EARTHEN RETAINING WALL HAVING FLAT SOIL REINFORCING MATS WHICH MAY BE VARIABLY SPACED

摘要

A soil reinforced wall earthen retaining wall for an earthen formation is provided by embedding planar soil reinforcing mats in the formation at vertically spaced intervals and securing face mats between the soil reinforcing mats. The face mats comprise welded wire gridworks having upper and lower portions engaged behind wires of the soil reinforcing mats which extend across the face of the formation. In one embodiment the face mats comprise paired separate face mat elements secured one above the other in edge-to-edge relationship and intermediate stabilizing anchors are embedded in the formation to hold the face mat elements in vertical alignment. In the paired face mat element embodiment, the lifts of soil between successive soil reinforcing mats are compacted in stages corresponding to the depth of the face mat elements. Bowing of the face mat elements by compression as the result of settling of the formation is prevented by supporting the soil reinforcing mats on the face mats through compressible members and/or supporting the lower edges of the face mats in spaced relationship to the reinforcing mats therebelow by frangible support members.