Hydraulic and earth engineering – Earth treatment or control – Rock or earth bolt or anchor
Patent
1996-06-28
1998-08-25
Graysay, Tamara L.
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Earth treatment or control
Rock or earth bolt or anchor
405284, E02D 2902
Patent
active
057977062
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to earth structures, certain components for use in earth structures and to methods of constructing earth structures.
It is known from European Patent Application No. 0 318 243 to provide an earth structure frictionally stabilised by a plurality of elongate stabilising elements in the form of strips extending rearwardly from a facing of the structure into an earth mass. The earth is stabilised throughout the mass by frictional engagement with the strips, thereby enabling the earth mass to behave as an elastic material with greatly improved resistance to failure. The facing of the known structure consists of a series of rows of "C" shaped mesh facing panels arranged one above another. The panels in each row are supported by laterally spaced support straps. These are also "C" shaped, each having an upright front portion in front of the panels and relatively short upper and lower rearwardly extending portions. These upper and lower portions are connected to an earth stabilising strip. Thus the forward end of each stabilising strip is located between a rearwardly extending upper portion at the top of a support strap in one row and a rearwardly extending lower portion at the bottom of a support strap in the row above. A bolt passes through the upper and lower rearwardly extending portions and the stabilising strip to form a secure connection.
The advantages of using facing panels formed of mesh are that they are lightweight and thus inexpensive compared to eg. concrete panels and that they allow the growth of vegetation on the facing, thus giving it a "green" appearance. However, because of their lightweight nature, the mesh facing panels are flexible and thus subject to deformation. In particular, there is a tendency for the facing panels to bulge out where they span between the laterally spaced support straps. If it were desired, for aesthetic or other reasons, not to use the support straps and to connect the stabilising strips directly to the mesh facing panels, there would be an increased tendency for the panels to deform.
Viewed from one aspect, the invention provides an earth structure comprising a plurality of elongate stabilising elements in an earth mass behind a mesh facing, and a plurality of connectors behind the facing and connecting it to the stabilising elements, each connector having a rear attachment portion attached to a respective earth stabilising element, and having at least two spaced apart front attachment portions attached to the mesh facing.
It will be appreciated that the forward earth pressure on the mesh facing is withstood by the stabilising elements connected to the facing via the connectors. By attaching each connector to the mesh facing by the spaced apart front attachment portions, the load on the mesh facing applied by the connector is distributed between those attachment portions, thereby reducing the deflection of the facing.
In fact, the connector arrangement may be useful with other types of facing where it is desired to limit the deflections by distributing the load thereon.
Thus, viewed from another aspect, the invention provides an earth structure comprising a plurality of elongate stabilising elements in an earth mass behind a facing, and a plurality of connectors behind the facing and connecting it to the stabilising elements, each connector having a rear attachment portion attached to a respective earth stabilising element, and having at least two spaced apart front attachment portions attached to the facing. For example, the facing may be made of a sheet or sheets of eg. metal.
The invention also provides a connector for use in the earth structures described herein. In one broad aspect, the invention provides a connector for connecting an earth stabilising element and a facing, comprising a rear attachment portion for attachment to an earth stabilising element, and at least two spaced apart front attachment portions for attachment to a facing. The front attachment portions may take any convenient form but are preferably arranged to hook on to a b
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Compone
Jailloux Jean Marc
Segrestin Pierre
Graysay Tamara L.
Lagman Frederick
Societe Civile des Brevets Henri Vidal
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