Retaining wall with plastic coated wooden panels

Abstract

A retaining wall ( 10 ) is formed by a series of structural panels ( 18 ) arranged in edge-to-edge relationship, supported by horizontally extending wales ( 16 ) and vertically extending piles ( 14 ). The panels are formed of a rectangular board ( 40 ) with a plastic envelope ( 42 ) adhered to the board. Strips ( 60 and 61 ) are adhered to the plastic material at one edge portion of each panel, with the strips forming protruding lips ( 58 and 50 ) that receive the second edge of an adjacent panel, thereby guiding the new panels into place and forming a barrier to the movement of water and water borne debris between the panels.

1 . A structural panel for forming vertical walls in harsh environments comprising: 
 an elongated board rectangular in cross section and having opposed side surfaces and opposed first and second edge surfaces,    a plastic coating extending about and along and applied to said elongated board for shielding said board from contact with the environment adjacent said board,    a pair of plastic strips narrower than the side surfaces of said board and extending along the length of the board at the opposed side surfaces of said board and extending beyond said first edge surface,    said plastic strips each having one elongated segment applied to one of said broad side surfaces of said board and an adjacent elongated segment extending beyond the first edge surface of said board and forming a pair of parallel lips    said parallel lips together with said first edge surface of said board forming a groove sized and shaped to receive the opposed second edge surface of a duplicate structural panel,    such that duplicate ones of said structural panels can be mounted in edge-to-edge nested connected relationship to form a continuous wall structure without openings at the edge surfaces of the wall structure.    
     
     
         2 . The structural panel of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said plastic strips are heat sealed to said plastic coating of said board.    
     
     
         3 . The structural panel of  claim 2 , wherein 
 said board further includes ends, and said plastic coating extends about said ends.    
     
     
         4 . The structural panel of  claim 3 , wherein: 
 said lips are spaced from each other a distance equal to the thickness of said board and said plastic coating on the opposed side surfaces of said board.    
     
     
         5 . The structural panel of  claim 4 , and further comprising: 
 a series of said structural panels arranged in upwardly extending edge-to-edge relationship each with its groove receiving a second edge of an adjacent structural panel.    at least some of said panels partially embedded in the earth,    at least one wale extending horizontally across said series of panels, a water impervious plastic coating applied to said wale,    at least one piling extending upwardly across said wale and partially embedded in the earth, a water impervious plastic coating applied to said piling,    such that the piling supports the wale and the wale supports the structural panels and forms a structural wall that is impermeable to marine borers.    
     
     
         6 . The structural panel of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said board is formed of natural wood and said plastic coating is water impervious.    
     
     
         7 . The structural panel of  claim 6 , wherein: 
 said plastic coating is characterized by having been extruded onto said board.    
     
     
         8 . The structural panel of  claim 6 , wherein: 
 said plastic coating is characterized by having been sprayed onto said board.    
     
     
         9 . The structural panel of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said plastic strips are characterized by having been extruded onto said plastic coating.    
     
     
         10 . The structural panel of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said plastic strips are adhered to said plastic coating.    
     
     
         11 . The structural panel of  claim 7 , wherein: 
 said opposed side surfaces of said structural panel are flat and parallel to each other, with said opposed side surfaces being of greater width than said opposed edge surfaces.    
     
     
         12 . The structural panel of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 a series of said structural panels are arranged with their edges juxtaposed and with the plastic strips covering the juxtaposed edges without protruding between said juxtaposed edges.    
     
     
         13 . The structural panel of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 a series of said structural panels are arranged with their edges in contact with one another without said lips projecting between said structural panels.    
     
     
         14 . A structural panel for forming vertical walls in harsh environments comprising: 
 an elongated board rectangular in cross section and having opposed side surfaces and opposed first and second edge surfaces,    a water impermeable coating surrounding and extending along and applied to said elongated board for shielding said board from contact with the environment adjacent said board,    a pair of strips extending along the length of said coating at the opposed side surfaces of said board and extending beyond said first edge surface,    said strips each extending beyond the first edge surface of said board and forming a pair of parallel lips,    said parallel lips together with said first edge surface of said board forming a groove sized and shaped to receive the opposed second edge surface of a duplicate structural panel,    such that duplicate ones of said structural panels can be mounted with their second edges and the grooves of an adjacent panel in interfitting relationship to form a continuous wall structure with the strips covering the openings between the structural panels.    
     
     
         15 . The structural panel of  claim 14 , and further comprising: 
 a series of said structural panels arranged in upwardly extending edge-to-edge relationship each with its groove receiving a second edge of an adjacent structural panel,    at least some of said panels partially embedded in the earth,    at least one wale extending horizontally across said series of panels, and    at least one piling extending upwardly across said wale and partially embedded in the earth.    
     
     
         16 . The structural panel of  claim 15 , and further comprising: 
 a water impervious plastic coating applied to said wale, and    a water impervious plastic coating applied to said piling.    
     
     
         17 . A retaining wall assembly comprising: 
 a series of wall panels each of duplicate cross sectional shape and covered by water impervious coating and of rectangular shape with opposed side surfaces and opposed first and second edge surfaces,    each said wall panels including a pair of lips extending about said first edge surface spaced from each other a distance corresponding to the width of said wall panel for receiving the second edge surface of a duplicate wall panel,    said series of wall panels oriented vertically each with their second edges received between said pair of lips of an adjacent wall panel and partially embedded in the earth,    at least one wale extending normal to and in supportive relationship with said series of wall panels, and    at least one pile oriented vertically and partially embedded in the earth and positioned in supportive relationship with said wales,    such that the wall panels are arranged in edge surface to edge surface with the lips of each panel overlapping the spaces between the panels without requiring a non-rectangular shape of the adjacent panel.    
     
     
         18 . The retaining wall assembly of  claim 17 , and further comprising: 
 a water impervious plastic coating applied to said wale, and    a water impervious plastic coating applied to said piling.    
     
     
         19 . The retaining wall assembly of  claim 18 , wherein: 
 said water impervious coatings are characterized by having been extruded onto said panels, said wale and said pile.    
     
     
         20 . A structural panel for use in constructing walls that is formed of a rectangular wooden board having opposed first and second edges, said board covered in an air tight plastic envelope with the plastic envelope forming a groove at said first edge of said board and no matching tongue at the second edge of said board, with the groove sized and shaped to mate with the second edge of a duplicate structural panel.  
     
     
         21 . The structural panel of  claim 20  wherein 
 said air tight plastic envelop is characterized by having been formed by vacuum extrusion.    
     
     
         22 . A wall structure comprising a series of upright elongate supports spaced from one another, and a plurality of said structural panels of  claim 20  oriented horizontally between and supported by adjacent ones of said upright supports with the grooves of at least some of the structural panels in registration with an adjacent structural panel.  
     
     
         23 . A wall structure of  claim 22 , wherein said upright elongate supports comprise I-beams with oppositely facing grooves, with said structural panels received in said grooves of said I-beams.