Geostar Corporation

Nicolon Corporation

Zehong Yuan

John M Scales

David Michael Jones

Kevin Nelson King

The present invention is directed to a geotextile fabric including a plurality of wicking yarns each having a plurality of fibers with inter-fiber voids therebetween; wherein the inter-fiber voids of the plurality of wicking yarns has a water flow of about 0.05 milliliters per day per denier (ml/day/denier) to about 1.0 milliliters per day per denier. Further, the present invention is directed to a method of making such geotextile fabric.

Geosynthetic fabric with differential wicking capability

An earth retaining wall made of stacked tiers of blocks placed side by side to form a wall with a channel extending at least partially along a longitudinal axis of the wall in which the channel define at least two adjacent bearing surfaces and a pathway extending from the channel to an exterior side of the wall. The channel receives an elongate clamping bar that conforms in cross-sectional shape at least relative to the bearing surfaces. A reinforcement sheet wrapped around the elongate connector bar extends through the pathway laterally of the wall. The clamping bar communicates tensile loading of backfill on the reinforcement sheet to the wall. The wall is mechanically stabilized by normal loading from the blocks in the wall above a reinforcement sheet and the tensile loading of the backfill communicated by the clamping bar to the wall. A method of constructing an earth retaining wall and blocks useful in such wall are disclosed.

Blocks and connector for mechanically-stabilized earth retaining wall having soil-reinforcing sheets and method for constructing same

A connector for joining a soil-reinforcement grid extending through a slot in a block stacked with other blocks to define a mechanically stabilized earth retaining wall, the connector comprising matingly engaged first member having pins that are slidingly received in aligned openings defined in a second member while sandwiching a portion of soil-reinforcement grid therebetween, the grid having apertures through which the pins extend. The soil-reinforcing grid is loaded by being covered with backfill materials. The connector mechanically engages bearing surfaces within a channel in the block such that the tensile loading of backfill covering the soil-reinforcement grid lateral of the wall is distributed by the connector across the block. A method of constructing a mechanically stabilized earth retaining wall is disclosed as well as a connector and blocks useful with such methods and walls.

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Duluth, GA, United States of America

Zehong Yuan