Natural stone simulated surface retaining wall systems

Abstract

A mortar-less retaining wall apparatus is built from of a plurality of masonry blocks, each masonry block having four side walls and two end walls, two or more masonry blocks being abutted on respective side walls, at least one of the end walls of each masonry block having a split texture surface and a plurality of recesses creating a natural stone simulated surface. One or more of the masonry blocks each has a side wall that tapers from one end wall to the other end wall, thus allowing either straight or curved walls to be built by changing the relative orientation of the tapers of adjoining blocks.

1 . A mortar-less retaining wall apparatus, comprised of a plurality of masonry blocks, each masonry block having four side walls and two end walls, two or more masonry blocks being abutted on respective side walls, and at least one of the end walls of each masonry block having a split texture surface and a plurality of recesses creating a natural stone simulated surface.  
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the two end walls of each masonry block having a natural stone simulated surface.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the two end walls are generally quadrilateral in shape.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of the masonry blocks each has a side wall that tapers from one end wall to the other end wall.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein two of the masonry blocks with tapered side walls are abutted along the tapered sides, with the tapered sides having opposed tapers, thereby forming a straight wall.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein two of the masonry blocks with tapered side walls are abutted along the tapered sides, with the tapered sides having matched tapers, thereby forming a curved wall.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising masonry blocks of four different types.  
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein three of the four types each has a first height and the fourth type has a second height twice that of the first height.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , further comprising a panel of two rows of blocks, each of the two rows having blocks of the first height and an end block of the second height.  
   
   
       10 . A mortar-less retaining wall apparatus, comprised of a plurality of masonry blocks, each masonry block having four side walls and two end walls, each end wall having a split texture surface and a plurality of recesses creating a natural stone simulated surface creating a natural stone simulated surface, each end wall being generally quadrilateral in shape, two or more masonry blocks being abutted on respective side walls, and wherein one or more of the masonry blocks each has a side wall that tapers from one end wall to the other end wall.  
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein two of the masonry blocks with tapered side walls are abutted along the tapered sides, with the tapered sides having opposed tapers, thereby forming a straight wall.  
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein two of the masonry blocks with tapered side walls are abutted along the tapered sides, with the tapered sides having matched tapers, thereby forming a curved wall.  
   
   
       13 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , further comprising masonry blocks of four different types.  
   
   
       14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein three of the four types each has a first height and the fourth type has a second height twice that of the first height.  
   
   
       15 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , further comprising a panel of two rows of blocks, each of the two rows having blocks of the first height and an end block of the second height.  
   
   
       16 . A mortar-less and pin-less retaining wall apparatus, comprised of a plurality of masonry blocks, each masonry block having four side walls and two end walls, at least one of the end walls of each masonry block having a split texture surface and a plurality of recesses creating a natural stone simulated surface, two or more masonry blocks being abutted on respective side walls, one of the end walls of each masonry block having a natural rock simulating portion.  
   
   
       17 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the two end walls of each masonry block having a natural rock simulating portion.  
   
   
       18 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the end walls are generally quadrilateral in shape.  
   
   
       19 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein one or more of the masonry blocks each has a side wall that tapers from one end wall to the other end wall.  
   
   
       20 . The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein two of the masonry blocks with tapered side walls are abutted along the tapered sides, with the tapered sides having opposed tapers, thereby forming a straight wall.  
   
   
       21 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein two of the masonry blocks with tapered side walls are abutted along the tapered sides, with the tapered sides having matched tapers, thereby forming a curved wall.  
   
   
       22 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , further comprising masonry blocks of four different types.  
   
   
       23 . The apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein three of the four types each has a first height and the fourth type has a second height twice that of the first height.  
   
   
       24 . The apparatus of  claim 23 , further comprising a panel of two rows of blocks, each of the two rows having blocks of the first height and an end block of the second height.