Retaining wall block

Abstract

A retaining wall is made from a plurality of blocks arranged in rows superimposed on each other and pinned together. Each block has a body with an exterior face and rearwardly diverging side walls joined to a neck. A head having outwardly directed ears is joined to the neck. The body has holes and pockets for pins that interlock overlapped blocks together.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTIONThis invention is directed to the field of wall blocks and block wall construction. The blocks are of the type used to make inclined retaining walls to secure terraces and embankments.BACKGROUND OF INVENTIONConventional retaining walls are used to secure earth embankments against sliding and slumping. Retaining walls are made of various types of concrete, solid masonry, wood ties, bricks, and blocks of stone and concrete. The blocks are placed in rows and superimposed on top of each other to form a wall. Examples of blocks used in the construction of retaining walls are shown by Heinzmann in U.S. Pat. No. 4,229,123 and Scheiwiller in U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,551. These patents disclose a plurality of block elements stacked on each other and located in rows to form retaining walls. The block elements have tongue and groove structures which allow adjacent rows of blocks to interengage each other to form generally upright walls. The block elements also have hollow interior...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention relates to a retaining wall block for constructing a wall structure with a plurality of wall blocks interconnected together. The wall blocks are placed side-by-side and stacked on top of each other to form the wall structure. The wall structure can have a variety of shapes, such as linear, concave and convex curved, serpentine and circular to conform to the landscape utilization. The wall block can be made in miniature form and used as a construction toy. The wall structure is made of blocks formed from high density concrete. Each block has an attractive and decorative exterior face. A wall structure can be made with a plurality of interlocking wall blocks without the use of special tools with a minimum of time and labor. The wall block when used to construct a retaining wall is self-anchoring and provides an effective structure to retain the earth, including steep slopes, in a desired location.

Problems solved by technology

Solid walls use considerable amounts of material.

They are also expensive and require considerable time and labor to construct.

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