension as the vertical dimension of the main or body portion 1 ofthe unit where a closed face type of cribbingis desired.

As previously stated, the unit illustrated by Fig. 3 is the same in all respects as that illustrated by Fig. 1 exside wall of the unit next above it, thus providing positive locking action against movement of the structure in both horizontal and longitudinal directions. The reason for thisis that the zig-zag arrangement inetfect provides isosceles triangles, which may be reversed, whereby horizontal pressures on the structuredue .to the earth fill behind it are directed upon the legs of the triangles, tending to brace one leg against the other. Due to the fact that the legs at the corners of the construction are interlocked in the manner stated, the greater the back pressure exerted upon such legs by the back fill, the tighter the interlocks will become. This will be true regardless of whether the unit illustrated by Fig. 1, which provides a closed face type of wall, or the unit illustrated by Fig. 3, which provides an open face type of structure, is utilized.

Manifestly, the wall illustrated by Fig. 4 can function as a foundation for many kinds of superstructures be cause the webs of each member bears upon the web of the member next below it along its full length. Consequently, the weight of the superstructure is transmitted through solid concrete to the foundation.

Regardless of whether the unit illustrated by Fig. l or Fig. 3 is employed, it can be made lighter and, therefore, cheaper by forming vertically extending channel slots 7 therein.

The apertures in the heads of the units are provided because, where conditions seem to indicate the necessity of positively anchoring any structure made up of such units, anchoring rods in the form of iron bars 9 may be inerted through the aligned holes and driven into the ground, as illustrated by Fig. 4.

Referring to Fig. 5, it will be seen that a continuous straight open face type of wall is provided by superimposing one row of units on another, the units in each row. being in spaced alignment, and by overlapping the adjacent ends of the units in'each row with the middle portion of the units in the row next above it. In this form, the rows of the units constituting the wall proper function as spacers. achieved by using other similar units as headers. 'For this purpose one end of each header is extended at an angle as the wall is built up through the slots or channels in the overlapped ends of the spacers in such manner that the anchor ends of adjacent headers will overlap and interlock with each other. By this arrangement anchorage is obtained by surrounding a portion of the filling material by pairs of interlocked legs that extend back into the fill, and articulation is by means of the concrete heads or lugs on the ends of the units.

A wall of the continuous back wall type anchorage is constructed in the form of square cells, as illustrated by Fig. 6. As a matter of procedure, this type of wall is constructed precisely as is the wall illustrated by Fig. 5 except the headers are extended rearwardly at right angles to the spacers and the back wall is built up and interlocked with the rear ends of the headers in the same manner as is the front wall. The ends of the headers project through the front face of both walls. Sliding of one header on another is prevented by the concrete lugs.

By the foregoing arrangements it will be seen that curved walls may be built due to the flexibility of the units. But regardless of which type of wall is adopted, backfilling should be done so as not to produce heavy impact against the crib and to produce practically uniform pressure on the units.

Another use of my unit is in the construction of a pier, pool, silo, storage bin or the like. In fact, my unit may have police or military applications as in the construction of a pill box or road block as illustrated by Fig. 7.

By this figure it will be seen that a multisided structure is formed by positioning the units in hexagonal formation with their adjacent ends overlapped and interlocked, the units on each side of the hexagon being superimposed upon ach other. If the structure is to be used as a silo, it becomes necessary to cement up the cracks and provide a roof over the same.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. As a subcombination in a cribbing structure, a plurality of similar elongated concrete units generally rec- Anchorage of the spacers is =tangular in cross-section and having top, bottom and side walls, each of said units having channels in the top "and bottom walls at the ends thereof, the channels on the same side of each end intersecting each other and extending obliquely from the lateral sides of the unit forming pairs of opposed shoulders each having plane converging sides constituting a V-shaped configuration, the end portion of one unit being superimposed at an angle upon the end portion of another unit with one side of each of the opposed pair of ll-shaped shoulders on that end portion abutting throughout their lengths the lateral side walls of the other unit whereby the units are interlocked at their abutting ends and are capable of being positioned at a reverse angle with respect to each other and remain so interlocked.

2. A cribbing comprising, in combination, a plurality of stacks of similar elongated concrete units, each unit being generally rectangular in cross-section and having top, bottom and side walls and each unit having channels in the top and bottom walls at the ends thereof, the channels on the same side of each 'end of said units intersecting each other and extending obliquely from the lateral side walls of the unit forming pairs of opposed shoulders, each shoulder having plane converging sides constituting a V-shaped configuration, the ends of the units in one stack being superimposed at an angle upon the end portions of the units in the next adjacent stack with one side of each of the pair of opposed V-shaped shoulders on a bottom unit abutting throughout their lengths the lateral side walls of the unit superimposed thereon whereby a zig-zag structure is formed and wherein the units are interlocked at their abutting ends and are capable of being positioned at a reverse angle with respect to each other and remain so interlocked.

OTHER REFERENCES Precision Block, Precision Building System, Inc., 8, 1950.

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