A mold for manufacturing interlocking, dry-cast concrete retaining wall blocks in an upright orientation comprises a mold box comprising two side walls joined to end walls to define a mold cavity, a top face, and a substantially open bottom face. Partitions configured to define a space between adjacent blocks or a space between a block and a side of the mold box extend parallel to the side walls of the mold box substantially from the top face into the mold cavity, to form first transverse portions of the profile of the top and bottom surfaces the blocks which do not include any undercut portion that would impede removal of the mold box in a substantially vertical direction. At least one removable insert comprises insert members which, when positioned in the mold box beneath the partitions, form remaining transverse portions of the profile of the top and bottom surfaces, the remaining transverse portions including at least one undercut portion. The insert members, when in position in the mold box for casting, are substantially in lateral alignment with respective bottom surfaces of at least some of the partitions and can be inserted and retracted through openings in an end wall of the mold box.

A mold for manufacturing interlocking, dry-cast concrete retaining wall blocks in an upright orientation comprises a mold box comprising two side walls joined to end walls to define a mold cavity, a top face, and a substantially open bottom face. Partitions configured to define a space between adjacent blocks or a space between a block and a side of the mold box extend parallel to the side walls of the mold box substantially from the top face into the mold cavity, to form first transverse portions of the profile of the top and bottom surfaces the blocks which do not include any undercut portion that would impede removal of the mold box in a substantially vertical direction. At least one removable insert comprises insert members which, when positioned in the mold box beneath the partitions, form remaining transverse portions of the profile of the top and bottom surfaces, the remaining transverse portions including at least one undercut portion. The insert members, when in position in the mold box for casting, are substantially in lateral alignment with respective bottom surfaces of at least some of the partitions and can be inserted and retracted through openings in an end wall of the mold box.

The invention relates to the manufacture of a reinforced slab-shaped building element (E) having a length (L), a width (W) and a thickness, said slab-shaped building element (E) comprising an upper concrete plate anchored to a lower concrete plate with a top surface and a bottom surface, said upper concrete plate being cast from relatively higher strength concrete laid out upon said top surface, said lower concrete plate being of a less strong concrete, said lower concrete plate including a base contiguous with a plurality of raised portions integral therewith, said raised portions being spaced apart in the direction of said length (L) and said width (W), said plurality of raised portions defining between them a network of recesses, at least some of said recesses including reinforcing bars (R), said raised portions and said recesses together defining said top surface.

The invention relates to the manufacture of a reinforced slab-shaped building element (E) having a length (L), a width (W) and a thickness, said slab-shaped building element (E) comprising an upper concrete plate anchored to a lower concrete plate with a top surface and a bottom surface, said upper concrete plate being cast from relatively higher strength concrete laid out upon said top surface, said lower concrete plate being of a less strong concrete, said lower concrete plate including a base contiguous with a plurality of raised portions integral therewith, said raised portions being spaced apart in the direction of said length (L) and said width (W), said plurality of raised portions defining between them a network of recesses, at least some of said recesses including reinforcing bars (R), said raised portions and said recesses together defining said top surface.

A block, block system and method of making a wall block. Multiple block embodiments with multiple embodiments of a visually exposed surface having three dimensional shaped areas and three dimensional angular valleys or joints that can be used to construct a patio, wall, fence or the like; the multiple embodiments creating a more random and natural appearance.

A block, block system and method of making a wall block. Multiple block embodiments with multiple embodiments of a visually exposed surface having three dimensional shaped areas and three dimensional angular valleys or joints that can be used to construct a patio, wall, fence or the like; the multiple embodiments creating a more random and natural appearance.

A method and mold assembly for forming a dry cast concrete corner blocks having non-parallel front and rear faces and non-parallel end faces, with a hollow central core in the blocks. The corner blocks can be used to build a square or irregular corner in a retaining wall, and can be used to build columns or pillars in the wall, without having to cut the corner blocks. Fill material may be poured into aligned cores in the stacked corner blocks which form the wall corner or column, to stabilize the corner blocks.

A method and mold assembly for forming a dry cast concrete corner blocks having non-parallel front and rear faces and non-parallel end faces, with a hollow central core in the blocks. The corner blocks can be used to build a square or irregular corner in a retaining wall, and can be used to build columns or pillars in the wall, without having to cut the corner blocks. Fill material may be poured into aligned cores in the stacked corner blocks which form the wall corner or column, to stabilize the corner blocks.

The problem of wet-cast concrete products getting stuck in a flexible mold during demolding is solved, prior to demolding the wet-cast concrete products, by removing a vacuum on the flexible mold by moving at least one side edge of the flexible mold away from a part of the flexible mold that is adjacent to the at least one side edge in a direction opposite the open side of the flexible mold.

A block, block system and method of making a wall block. Multiple block embodiments with multiple embodiments of a visually exposed surface having three dimensional shaped areas and three dimensional angular valleys or joints that can be used to construct a patio, wall, fence or the like; the multiple embodiments creating a more random and natural appearance.