WO1993005239A1 - Assembly and method for producing landscaping supports - Google Patents

Abstract

An assembly for producing landscaping supports, including a reinforcing element (1) for holding earth and fill (6) in a substantially vertical or inclined plane, a first mat (2) having a plurality of surface openings and provided with seeds and substances for promoting rapid plant growth, said mat being arranged as a facing on the front of said reinforcing element, and a second mat (3) having a plurality of surface openings and provided with substances allowing the above-mentioned plants to take permanent root and colonise the ground, said second mat being arranged on the back of said reinforcing element (1) between it and the earth and fill (6). A method is also provided for producing landscaping support structures by means of said assembly, wherein the first mat (2) is rigidly fastened to the portion of the reinforcing element (1) which will form the front of said structure, said reinforcing element (1) is mounted along with its first mat (2), the second mat (3) is positioned on the back of said reinforcing element (1) in such a way that said second mat (3) is adjacent to said first mat (2), and the earth (6) is backfilled and possibly compacted.

Description

 ASSEMBLY AND PROCESS FOR THE SUPPLY OF SUPPORT SPAYSAGERS

The present invention relates to devices and elements used for the production of supports for slopes and embankments bordering for example roads.

The generalization of engineering structures, particularly in the mountains, has led to the development of techniques based on the use of quantities of materials intended to retain the earth around traffic lanes. The technicians in the field, however, most often set out to solve the problem of the resistance and the internal and external balance of such works rather than to solve that of obtaining sufficient and resistant plant cover.

Obtaining plant cover is thus most often left to chance for natural elements.

In European Patent No. 0.197.000 for example, which describes a metal reinforcement structure for massed backfilled earth, the question of planting is simply mentioned as an exclusively ornamental alternative and no solution is really proposed. to operate such an implantation.

Although the aesthetic aspect should not be neglected, the interest of the existence of a good vegetal cover is also to contribute to the stabilization of the slopes or slopes in order to avoid the leaching of the surface soil by too much rain strong.

Solutions have, however, been proposed to achieve, for example, the sodding of these beds. Among these solutions, the most commonly used consists in spraying a mixture of water, seeds and fertilizers on their surface. However, in addition to the fact that the sodding thus carried out is not uniform, it is often found that the lifespan of the vegetation obtained is very short. This is mainly due to the fact that a subsoil made of backfill material is generally excessively draining, capable of drying out and rapidly depleting the layer of surface soil and therefore of causing the premature disappearance of the vegetation.

The present invention makes it possible to solve this problem and remedy the deficiencies techniques of the prior art.

More specifically, the subject of the invention is an assembly for producing landscaped supports, comprising a reinforcing element capable of retaining the earth and fill material in a substantially vertical or inclined plane, a first mattress provided with a plurality of 'superficial openings and filled with seeds and substances capable of promoting the appearance and rapid growth of plants, said first mattress being arranged as a facing on the front face of said reinforcing element.

This first mattress which is thus located in front of the reinforcements of the reinforced solid mass, and not on the rear part of the latter as is often proposed in the various known processes, will preferably be formed of a mesh envelope with fine mesh, for example in flexible plastic material, and may additionally comprise means for securing to the aforesaid reinforcing element.

The latter may be of any type and of any known suitable shape, in particular it may be rigid, for example constituted by a wire mesh adopting the configuration of a cradle or an inverted U whose base would thus be on the front, or flexible and be formed in a geotextile material of the polypropylene, polyester, nylon or other type, enveloping the earth and fill material so as to maintain them in a vertical or subvertical plane.

The major interest of the invention lies in the use of a very flexible mattress which contains the seeds of the plants, which will be chosen according to the geographical location of the structure, its exposure (to the prevailing winds, to the south or to the north, ... etc), the climate of the place of installation, the nature and composition of the soil, and which is stocked with nutrients capable of promoting the appearance and rapid growth of plants. The substances used can thus be the following: vegetable fibers, cotton, water-retaining substances of the humus type, waste of putrescible materials of vegetable origin, paper, fertilizers.

Such a complex, which can be mass produced in horticultural companies, must thus ensure the development and life of plants for a period of 2 to 3 years. It also makes it possible to obtain uniform plant cover insofar as, when making the mattress, it is possible to regularly plant seeds on the surface.

It will be compressed as far as possible in order to have a reduced thickness, preferably between 1 and 5 cm, giving it sufficient strength for its handling and for its positioning on the reinforcing element.

Furthermore, provision may be made to make reservations in the thickness of said mattress to allow the introduction of the roots of shrubs.

It is known that any plant requires a certain depth of loose soil to thrive. Also, according to a particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the assembly described above further comprises a second mattress provided with a plurality of surface openings and filled with substances capable of allowing the plants originating from the first mattress to definitively establish and colonize the soil, said second mattress being disposed on the rear face of said reinforcing element between said reinforcing element and the earth and fill material. Preferably, this second mattress will have a thickness of between 10 and 60 cm so as to provide sufficient depth for the roots emerging from the first mattress and will be shaped so that it can be in close contact with the rear wall of the element. of reinforcement and can be easily inserted into the angles formed by the latter. This second mattress, which is formed of a perforated envelope of polyane or other equivalent biodegradable material, constitutes a complex intended to provide the plants with a ground more apt to harm them in the long term. To do this, this mattress is preferably lined with organic matter and amended topsoil, such as potting soil, peat, etc.

This second complex also makes it possible to conveniently regulate the thickness of the topsoil during the construction or mounting of the embankment masses.

The invention also relates to a method for producing landscaped retaining structures by means of an assembly conforming to the characteristics described above. This process consists of the following operations: a. securing the first mattress to the part of the reinforcing element intended to constitute the front face of said structure, b. positioning of said reinforcing element provided with its first mattress, c. placing the second mattress on the rear face of said reinforcing element so that said second mattress is adjacent to said first mattress, d. backfilling of soil and possible compaction.

The implementation of this process and the characteristics of the assembly which is the subject of the invention will be better understood on reading the following description of an example of an embodiment of a landscaped support construction, this example given by way of simple illustration and without any restrictive interpretation of the protection sought can be drawn from it.

This description is accompanied by a drawing, the single Figure of which shows, in a partial schematic sectional view taken along a line perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the structure, a retaining construction composed of several layers or layers of superimposed materials. embankment.

These layers 10, 20, ..., are delimited by folded strips of perforated geotextile material 1 which constitute the reinforcing element of the structure and whose use in this type of construction is well known. In accordance with what was mentioned at the beginning of this description, each reinforcing element 1 is provided on its external face with a first mattress 2 furnished with seeds and substances capable of promoting the appearance and rapid growth of plants and, on its internal face, in other words inside the fold formed by each strip, of a second mattress 3 furnished with substances capable of allowing the above-mentioned plants to establish themselves definitively and to colonize the soil.

The first mattress 2 is secured to the reinforcing element which it equips by means of a net 4 to which it is fixed by welding, gluing or the like, and whose surface, or at least the length, is greater than that of said mattress. This net is preferably treated to resist ultraviolet radiation and can be green to be masked by the plant cover. It is fixed to the strips of geotextile material by hooks provided with tensioners (not shown) so as to follow all the contours of said strips.

The implementation of the method of the invention with this type of support construction is carried out in the following manner.

Beforehand, in the workshop, several mattresses 2 will be fixed along the length of the strips of geotextile material 1 at determined intervals, so that they are located on the facing when the geotextile is laid.

The latter is put in place by means of a removable formwork 5 on which rest a part of the strip of reinforcing material 1 and the mattress 2.

In the fold formed by the strip 1, the mattress 3 is then arranged so that the mattresses 2 and 3 are in close contact on either side of the strip.

The earth and backfill material 6 are then poured so as to occupy the space cleared on the rear part of the mattress 3. The reinforcing strip 1 is folded with the net 4 which is fixed to it above the mattress 3 and the earth and backfill material 6, possibly compacted, and the formwork 5 is moved to make a new layer at a higher level.

As can be seen, although the different elements have been spaced apart to give more clarity to the drawing, the ends of the net 4 are trapped between two superimposed layers, for example L0 and 20, so that it is possible to recover the hooks and tensioners which will have been used to temporarily fix the net 4 and the mattress 2 which is associated with it to the reinforcing strip 1.

As is apparent from the foregoing description, the assembly and the method of the invention make it possible in particular to build retaining constructions with vertical facing coated with vegetation, which had never been done before with success.

Claims

 REVENDIC AT IO NS 1. Assembly for the production of landscaped supports, comprising a reinforcing element (1) capable of retaining the earth and fill material (6) in a substantially vertical or inclined plane, characterized in that it comprises a first mattress (2) provided with a plurality of surface openings and furnished with seeds and substances capable of promoting the appearance and rapid growth of plants, said first mattress being arranged as a facing on the front face of said element frame, and a second mattress (3) provided with a plurality of surface openings and furnished with substances capable of allowing the above-mentioned plants to establish themselves definitively and to colonize the ground, said second mattress being arranged on the rear face of said element of reinforcement (1) between said reinforcement element and the earth and fill material (6). 2. Assembly for the production of landscaped supports according to Claim 1, characterized in that said first mattress (2) is formed of a mesh screen with fine mesh. 3. An assembly for the production of landscaped supports according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said first mattress (2) comprises means for securing (4) to the above-mentioned reinforcing element (1). 4. An assembly for producing landscaped supports according to claim 3, characterized in that said means for securing said first mattress (2) to the above-mentioned reinforcing element (1) comprise a net (4) whose surface is greater than that of said mattress (2). 5. Set for the realization of landscape supports according to Claim 1, characterized in that the substances capable of promoting the appearance and rapid growth of plants are the following: vegetable fibers, cotton, water retenters of the humus genus, waste putrescible materials of plant origin, paper, fertilizer. 6. An assembly for producing landscaped supports according to any one of Claims 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, characterized in that said first mattress (2) has a thickness of between 1 and 5 cm. 7. Assembly for the production of landscaped supports according to Claim 1, characterized in that said second mattress (3) is formed of a perforated envelope in polyane or other equivalent biodegradable material. 8. Together for the realization of landscaped supports according to Claim L, characterized in that the substances capable of allowing the aforesaid plants to settle down definitively and to colonize the soil, consist of organic matter and amended topsoil. 9. An assembly for producing landscaped supports according to any one of Claims 1, 7 and 8, characterized in that said second mattress (3) is between 10 and 60 cm thick. 10. Assembly for the production of landscaped supports according to Claim 1, characterized in that said reinforcing element (1) is rigid. 11. Assembly for the production of landscaped supports according to Claim 1, characterized in that said reinforcing element (1) is flexible. 12. Method for producing landscaped retaining structures by means of an assembly in accordance with Claims 1 to 10 or 1 to 9 and 11, characterized in that it consists of the succession of the following operations: * securing the first mattress (2) to the part of the reinforcing element (1) intended to constitute the front face of said structure, * positioning of said reinforcing element (1) provided with its first mattress (2), * placing the second mattress (3) on the rear face of said reinforcing element (1) so that said second mattress (3) is adjacent to said first mattress (2), * backfilling of soil (6) and possible compaction. 13. A method for producing a landscaped retaining structure according to Claim 12, characterized in that it consists of a repetition of the sequence of the above operations to obtain a structure consisting of several overlapping layers (10, 20, .. .).