RETAINING WALL BLOCK SYSTEM
A wall block having a block body having opposed front and rear faces, opposed first and second side walls, and opposed and substantially parallel top and bottom faces, one or more pin holes that open onto the top face of the block, and one or more lugs that extend from the bottom face, each lug having a back surface that extends contiguously from the rear face of the block. A corner block for use with the wall block. A retaining wall comprising a plurality of wall blocks including at least one lower course and at least one upper course.
1 . A wall block comprising a block body having opposed front and rear faces, opposed first and second side walls, and opposed and substantially parallel top and bottom faces, one or more pin holes that open onto the top face of the block, and one or more lugs that extend from the bottom face, each lug having a back surface that extends contiguously from the rear face of the block.
2 . The wall block of claim 1 , wherein the front face is substantially parallel to the rear face.
3 . The wall block of claim 1 , wherein the block has a vertical plane of symmetry.
4 . The wall block of claim 1 , wherein the one or more pin holes are closer to the front face than the back face.
5 . The wall block of claim 1 , wherein the block comprises a pin receiving channel that opens onto the bottom face of the block.
6 . The wall block of claim 5 , wherein the pin receiving channel is substantially parallel to the front face.
7 . The wall block of claim 6 , wherein the pin receiving channel is closer to the front face than to the rear face.
8 . The wall block of claim 1 , wherein the front face and the rear face both have lengths and the length of the front face is greater than the length of the rear face.
9 . The wall block of claim 8 , wherein at least a portion of the side walls are angled back from the front face to the rear face such that the portion of each side wall forms an acute angle with the front face.
10 . The wall block of claim 1 , wherein the block comprises a core.
11 . The wall block of claim 1 , wherein no lug extends from the first to the second side wall.
12 . The wall block of claim 1 , wherein the block is made of concrete.
13 . The wall block of claim 1 , wherein the block comprises at least one pair of pin holes.
14 . The wall block of claim 2 , wherein the front face has a compound shape with an angled portion which is non-orthogonal to one or both of the first and second side walls.
15 . The wall block of claim 1 , wherein the block comprises two lugs, a first lug being contiguous with the first side wall, and a second lug being contiguous with the second side wall.
16 . The wall block of claim 1 , wherein the block comprises just one lug, the lug not being contiguous with the first or second side walls.
17 . The wall block of claim 1 , wherein the lug extends from 0.5 to 0.75 inch (1.27 to 1.91 cm) past the bottom face.
18 . The wall block of claim 17 , wherein the lug is from 0.75 to 1 inch deep.
19 . The wall block of claim 15 , wherein the block comprises three lugs.
20 . The wall block of claim 1 , wherein the first and second side walls have compound shapes and converge back from the front face towards the rear face and then extend outward before meeting the rear face.
21 . A wall block comprising a block body having:
opposed front and back faces, opposed first and second side walls, and opposed and substantially parallel top and bottom faces;
the first and second side walls both having lengths and the length of the second side wall being less than the length of the first side wall, and the first and second side walls being substantially parallel;
one or more pin holes that open onto the top face of the block; and
a neck that has a shorter width than the width of the block from the front face to the rear face at a main body portion of the block, the neck being formed by a neck surface having a length and being substantially perpendicular to the second side wall and adjacent to the second side wall, the second side wall, and the portion of the front face having the same corresponding length as the neck surface.
22 . The wall block of claim 21 , wherein the block comprises a pin receiving channel that opens onto the bottom face of the block.
23 . The wall block of claim 22 , wherein the pin receiving channel is substantially parallel to the front face.
24 . The wall block of claim 23 , wherein the pin receiving channel is closer to the front face than to the rear face.
25 . The wall block of claim 24 , wherein the block comprises a second pin receiving channel that is substantially parallel to the first side wall.
26 . The wall block of claim 24 , wherein the pin receiving channel is closer to the first side wall than to the second side wall.
27 . The wall block of claim 21 , wherein the block comprises two pin holes, one pin hole being closer to the rear face than the front face, and one pin hole being closer to the front face than to the rear face.
28 . A retaining wall comprising:
a plurality of blocks including at least one lower course and at least one upper course, at least one block comprising a block body having opposed front and rear faces, opposed first and second side walls, and opposed and substantially parallel top and bottom faces, one or more pin holes that open onto the top face of the block, and one or more lugs that extend from the bottom face, each lug having a back surface that extends contiguously from the rear face of the block.
29 . The retaining wall of claim 28 , wherein the retaining wall further comprises a geogrid.
30 . The retaining wall of claim 28 , wherein the retaining wall further comprises one or more pins.
31 . The retaining wall of claim 30 , wherein one or more of the pins has a head.
32 . The retaining wall of claim 28 , wherein the plurality of blocks includes blocks with differing dimensions.
33 . The retaining wall of claim 28 , wherein the front face of the at least one block is substantially parallel to the rear face.
34 . The retaining wall of claim 28 , wherein the at least one block has a vertical plane of symmetry.
35 . The retaining wall of claim 28 , wherein the one or more pin holes of the at least one block are closer to the front face than the back face.
36 . The retaining wall of claim 28 , wherein the at least one block comprises a pin receiving channel that opens onto the bottom face of the block.
37 . The retaining wall of claim 36 , wherein the pin receiving channel is substantially parallel to the front face.
38 . The retaining wall of claim 37 , wherein the pin receiving channel is closer to the front face than to the rear face.
39 . The retaining wall of claim 28 , wherein the front face and the rear face of the at least one block both have lengths and the length of the front face is greater than the length of the rear face.
40 . The retaining wall of claim 28 , wherein the at least one block comprises a core.
41 . The retaining wall of claim 28 , wherein no lug of the at least one block extends from the first to the second side wall.
42 . The retaining wall of claim 28 , wherein the at least one block is made of concrete.
43 . The retaining wall of claim 28 , wherein the at least one block comprises at least one pair of pin holes.
44 . The retaining wall of claim 28 , wherein the at least one block comprises two lugs, a first lug being contiguous with the first side wall, and a second lug being contiguous with the second side wall.
45 . The retaining wall of claim 28 , wherein the at least one block comprises just one lug, the lug not being contiguous with the first or second side walls.
46 . The retaining wall of claim 44 , wherein the at least one block comprises three lugs.
47 . The retaining wall of claim 28 , wherein the first and second side walls of the at least one block have compound shapes and converge back from the front face towards the rear face and then extend outward before meeting the rear face.
48 . The retaining wall of claim 28 , wherein the retaining wall further comprises at least one block of a second block type, the second block type comprising a block body having:
opposed front and back faces, opposed first and second side walls, and opposed and substantially parallel top and bottom faces;
the first and second side walls both having lengths and the length of the second side wall being less than the length of the first side wall, and the first and second side walls being substantially parallel;
one or more pin holes that open onto the top face of the block; and
a neck that has a shorter width than the width of the block from the front face to the rear face at a main body portion of the block, the neck being formed by a neck surface having a length and being substantially perpendicular to the second side wall and adjacent to the second side wall, the second side wall, and the portion of the front face having the same corresponding length as the neck surface.
49 . The retaining wall of claim 48 , wherein the second block type comprises a pin receiving channel that opens onto the bottom face of the block.
50 . The retaining wall of claim 49 , wherein the pin receiving channel of the second block type is substantially parallel to the front face.
51 . The retaining wall of claim 50 , wherein the pin receiving channel of the second block type is closer to the front face than to the rear face.
52 . The retaining wall of claim 51 , wherein the second block type comprises a second pin receiving channel that is substantially parallel to the first side wall.
53 . The retaining wall of claim 52 , wherein the second block type pin receiving channel is closer to the first side wall than to the second side wall.
54 . The retaining wall of claim 48 , wherein the second block type block comprises two pin holes, one pin hole being closer to the rear face than the front face, and one pin hole being closer to the front face than to the rear face.