Barrier Wall Made of Sheet-Pile Components

Abstract

Free standing above-ground barrier wall 10 that includes a plurality of sheet-pile planks 16 , and optionally one or more support elements 12 that are interconnected together using one or more interlocking connectors 22, 24 . The sheet-pile plank 16 has a lower edge located proximate a top surface of the ground 14 upon which the free standing above-ground barrier wall 10 is erected in an upstanding, installed configuration. The sheet-pile plank 16 and the support element 12 each constitute sheet-pile components and in the upstanding, installed configuration, a lower portion of the sheet-pile plank 16 is ground engaged and a substantial entirety of the weight of the sheet-pile plank is supported at its engagement with the ground. The engagement may be merely abutting with the plank 16 resting atop the ground, or the lower edge of the plank 16 may be buried into the ground to a certain degree.

1 . A free standing above-ground barrier wall, said wall comprising:
 a plurality of sheet-pile components interconnected with each other by interlocks that establish the barrier wall, said sheet-pile components being interconnected and positioned relative one another so that the barrier wall is erected in an upstanding, installed configuration while a majority of the sheet-pile components exclusively engage a top surface of the ground upon which said free standing above-ground barrier wall is erected at a lower edge thereof and thereby establish the upstanding, installed configuration of said wall.   
   
   
       2 . The barrier wall as recited in  claim 1 , said wall comprising:
 at least one sheet-pile plank interconnected with at least one support element by an interlocking connector and said at least one sheet-pile plank having a lower edge located proximate a top surface of the ground upon which said free standing above-ground barrier wall is erected in an upstanding, installed configuration.   
   
   
       3 . The barrier wall as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said at least one sheet-pile plank and said at least one support element each constitute said sheet-pile components and in the upstanding, installed configuration, a lower portion of said at least one sheet-pile plank is ground engaged and a substantial entirety of the weight of the at least one sheet-pile plank is supported at the engagement between the at least one sheet-pile plank and the ground. 
   
   
       4 . The barrier wall as recited in  claim 3 , wherein said at least one sheet-pile plank and said at least one support element are each upstanding in said installed configuration and a lower portion of at least one of said sheet-pile components is buried underground and the buried lower portion constitutes less than about fifteen percent of an average height of said sheet-pile component. 
   
   
       5 . The barrier wall as recited in  claim 3 , wherein said at least one sheet-pile plank and said at least one support element are each upstanding in said installed configuration and a lower portion of at least one of said sheet-pile components is buried underground and the buried lower portion constitutes less than about twenty percent of an average height of said sheet-pile component. 
   
   
       6 . The barrier wall as recited in  claim 5 , wherein said at least one sheet-pile plank constitutes a plurality of sheet-pile planks interconnected in series with a plurality of support elements by a plurality of interlocking connectors. 
   
   
       7 . The barrier wall as recited in  claim 6 , wherein a lower portion of at least some of said plurality of support elements is buried sufficiently deep in the ground to maintain said free standing above-ground barrier wall in the upstanding, installed configuration. 
   
   
       8 . The barrier wall as recited in  claim 6 , wherein at least some of said plurality of interlocking connectors are each independent elongate elements that are lengthwise upstandingly oriented in the installed configuration and couple a sheet-pile plank to an adjacent support element. 
   
   
       9 . The barrier wall as recited in  claim 6 , wherein two of said sheet-pile components are adjacently interconnected with respective lengthwise axes thereof oriented at one of 30 degrees, 45 degrees and 90 degrees relative one another. 
   
   
       10 . The barrier wall as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said barrier wall comprises two adjacently positioned sidewalls, each of which has a lengthwise axis that is oriented substantially parallel to the other and each of said sidewalls comprises as sheet-pile components a plurality of sheet-pile planks interconnected with at least one support element and each sheet-pile plank has a lower edge located proximate the top surface of the ground upon which the barrier wall is erected. 
   
   
       11 . The barrier wall as recited in  claim 10 , wherein said two adjacently positioned sidewalls are spaced apart, one from the other, with a fillable space therebetween. 
   
   
       12 . The barrier wall as recited in  claim 11 , wherein said fillable space between said two adjacently positioned sidewalls is filled with a filler material. 
   
   
       13 . The barrier wall as recited in  claim 12 , wherein said filler material is one of soil, concrete and plastic foam. 
   
   
       14 . The barrier wall as recited in  claim 11 , wherein said two adjacently positioned sidewalls are interconnected by an I-beam that constitutes a support element of the barrier wall and said two sidewalls are spaced apart, one from the other, at a distance approximately equal to a length of the I-beam's web extending therebetween. 
   
   
       15 . The barrier wall as recited in  claim 1 , wherein t lest one of the sheet-pile components is one of an upstanding I-beam and an upstanding tubular pipe. 
   
   
       16 . The barrier wall as recited in  claim 3 , wherein a lower portion of at least one of said sheet-pile components is anchored proximate ground level against lateral movement in the installed configuration. 
   
   
       17 . The barrier wall as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the lower portion of said at least one sheet-pile component is anchored in concrete in the installed configuration. 
   
   
       18 . The barrier wall as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the lower portion of said at least one sheet-pile component is anchored in a receptacle that is recessed into the ground. 
   
   
       19 . The barrier wall as recited in  claim 1 , wherein an end of said barrier wall is secured to a building at an interlocking connector located on the building. 
   
   
       20 . The barrier wall as recited in  claim 1 , wherein some of the sheet-pile components are cold-rolled. 
   
   
       21 . The barrier wall as recited in  claim 20 , wherein some of the sheet-pile components are interconnected by ball-and-socket joints.