Method of manufacturing a facing element for a reinforced soil structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11391009-B2
Application number	US-201816756838-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2018
Priority date	Oct 18, 2017
Publication date	Jul 19, 2022
Grant date	Jul 19, 2022

Abstract

A void former is arranged in a mold (30). The void former includes an insert (1) made of flexible material that forms a loop around a core region (15) within the mold. Casting material is added in a fluid state into the mold so as to fill a predefined volume for the facing element, including the core region. After hardening of the casting material, the facing element (10) is removed from the mold, and the void former is removed from the facing element. The facing element comprises an anchoring core formed by the hardened casting material in the core region (15). Removing the void former comprises pulling the insert (1) away from a rear surface of the facing element (10). The flexible material of the at least one insert is deformed around the anchoring core (15) while it is pulled.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a facing element for a reinforced soil structure, the method comprising:
arranging a void former in a mold, the void former including at least one insert made of flexible material, wherein the at least one insert forms a loop around a core region within the mold;
adding casting material in a fluid state into the mold such that the casting material fills a predefined volume for the facing element, the predefined volume including the core region;
letting the casting material harden to form the facing element; and
removing the facing element from the mold and the void former from the facing element,
wherein the facing element comprises an anchoring core formed by the hardened casting material in the core region,
and wherein removing the void former comprises pulling the at least one insert away from a rear surface of the facing element, the flexible material of the at least one insert being deformed around the anchoring core while it is pulled.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the anchoring core has a load-transfer surface arranged to be in contact with a loop section of a reinforcement member of the reinforced soil structure such that, on both sides of the loop section, the reinforcement member is not in contact with the anchoring core and includes two respective tensioned sections protruding from the rear surface of the facing element,
and wherein a single insert of the void former, made of flexible material, extends continuously along the load-transfer surface of the anchoring core when the casting material is added and hardened.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the facing element has a channel around the anchoring core, shaped by the void former and opened on the rear surface of the facing element,
and wherein a portion of the channel located on a front side of the anchoring core has a constant cross-section.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 ,
wherein the portion of the channel that has a constant cross-section extends over more than half of a length of the channel.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one insert of the void former has a first end portion a second end portion opposite the first end portion and a thickness that decreases from the first end portion to the second end portion,
and wherein the at least one insert is pulled away from the rear surface of the facing element via the first end portion.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one insert of the void former has internal armatures.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein a tubular member is disposed in the mold around the core region, the tubular member being surrounded by the loop formed by the at least one insert.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 ,
wherein the void former further includes a support structure to hold the tubular member and the at least one insert in place within the mold.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 ,
wherein the at least one insert of the void former comprises at least one flexible strip maintained between the tubular member and an inner surface of the support structure.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one insert made of flexible material is hollow,
wherein arranging the void former in the mold comprises injecting a fluid medium under pressure into the at least one insert,
and wherein removing the void former comprises releasing the pressure in the at least one insert of the void former.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein an insert of the void former, made of flexible material, has an end portion provided with a first connector part,
wherein a second connector part cooperates with the first connector part to maintain the insert in position in the mold around the core region when the casting material is added and hardened,
and wherein removing the void former comprises separating the first and second connector parts from each other.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the void former includes one insert made of flexible material having first and second end portions and a thickness that decreases from the first end portion to the second end portion,
wherein arranging the void former in the mold comprises disposing both the first and second end portions of the insert adjacent to a surface of the mold that matches the rear surface of the facing element to form the loop around the core region,
and wherein removing the void former comprises pulling the insert away from a rear surface via the first end portion thereof.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one insert of the void former includes a plurality of superimposed layers of flexible material.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 ,
wherein the facing element has a channel around the anchoring core shaped by the void former and having first and second openings on a rear surface of the facing element,
and wherein the plurality of superimposed layers of flexible material include at least one layer pulled through the first opening of the channel when the void former is removed and at least one layer pulled through the second opening of the channel when the void former is removed.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 ,
wherein a layer of flexible material pulled through the first opening has a thickness decreasing from the first opening towards a distal end thereof while a layer of flexible material pulled through the second opening has a thickness decreasing from the second opening towards a distal end thereof, such that at least part of the channel has a constant cross-section.

Assignees

• Soletanche Freyssinet

Inventors

• Bennani Braouli Yassine
• Aressy Matthieu

Classifications

• B28B7/348

  of plastic material or rubber · CPC title

• B28B7/06

  Moulds with flexible parts · CPC title

• E02D29/0225 Primary

  comprising retention means in the backfill · CPC title

• B28B7/306

  pliable or extensible · CPC title

• B28B7/303

  specially for making undercut recesses or continuous cavities the inner section of which is superior to the section of either of the mouths · CPC title