RETAINING WALL ANCHOR SYSTEM AND METHOD

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Patent Application No. 63/677,359, filed Jul. 30, 2024, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX”

Not Applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention may relate to anchoring systems for retaining walls that possibly ameliorate possible wall displacement occurring through the movement of retaining wall supporting ground, retaining material or both. More particularly to such retaining wall anchoring systems that may use an anchor pipe or pole secured in the supporting ground, the anchor pipe further connected to one end of a length of cable or the like, while the other cable end passes through the retaining wall to terminate in an anchor plate pressing against the retaining wall.

BACKGROUND

A retaining wall may be a structural construction that could contact and hold in place one or more landscaping features (e.g., soil and the like) to prevent erosion or movement of said landscaping especially in a moist or flood-prone environments. In hilly and mountainous environments, retaining walls can be used to provide flat grades or even terraced spaces for gardening or recreation or make said outdoor spaces more people and pet friendly. As such, the retaining wall usage can be seen as promoting safety as well as aesthetics.

Selecting the materials for constructing the retaining wall could depend on the type of ground providing the foundational support for retaining wall, expected soil and weather conditions as well as on the material(s) that are being held back by the retaining wall. Most retaining walls could be made from wood, concrete, brick, stone or similar construction materials.

Retaining wall may be further constructed to be connected with a retaining wall anchoring system that promotes the retaining wall stability (generally preventing the retaining wall from buckling or otherwise moving away from the retaining wall's original location through the movement, pressure or both of the material being held back by the retaining wall) and longevity. A properly anchored retaining wall could generally withstand the forces exerted by the retained material and maintain the retaining wall's structural integrity. Further, properly anchoring the retaining wall could help more evenly distribute the load of the retained material to substantially reduce the likelihood of the occurrence of localized pressure points that could lead to retaining wall failure (e.g., buckling, cracking, tilting to shifting location, catastrophic collapse or the like.)

As substantially shown in FIG. 1, one such retaining wall anchoring system 200 could comprise a double-ended anchor pipe 202 connected by a wire cable 204 to an anchor plate 206. One end of the anchor pipe 202 could be secured into a support ground 12 behind the retaining wall 14 prior to the loading of back fill 18 or material that is to be retained by the retaining wall 16. The top end of the anchor pipe 202 could be located well below a top of the respective retaining wall 16. The anchor pipe 202 could be angled (off vertical) relative to the retaining wall 16 so that the bottom one end secured into the ground 12 could be more proximate to the retaining wall 16 in comparison to the top pipe end that may be more distal from the retaining wall 16. The one wire end of the wire 204 cable could be secured to the anchor pipe 202 by wrapping that one wire end around the other pipe end.

The other wire end of the wire cable 204 could be fed though a double open-ended wire cable channel 208 that may be drilled or otherwise constructed to laterally traverse the retaining wall 14 to continuously connect rear side of the retaining wall 14 that generally faces the anchoring pipe 202 to the opposite or front side of the retaining wall 14. The wire cable 204 may be substantially fed into the said cable channel 208 through a rear channel opening on the rear side of retaining wall 14. The wire cable 204 may exit the retaining wall 12 though the cable channel's front channel opening.

At that time, the other end of the wire cable 204 could be appropriately tensioned and locked onto an anchor plate 206 substantially bringing the anchor plate to rest up against the front side of the retaining wall 14. The retaining wall 14, wire cable 204 and anchor pipe 202 generally resembles the angled relationship of the tent guideline and stake combination. Backfill 18 could be loaded behind the retaining wall 14 to complete the retaining wall setup.

One possible issue with these types of retaining wall anchoring systems may be that wire wrapping connection of the wire cable to the anchoring pipe or to the wall anchor or both may not provide sufficient wire cable tightening and holding capability to efficiently make the most use of tensioning provided by the retaining wall's anchoring system.

SUMMARY OF ONE EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Advantages of One or More Embodiments of the Present Invention

The various embodiments of the present invention may, but do not necessarily, achieve one or more of the following advantages:

• • to provide a retaining wall anchoring system that can be mechanically tightened with a with a simple tool;
  • the ability to adjust the tension as applied by a wire cable connecting an anchoring pipe to a retaining wall, provide a retaining wall anchoring system whose tension imparted to a retaining wall can
  • be adjusted for the over the lifetime of the retaining wall anchor system; and
  • the ability to adjust the retaining tension as applied by a resting wall anchor system to a retaining wall using simple tools such as fixed wrench.

These and other advantages may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification, claims, and abstract.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ONE EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

One possible embodiment of the invention could be a retaining wall anchoring system comprising a double-ended anchoring pipe, the anchoring pipe being movably, laterally traversed by an eyelet bolt proximate to one end of the anchoring pipe, a pair of nuts movably interact with a threaded portion of the eyelet bolt with the anchor pipe located between the two said nuts, a wire cable at one end is wrapped around the eye of the eyelet bolt, the other end of the wire cable being secured to an anchor plate, wherein the anchor plate is located on a front side of retaining wall supported by a ground, the wire cable further movably laterally traversing the retaining wall to exit the retaining wall rear side, the anchor pipe anchored by the other pipe end in an angled manner in the ground facing the retaining wall rear side, the nuts being located along the eyelet bolt to impart tension to the wire cable.

Another possible embodiment of the invention would be a method for operating a retaining wall anchoring system comprising of the following steps: providing a retain wall support by a ground; providing a retaining wall anchoring system comprising an anchoring pipe, wire cable, and anchoring plate, a double-ended anchoring pipe, the anchoring pipe being movably, laterally traversed by an eyelet bolt proximate to one end of the anchoring pipe, a pair of nuts movable interact with a threaded portion of the eyelet bolt with the anchor pipe located between the two said nuts, a wire cable at one end is wrapped around the eye of the eyelet bolt, the other end of the wire cable being secured to an anchor plate, wherein the anchor plate is located on a front side of retaining wall supported by a ground, the wire cable further movably laterally traversing the retaining wall to exit the retaining wall rear side, the anchor pipe anchored by the other pipe end in an angled manner in the ground to place the anchor pipe facing the retaining wall rear side and locating the nuts along the threaded eyelet bolt portion to impart a tightening tension to the cable wire.

The above description sets forth, rather broadly, a summary of one embodiment of the present invention so that the detailed description that follows may be better understood and contributions of the present invention to the art may be better appreciated. Some of the embodiments of the present invention may not include all of the features or characteristics listed in the above summary. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described below and will form the subject matter of claims. In this respect, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or as illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is substantially a perspective cutaway view of the one prior art version of a retaining wall anchoring system.

FIG. 2 is substantially a perspective cutaway view of one embodiment of present invention.

FIG. 3 is substantially a perspective cutaway view of the anchor pipe of one embodiment of present invention.

FIG. 4 is substantially a perspective cutaway view of the anchor plate of one embodiment of present invention.

FIG. 5 is substantially a perspective view of a flow chart for a method of operating the retaining wall anchoring system.

DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the present invention 10 could comprise a retaining wall anchoring system 20 and method for same 200. As substantially further shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the retaining wall anchoring system 20 could comprise an anchor pipe 22 substantially connected by a wire cable 22 to an anchor plate 24, the anchor plate 24 could be situated on a front side of the retaining wall 14 (e.g., retaining wall side facing away from the anchor pipe 22.) The retaining wall 20 and anchor pipe 22 may be anchored by a support ground 12 with the anchor pipe 22 located distal from a retaining wall rear side.

In one possible embodiment, the anchor pipe 22 could be generally thicker than average pipe and be made of galvanized steel—(such as e.g., A53 Tested Pipe up through 6″ diameter and A500 Tested Pipe for sizes 8″ to 12″ diameters.) The anchor pipe 22 could generally form a hollow interior 28 that continuously connects the two open pipe ends 30. In one version, a bottom pipe end could be beveled to present a sharp-angled bottom pipe end edge to cut into the support ground 12 allowing the top pipe end to be suitably repeatedly hit with a hammering-type device (not shown), such as a mallet, to substantially drive the bottom pipe end into, and be anchored by, the support ground 12. In another version, the beveling of the bottom pipe end may be omitted if an open-ended ground channel (not shown) could be created in the support ground by a suitable channel-creating device (not shown) such as drill, auger or the like. The bottom pipe end could then be driven/inserted into the open-ended ground channel to generally secure the anchor pipe 22.

The anchor pipe 22 could further comprise an adjustable cable wire tensioning system. This tensioning system could have the anchor pipe 22 be further penetrated by two side pipe apertures 32 substantially located 180 degrees apart from one another and could be continuously connected to one another by the hollow interior 28. The two side pipe apertures 32 could be located proximate to the top pipe end 30 and distal from the bottom pipe end 30. An eyebolt or eyelet 34 (e.g., stainless steel type), whose threaded portion 38 could movably pass through both side pipe apertures 32, to laterally traverse the anchor pipe 22. The eyebolt 34 may be located in the anchor pipe 22 so that the bolt's eye portion 37 may be located closer to the retaining wall's rear side than that of the threaded portion 38. Accordingly, one pipe aperture 32 could face the retaining wall's rear side while the other pipe aperture 32 could face away from the retaining wall 16.

In one version, the pipe apertures 32 could be so located that when the anchor pipe 22 is angularly anchored (e.g., angled off from vertical) into a support ground 12, the anchor pipe 22 could horizontally hold the eyebolt 34 in a spaced-apart and parallel relationship to a top of the support ground.) This horizontal eyebolt positioning, while the anchor pipe is angularly held by the support ground 12, could enhance the eyebolt's effect upon the tension of the wire cable 24 (as compared to an eyebolt 34 that is not movably held in a horizontal orientation.)

Suitable nuts 22 (e.g., SAE stainless nuts) could be movably threaded upon the threaded portion 38 of the eyebolt 34 to generally locate the anchor pipe 22 between the nuts 36. More specifically, the anchor pipe 22 could be sandwiched between the nuts 22. The nuts 22 could be suitably tightened down upon the anchor pipe 22 to locate and secure the eyelet 34 at a desired location relative to the anchor pipe 22.

A suitable length of cable wire 24 (e.g., stainless aircraft grade cable), terminating at a first cable end 40 and second cable end 42, could have a portion of the first cable end 40 attached to the eyebolt 34. In at least one version, first cable end 40 could be looped/wrapped around the eyebolt eye portion 37 and then be further secured back upon remainder wire cable to close the cable wire loop. This closure could be effected by a first cable crimp (e.g., aluminum) and then a first U-bolt clamp (e.g., stainless clamp.)

The anchor plate 26 could be square, rectangular or other suitable shape (e.g., chevron-shaped for applications having angled retaining wall sections) of hardened stainless-steel plate with a plate center forming a plate aperture 44 that could continuously connect the anchor plate's front and back. 26. A suitable section of hardened stainless bar or rod 46 could be attached (e.g., welded) to the anchor plate 26 to substantially bisect the plate aperture 44 generally to form a connection device 48 where the second cable end 42 could be looped/wrapped around the connection device 48. The looped or wrapped second cable end 42 could be secured to the remainder of the cable wire 24 by a second cable crimp (e.g., aluminum) and second U-bolt clamp (e.g., stainless steel).

In one version of the invention 10, the anchor pipe 22 could be anchored to the support ground 12 so as to be angled away from the suitable located retaining wall 16 (e.g., top pipe end 30 of anchor pipe 22 may be located further away from the retaining wall 16 than the bottom pipe end 30 of the anchor pipe 22 (e.g., in a manner substantially similar to how a top of the tent stake could be angled away from the respective tent when securing a tent guideline.) The anchor pipe 22 could retain the angled placement when the retaining wall may be later backfilled with the top pipe end 30 could be located about a foot or so below the top of the later added backfill 18.

A double-open ended wall channel 50 could be created (e.g., by being drilled into, etc.) the retaining wall 16 to continuously connect the front wall side to the rear wall side (e.g., continuously connecting a front wall aperture to a rear wall aperture.) The second cable end 42 could be fed or otherwise inserted into the rear wall aperture and be substantially passed out through the front wall aperture to be positioned at the front side of the retaining wall 16 for general attachment to the anchor plate 26.

In one version, once the second cable end 42 is generally secured to the anchor plate 26, the wire cable 24 can be pulled on (e.g., where the wire cable 24 generally passes out from the rear side of retaining wall 16) to substantially snug up the anchor plate 26 upon the front side of the retaining wall 16. The first cable end 40 could then be substantially secured to the movable attached eyebolt 34, which is generally located proximate to the top pipe end 30 and distal from the bottom pipe end 30. The nuts 36, movably attached to the threaded portion 38, could be eased off of the sandwiched anchor pipe 26 to allow the eyebolt 34 to generally move relative to the anchor pipe 22. In one situation, the eyebolt 34 could be moved away from the retainer wall 16 to substantially provide wire cable tension or tightening action to generally remove slack out on the wire cable 24. In other situation, the eyebolt 34 could be moved towards the retainer wall 16 to substantially lessen wire cable tension or generally put slack into the wire cable 24.

More specifically, a back or adjusting nut 56 (e.g., movably located on the threaded portion 38 between the anchor pipe 22 and unattached end 39) could be tightened against the anchor pipe 26 to move the eyelet portion 37 away from the retaining wall 16 to pick up slack in the wire cable 24 or otherwise apply or increase tension to the wire cable 24. Conversely, backing off or the untightening the back or adjusting nut 56 from the anchor pipe 22 could allow the eyelet portion 37 to generally move closer to the retaining wall 16 to substantially lessen or otherwise eliminate tension in the wire cable 24. Once the back or adjusting nut 56 is properly located upon the threaded portion 38 in relation to the anchor pipe 22, the front or securing nut 58 (e.g., movably located on the threaded portion 38 between the anchor pipe 22 and the eye portion 37 to be snugged up against the anchor pipe 22. In this manner, the securing nut 58 can be seen as double nutting and securing the adjustment nut 56 in place. Converse, untightening the securing nut 58 away from the anchor pipe 22 (e.g., moving the securing nut 48 towards the eyelet portion 37/retaining wall 16) could unlock the adjusting nut 65. This unlocking action could then allow the adjusting nut's rotational movement to move the eyelet bolt relative to the anchor pipe 22 to adjust the tension in the wire cable 24. After the tension on the wire cable 24 is appropriately adjusted, the area behind the retaining wall 16 could be suitably backfilled with the desired retaining material or backfill 18 to generally cover the anchoring pipe 22 and wire cable 24. Further, if later adjustment to the retaining wall anchoring system 20 is needed (e.g., due to shifting land fill, weather changes and the like), the backfill 18 covering the anchor pipe 22 can be vacated, exposing the top pipe end and the eyelet 34. Changes can then be made to the positioning of the adjustment nut 56 and securing nut 58 to make suitable cable wire tension changes, after which the top pipe end and eyelet 34 can be covered again by backfill 18.

Method

As substantially shown in FIG. 5, the process or method 100 for setting up the invention 10 could start with step 102, establishing the retaining wall. The operator could design the retaining wall based on the site plane, site elevation, site soil(s), expected weather conditions at the site, the purpose for the retaining wall and the like. The selection of retaining wall construction material, in conjunction with the retaining wall design, could be made from a wide variety of materials well known in the art. The materials and tools for the retaining wall and anchoring system could be gathered and then located at the retaining wall construction site. The ground site could then be appropriately cleared, leveled and, as necessary, compacted. After being levelled, the ground site could be trenched with a foundation furrow for laying in the initial retaining wall building materials that may establish the retaining wall foundation.

In one version, one or more double open-ended tubes could be set into and traverse the retaining wall during construction. The double opened-end tubes could then act as double open-ended wire cable channels. In another version, one or more double open-ended wall channels could be drilled through to traverse the retaining wall (e.g., continuously connect the front and back walls of the retaining walls.) As step 102 is substantially completed, the process 100 could generally proceed to step 104, installing the anchoring system.

In step 104, installing the anchoring system, one or more anchor pipes could be located apart from the rear side of the retaining wall as well as being in spaced-apart relationship to one another. The number and distancing of the anchor pipes from each other and the rear side of the retaining wall could be dependent on various calculations for the amount of stress and tension needed to be transferred from various retaining wall sections to their respective anchor pipes. Once the locations for the anchor pipes have been determined, the anchor pipes could be suitably secured (via drilled holes, being hammered in, and other suitable method of attachment) in the site ground. The anchor pipes could be positioned in the site ground to be angled off from vertical wherein the top pipe ends are further away from the retaining wall's rear side than the bottom pipe ends.

The cable wire in one version could traverse the retaining wall via the double open-end wall channel. The second cable end being presented on the retaining wall front side to be suitably attached to the respective wall anchor. The second cable end could be looped around the retaining rod that bisects the anchor plate aperture to be secured to the remaining wire cable by a first crimp and a first U-bolt clamp.

Once the second cable end is secured to the anchor plate, the operator could then pull on the wire cable that is coming out of the retaining wall's rear side to substantially snug up the wall anchor to the retaining wall's front side by the front wall aperture. The remainer of the wire cable can be brought over to the respective anchor pipe wherein the nuts have been loosened on the eyebolt to allow the eye portion to be moved relative to the anchor pipe. The first cable end can then be suitably attached (e.g., looping, wrapping attachment by crimp and U-bolt clamp) relative to the bolt eye to substantially reduce looseness in the wire cable. In another version of the invention, the wire cable can be connected first to the eye portion of the bolt then be routed through the double open-ended wall channel to connect to the anchor plate located on the frontside of the retaining wall.

Once step 104 is substantially completed, the process or method 100 could proceed to step 106, adjusting the anchoring system.

In step 106, adjusting the anchoring system. The eyebolt nuts can be adjusted (e.g., by wrench) on the threaded portion to substantially move the eye portion of the eyebolt away from the retaining wall to introduce the desired tension or strain on the wire cable, retaining wall and anchor pipe. The securing nut may be first adjusted to substantially locate the eyebolt in respect to the anchor pole to substantially create the desired strain and tension relationship between the retaining wall and anchor pipe. Once the tension as provided by the system is generally set, the securing nut may be adjusted against the anchor pole to substantially provide a double nutting locking effect to the adjusting nut. Once the desired tension for the retaining wall anchoring system is set, the desired material for backfill may be put into place covering the anchor pole and wire cable and to be further held by the retaining wall.

If later adjustment to the retaining wall anchoring system is needed or desired (e.g., due to shifting land fill, weather changes and the like), the backfill 18 covering the anchor pipe 22 can be vacated, exposing the top pipe end and the eyelet. Changes can then be made to the positioning of the adjustment nut 56 and securing nut 58 to make suitable cable wire tension changes, after which the top pipe end and eyelet 34 can be covered again by backfill 18.

CONCLUSION

Although the description above contains many specifications, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents rather than by the examples given.