Bridge for use in constructing a multi-stage block wall

Abstract

A bridge to construct a multi-stage wall is provided with a clip at each end. One of the clips is sized and shaped to fit snugly onto the wall of a standard concrete masonry unit (CMU), while the other is sized and shaped to fit onto a segmental wall system (SWS) unit. A retaining or stand-alone wall is constructed by laying a row of SWS units and a row of CMUs roughly parallel to each other, with bridges extending between them to fix the units. The hollow spaces in each unit and the space between the rows is filled with gravel, rock or other fill material as each course is laid. Additional courses of SWS units and CMUs are placed on top of the prior courses, with bridges added to each course. This process is repeated until the desired wall height is reached. Various sized and shaped clips and connector brackets are provided to allow spacing of the walls at different distances, with varying blocks. Multiple walls can be constructed in parallel and connected with bridges to provide sufficient retention mass for taller walls.

Claims

1. A bridge system for a multi-stage wall, comprising: a plurality of first blocks arranged to form a first wall, each of the first blocks having first and second spaced apart side walls defining a hollow core therebetween, wherein the first side wall of each of the first blocks defines an inner surface of the first wall and wherein the second side wall of each of the first blocks defines an outer surface of the first wall; a plurality of second blocks arranged to form a second wall, each of the second blocks having first and second spaced apart side walls defining a hollow core therebetween, wherein the first side wall of each of the second blocks defines an inner surface of the second wall and wherein the second side wall of each of the second blocks defines an outer surface of the second wall; and a plurality of bridges connected between the first and second blocks, wherein each bridge has a bridge body and two ends; a first clip contiguous to one end of the bridge body, the first clip being shaped to snugly fit onto the first side wall of the first block, wherein the first clip overlies a top surface of the first side wall of the first block between the core and the inner surface of the first wall; and a second clip contiguous to the other end of the bridge body, the second clip being shaped to snugly fit onto the first side wall of the second block, wherein the second clip overlies a top surface of the first side wall of the second block between the core and the inner surface of the second wall; wherein the first blocks are taller than the second blocks, at least one groove is formed in the top surface of the first side wall of the first blocks in which the first clip is positioned when the first clip is snugly fit onto the first side wall of the first block, and wherein the height of the bridge and blocks are such that, with the bridge in place, the tops of the second clips will align vertically with the first side wall of the first blocks.

2. The bridge system of claim 1, wherein the bridge body further comprises a connector on at least one of its ends, and wherein at least one of the clips is shaped to mount to the bridge body using the connector.

3. The bridge system of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of clips, each shaped to fit over the side wall of differently shaped blocks, and each shaped to mount to the bridge body using the connector.

4. The bridge system of claim 2, further comprising a connector receiver bracket shaped to mount to the connectors on two bridge bodies to form an extended bridge body.

5. The bridge system of claim 4, wherein both ends of each bridge body have a connector, such that multiple connector receiver brackets can be connected to multiple bridge bodies in series to form a further extended bridge body.

6. The bridge system of claim 4, further comprising bridge bodies in various lengths, such that the extended bridge body can be of various lengths.

7. The bridge system of claim 2, wherein the connector comprises a main body which is semicircular in cross-section with flat surfaces on the base of the semicircle, and the clip has a similarly shaped recess which can fit around the connector to hold the clip into position on the bridge body.

8. The bridge system of claim 1, wherein the bridge is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of polymers, fiberglass reinforced polymers, metals and ceramics.

9. The bridge system of claim 1, further comprising a standalone clip shaped to snugly fit onto the second side wall of the second block, the height of the standalone clip being such that, with the bridge in place and the standalone clip in place, the tops of the standalone clips on the second side walls of the second blocks will align vertically with the first side wall of the first blocks.

10. A multi-stage wall with a bridge assembly, comprising: i. a plurality of first blocks arranged to form a first wall, each first block having first and second spaced apart side walls defining a hollow core therebetween, wherein the first side wall of each of the first blocks defines an inner surface of the first wall and wherein the second side wall of each of the first blocks defines an outer surface of the first wall, and comprising a groove formed in the first side wall of each first block; ii. a plurality of second blocks arranged to form a second wall, each second block having first and second spaced apart side walls defining a hollow core therebetween, wherein the first side wall of each of the second blocks defines an inner surface of the second wall and wherein the second side wall of each of the second blocks defines an outer surface of the second wall; iii. wherein the first blocks are taller than the second blocks, and iv. fill between the first and second walls; and the bridge assembly comprising: a. a first clip formed to fit snugly onto the first side wall of one of the first blocks, a second clip formed to fit snugly onto the first side wall of an adjacent one of the second blocks, and a bridge body connecting the clips and fixing the distance between them, wherein the bridge body and at least one of the clips, which includes a bridge connector, are formed separately from each other, and wherein the bridge connector is spaced outward from a side surface of the block side wall to which the clip is secured when the at least one of the clips is fit onto the block side wall, wherein the height of the bridge is such that when the bridge is positioned with its first clip in the groove of the first side wall of the first block and its second clip on a first side wall of the second block, the top of the bridge vertically aligns with the top of the first block; and b. a stand-alone clip formed to fit snugly onto the second side wall of one of the second blocks, the stand-alone clip height being such that when a stand-alone clip is positioned on the second side wall of one of the second blocks, the top of the stand-alone clip vertically aligns with the top of the first block.

11. A bridge assembly for a multi-stage dry construction retaining wall, comprising: i. a plurality of first blocks arranged to form a first wall by being stacked in courses without the use of mortar between adjacent courses, each first block having a height, a top, a bottom opposite the top and a first side wall extending between the top and bottom on a side thereof, wherein the first side wall of each first block includes an inner surface which at least in part defines a hollow interior of the first block, and wherein each first block includes a groove at the top or bottom of the first side wall that extends between an outer surface of the first side wall and the inner surface of the first side wall; ii. a plurality of second blocks arranged to form a second wall adjacent to the first wall, each second block having a height, a top, a bottom opposite the top and a first side wall extending between the top and bottom on a side thereof, wherein the height of the first blocks is greater than the height of the second blocks; and iii, fill between the first and second walls; and the bridge assembly further comprising: a. a first clip formed to snugly fit onto the top or bottom of the first side wall of one of the first blocks, a second clip formed to snugly fit onto the top or bottom of the first side wall of an adjacent one of the second blocks, and a bridge body connecting the clips and fixing the distance between them; wherein the bridge body further comprises a connector on at least one of its ends, and wherein at least one of the clips is shaped to mount to the bridge body using the connector, and b. wherein the height of the bridge is such that when positioned with the first clip positioned in the groove of the first side wall of the first block, the top of the bridge vertically aligns with the top of the first block.

12. The bridge assembly of claim 11, wherein each second block has a second side wall extending between the top and bottom on a side thereof opposite its first side wall, and wherein the bridge assembly further comprises a stand-alone clip snugly fit onto the second side wall of the second block, the stand-alone clip height being such that the top of the stand-alone clip vertically aligns with the top of the first block.

13. A bridge system for a multi-stage wall, comprising: a plurality of first blocks arranged to form a first wall, each of the first blocks having first and second spaced apart side walls defining a hollow core therebetween, wherein the first side wall of each of the first blocks defines an inner surface of the first and wherein the second side wall of each of the first blocks defines an outer surface of the first wall; a plurality of second blocks arranged to form a second wall, each of the second blocks having first and second spaced apart side walls defining a hollow core therebetween, wherein the first side wall of each of the second blocks defines an inner surface of the second wall and wherein the second side wall of each of the second blocks defines an outer surface of the second wall; and a plurality of bridges connected between the first and second blocks, wherein each bridge has a bridge body and two ends; a first clip contiguous to one end of the bridge body, the first clip being shaped to snugly fit onto the first side wall of the first block, wherein the first clip overlies a top surface of the first side wall of the first block between the core and the inner surface of the first wall; and a second clip contiguous to the other end of the bridge body, the second clip being shaped to snugly fit onto the first side wall of the second block, wherein the second clip overlies a top surface of the first side wall of the second block between the core and the inner surface of the second wall; wherein the bridge body further comprises a connector on at least one of its ends, and wherein at least one of the clips is shaped to mount to the bridge body using, the connector; wherein at least one groove is forming in the top surface of the first side wall of the first blocks and at least one groove is formed in the top surface of the first side wall of the second blocks, and wherein the height of the bridge and blocks are such that, with the bridge in place, the tops of the first side walls of the second blocks will align vertically with the tops of the first side walls of the first blocks.

14. The bridge system of claim 13, further comprising a plurality of clips, each shaped to fit over the side wall of differently shaped blocks, and each shaped to mount to the bridge body using the connector.

15. The bridge system of claim 13, further comprising a connector receiver bracket shaped to mount to the connectors on two bridge bodies to form an extended bridge body.

16. The bridge system of claim 15, wherein both ends of each bridge body have a connector, such that multiple connector receiver brackets can be connected to multiple bridge bodies in series to form a further extended bridge body.

17. The bridge system of claim 15, further comprising bridge bodies in various lengths, such that the extended bridge body can be of various lengths.

18. The bridge system of claim 13, wherein the connector comprises a main body which is semicircular in cross-section with flat surfaces on the base of the semicircle, and the clip has a similarly shaped recess which can fit around the connector to hold the clip into position on the bridge body.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The present invention will be described further with reference to the following drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a concrete masonry unit (CMU) according to the prior art.

(3) FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a segmental retaining wall (SWS) unit according to the prior art.

(4) FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a bridge according to the present invention.

(5) FIG. 4 is an isometric view of an SWS clip according to the present invention.

(6) FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a connector receiver bracket according to the present invention.

(7) FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a connector bracket according to the present invention.

(8) FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a wall sub-assembly according to the present invention.

(9) FIG. 8 is a plan view of the wall sub-assembly of FIG. 7.

(10) FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a wall assembly according to the present invention.

(11) FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of the wall sub-assembly of FIGS. 7 and 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(12) Referring to FIG. 1, a standard prior art concrete masonry unit (CMU) 1 is shown. Such a CMU 1 is formed generally in the shape of a squared-off FIG. 8. For purposes of the present invention, side wall 3 will be referred to as the front side wall, and side wall 5 as the back side wall, it being understood that front v back is entirely arbitrary. Hollow spaces 9 are formed within the CMU 1, so that the side walls 3, 5 have a standard thickness.

(13) The nominal dimensions of a typical CMU are either 8 (203 mm) deep8 (203 mm) high16 (406 mm) long, or 6 (152 mm) deep8 (203 mm) high16 (406 mm) long. However, the actual dimensions of a typical CMU of these nominal dimensions are 7 (194 mm) deep7 (194 mm) high15 (397 mm) long or 5 (143 mm) deep7 (194 mm)15 (397 mm), respectively.

(14) CMUs typically are used with mortar, and the reduced actual size allows space for the mortar, such that the CMU plus the mortar meets the nominal dimension.

(15) FIG. 2 depicts a segmental wall system (SWS) unit 10. It is similar to a CMU, in that it has a front side wall 12 and a back side wall 14, with hollow spaces 16 therebetween. However, in this case the front wall is formed to appear aesthetically pleasing when multiple SWS units are assembled into a wall. The particular block shown is available from ICD Corporation, Lake Elmo, Minn., under the trademark Stonewall Select. This SWS unit 10 is designed to use a clip to hold the SWS units in proper position relative to each other when assembled into a wall. To enable positioning of the clips, each Stonewall Select SWS unit 10 has grooves 18 formed in the tops its back side wall 14. More details can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,712 (Dean), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. While a particular SWS unit is shown here, grooves 18 such as these can easily and inexpensively be added to the tops and/or bottoms of any SWS unit by simple additions of a temporary or permanent mold insertion into the mold for the SWS unit.

(16) In contrast to CMUs, both the nominal and actual dimensions of a typical SWS unit are 12 (305 mm) deep8 (203 mm) high16 (406 mm) long, since they normally are used without mortar in a drywall assembly. Thus, the typical SWS unit is (10 mm) taller than the typical CMU. According to the present invention, grooves 18 in the SWS unit 10 should be provided of a depth such that the height of the back side wall 14 in the groove matches the height of the typical CMU 1.

(17) FIG. 3 depicts a bridge body 20 according to the present invention. The bridge body 20 has a main body 22 with a CMU clip 24 formed near one end thereof. The walls 25, 26 of the CMU clip 24 are spaced to match the thickness of the CMU side walls 3, 5. The bridge body 20 further has connectors 29, 31 formed at each end thereof. Each connector 29, 31 has a semicircular body 33, with flat surfaces 35, 36 on the base thereof.

(18) FIG. 4 shows an SWS clip 40. The spacing of the walls 42, 43 is such as to match the thickness of the back side wall 14 of an SWS unit 10. One end of the SWS clip 40 has a connector receiver 45 formed in it, with a semicircular portion 46 and flat walls 47,48 which match the shape of the connectors 29, 31 in the bridge body 20. The SWS clip 40 may optionally include a spacer 49 on the top side thereof, which can be used to ensure that the SWS unit in the next higher row is properly positioned with respect to the current SWS unit, as further described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,712 (Dean).

(19) Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, a complete bridge 80 is constructed by inserting the connector 29 of the bridge body 20 into the connector receiver 45 of the SWS clip 40. The bridge 80 then is positioned with the CMU clip 24 mounted onto the top of the front side wall of a CMU 1 and the SWS clip 40 mounted onto the top of the back side wall 14 of an SWS unit 10, in one of the grooves 18. If desired, the bridge 80 could be flipped upside down and mounted to the bottoms of the CMU and SWS units instead. Multiple complete bridges 80 are assembled to multiple CMUs and SWS units to build a course of two walls spaced apart by the distance provided by the complete bridges 80.

(20) Preferably, a stand-alone CMU clip 50 is provided on the back side wall 5 of the CMU unit. The stand-alone CMU clip is similar to the SWS clip 40, but is sized to match the wall thickness of a CMU. Providing this stand-alone clip 50 will ensure that when the next course of CMUs is placed on top of the present course, it will align vertically with the taller SWS course.

(21) Once the course is assembled, it is filled with appropriate fill, such as gravel or rock, which provides both mass and drainage. The fill is not shown in any of the drawings for clarity of illustration.

(22) As shown in FIG. 9, a wall can be built by placing multiple courses of CMUs 1 and SWS units 10 on top of each prior course, connected with bridges 80 and filled. The optional spacer 49 on top of the SWS clips 40 and stand-alone CMU clips 50 can be used to ensure proper set-hack and vertical spacing of the SWS units and CMUs.

(23) A single pair of walls 54, 55 formed by the SWS units and CMUs as shown may not provide sufficient mass to support the ground behind a tall retaining wall. In that case, additional CMU walls 56, 57 can be provided as needed. The exact number of walls 54, 55, 56, 57 needed will depend on the engineering requirements for the particular ground quality and load requirements. However, as a general matter a 15course, 10 (3 m) wall such as that shown in FIG. 9 will require one SWS wall and three CMU walls, as shown, while a 6 (1.8 m) wall would only require one SWS wall 54 and one CMU wall 55. The extra walls 56, 57 do not need to extend all the way to the height of the SWS wall 54. Instead, they can be shorter, as shown, as needed to match the required load.

(24) The additional CMU walls 56, 57 can be constructed by attaching the stand-alone CMU clip 50 to the connector 29 on the bridge body 20, instead of the SWS connector 40. The assembly then is the same as for the first two walls 54, 55.

(25) An alternative to adding walls 56, 57 is to extend the distance between walls 54, 55, so that additional fill between the walls 54, 55 can provide sufficient additional mass to meet the engineering requirements for the wall. This can be accomplished by providing bridge bodies 20 in a variety of lengths. Alternatively, a connector receiver clip 60 such as that shown in FIG. 5 can be used. The connector receiver clip 60 has connector receivers 62 similar to the connector receiver 45 in the SWS clip 40, formed on either side thereof. A connector 29 or connector 33 on two bridge bodies 20 then can be inserted into the connector receivers 60 in the connector receiver clip 60. Multiple bridge bodies 20 and connector receiver clips 60 can be assembled serially in this fashion, if desired and if the materials from which they are formed have sufficient tensile strength to handle the load. With different size bridge bodies 20 and connector receiver clips 60, wall spacing can be provided to cover a wide range of sizes.

(26) Another situation which may arise is a desire to position two walls very tightly, e.g., for a non-retaining, stand-alone wall. This can be accomplished by using a connector clip 70 such as that shown in FIG. 6. The connector clip 70 has a connector 72 formed on each side, which matches the connectors on the bridge body 20. The connector 72 is essentially a very, very short bridge body, and clips, such as the SWS clip 40 or the stand-alone CMU clip 50, can be connected to either side of the connector clip 70 in the same manner as to bridge body 20, or in combination with multiple bridge bodies 20 and clips. This will provide a very short bridge 80 to hold two walls close together. The exact mix of clips can be varied to match the building units being used, for example, if SWS units 10 are being used on both sides of the wall, then two SWS clips 40 would be used, instead of one SWS clip 40 and one stand-alone CMU clip 50.

(27) All of the bridge, clip and connector components described preferably are formed using injection molded, fiberglass reinforced polymers, to provide strong, durable, corrosion resist and low cost components. However, any suitable material may be used, such as other polymers, metals and ceramics. Thus, a method and apparatus for constructing multi-stage walls have been presented in the foregoing description with reference to specific embodiments, but many variations could be made thereto within the scope of the present invention. For example, the CMU clip 24 has been shown molded into the bridge body 20, but the bridge body 20 could be formed simply with a connector 29 at both ends, and a stand-alone CMU clip 50 used instead of the CMU clip 24. The SWS units 10 are shown as having grooves 18 in their back side wall 14, but the entire back side wall 14 could be made shorter instead.

(28) It will be appreciated that various modifications to the referenced embodiments may be made without departing from the scope the following claims.