Mechanical earth stabilizing system including reinforcing members with enhanced soil shear resistance

Abstract

A mechanical earth stabilizing system is provided that includes at least one facing panel that retains compacted soil, and at least one reinforcing member connected at one end to the facing element and disposed within the retained soil. The reinforcing member is formed from a pair of parallel, bar-shaped legs disposed in a horizontal plane. Each of the bar-shaped legs includes a plurality of deformations along its length to resist axial movement of the leg through the surrounding soil. The parallel legs are spaced apart a distance of no more than about four times the thickness of the legs in order to synergistically increase the resistance of the legs to axial shearing through the compacted soil. The legs are preferably formed from a single length of bar-shaped material having a U-shaped bent portion that integrally connects the legs in parallel. Such a structure facilitates manufacture and the rounded portion of the integrally formed U-shaped portion provides a strong and convenient site for connecting the reinforcing member to a facing element.

1 . A mechanical earth stabilizing system, comprising:
 at least one facing element that retains soil;   at least one reinforcing member connected at one end to the facing element and disposed within the reinforced soil, the reinforcing member including a pair of legs, each of which includes a plurality of deformations along its length that resists axial movement of the leg through the surrounding soil, the pair of legs having mutually parallel longitudinal axes and being disposed in a same horizontal plane,   wherein the legs are spaced apart a distance of no more than about five times the thickness of the legs for at least a substantial portion of their lengths.   
     
     
         2 . The mechanical earth stabilizing system of  claim 1 , wherein the legs are integrally connected together at the end connected to the facing element. 
     
     
         3 . The mechanical earth stabilizing system of  claim 2 , wherein the legs are integrally connected together by a U-shaped member. 
     
     
         4 . The mechanical earth stabilizing system of  claim 3 , wherein the legs are formed by a single length of bar-shaped material having a U-shaped bent portion that integrally connects the legs in parallel. 
     
     
         5 . The mechanical earth stabilizing system of  claim 1 , wherein the deformations are protrusions that extend from the surface of the legs at a distance of at least about 10% of the thickness of the legs. 
     
     
         6 . The mechanical earth stabilizing system of  claim 1 , wherein the deformations are protrusions that extend from the surface of the legs at a distance of between about 2 and 4 millimeters. 
     
     
         7 . The mechanical earth stabilizing system of  claim 1 , wherein the legs have a rounded cross-sectional shape, and the deformations are ridges that circumscribe the outer surface of the legs at least partway. 
     
     
         8 . The mechanical earth stabilizing system of  claim 1 , wherein the deformations are spaced along the length of the legs a distance of not more than about 200 millimeters apart. 
     
     
         9 . The mechanical earth stabilizing system of  claim 1 , wherein the deformations are spaced along the length of the legs a distance of not more than about twenty times the thickness of the legs. 
     
     
         10 . The mechanical earth stabilizing system of  claim 1 , wherein the deformations are crimps or bends in the legs. 
     
     
         11 . The mechanical earth stabilizing system of  claim 10 , wherein the deformations are sinusoidal bends in the legs. 
     
     
         12 . The mechanical earth stabilizing system of  claim 11 , wherein the sinusoidal bends are of uniform length and amplitude. 
     
     
         13 . The mechanical earth stabilizing system of  claim 12 , wherein the sinusoidal bends on both legs are uniformly spaced along the longitudinal axis of each leg. 
     
     
         14 . The mechanical earth stabilizing system of  claim 3 , further comprising a connection assembly that fixedly connects the end of the reinforcing member to the facing element, wherein the connection assembly includes a loop member fixedly mounted to the facing element and having a rounded section that overlaps with the rounded portion of the U-shaped bar element. 
     
     
         15 . The mechanical earth stabilizing system of  claim 14 , wherein the connection assembly further includes a tubular linking element disposed in the overlapping rounded portion of the U-shaped bar element and the rounded section of the loop element. 
     
     
         16 . The mechanical earth stabilizing system of  claim 15 , wherein the connection assembly further includes a mounting element that fixedly connects the tubular linking element to one or both of the rounded portion of the U-shaped bar element and the rounded section of the loop element. 
     
     
         17 . The mechanical earth stabilizing system of  claim 15 , wherein the mounting element includes at least one cotter pin. 
     
     
         18 . The mechanical earth stabilizing system of  claim 3 , further comprising a connection assembly that fixedly connects the end of the reinforcing element to the facing element, wherein the connection assembly includes a plate element fixedly mounted to the facing element, and a fastener for fixedly mounting the U-shaped bar element of the reinforcing element to the plate. 
     
     
         19 . The mechanical earth stabilizing system of  claim 18 , wherein the plate element includes an opening, and the fastener of the connection assembly includes a bolt that extends through the rounded portion of the U-shaped bar element and the opening of the plate, and a nut. 
     
     
         20 . A mechanical earth stabilizing system, comprising:
 at least one facing element that retains compacted soil;   at least one reinforcing element connected at one end to the facing element and disposed within the compacted soil, the reinforcing element including a pair of bar-shaped legs, each of which includes a plurality of protrusions along its length that resist axial movement of the leg through the surrounding soil, the pair of legs being mutually parallel and in a horizontal plane and having about a same cross sectional area,   wherein the parallel legs are spaced apart a distance of no more than about five times the thickness of the legs, and are connected together at the facing element by a U-shaped element.   
     
     
         21 . The mechanical earth stabilizing system of  claim 16 , wherein the legs are formed by a single length of bar-shaped material having a U-shaped bent portion that integrally connects the legs in parallel. 
     
     
         22 . The mechanical earth stabilizing system of  claim 16 , wherein the legs have a rounded cross-sectional shape, and the protrusions are ridges that circumscribe the outer surface of the legs at least partway. 
     
     
         23 . The mechanical earth stabilizing system of  claim 18 , wherein the ridges extend from the surface of the legs at a distance of between about 2 and 4 millimeters. 
     
     
         24 . The mechanical earth stabilizing system of  claim 16 , wherein the protrusions are spaced along the length of the legs a distance of not more than about 200 millimeters apart.