The invention refers to a cellular structure, in particular a retaining wall or a space dividing wall, comprising a fore-part and a backfill which is connected to said fore-part by inter- locking or friction. The fore-part comprises solid supporting units, preferably of trough-or box-like shape, arranged in the lateral and vertical direction in the front part of the struc- ture. Such supporting units, which generally are made of concrete, by the said arrangement establish a cellular structure of the fore-part and, thus, also of the backfill area being in connection with the inner side of the fore-part. Fore-part and backfill should be firmly connected to ensure stability against tilting due to the lateral earth pressures from the backfill.

In the present context, therefore, considerations are con- centrated to the compound function of fore-part and backfill.

Accordingly it is a task of the present invention to provide a cellular structure of enhanced connection stability. The solution to the task according to the invention is defined by the features of the claim 1. With such a structure a well-defined position of the coupling units, normally made of concrete, relative to the corresponding supporting units is provided, particularly when compression of the filling material is applied. Moreover, the spatial grid system formed by said anchoring units and coupling units is capable of housing large volumes of backfill, thus contributing to additional weight and internal friction for increasing overall stability of the wall against sliding and overturning.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is characterized by a plurality of coupling units with a length extending into a compacted rear region of said backfill, and with corresponding anchoring units also being arranged within said backfill. The result is a remarkably enhanced stability of the structure even under difficult geological conditions.

An essential variation of the invention is characterized by a plurality of said coupling units and ! or a plurality of said anchoring units arranged one above the other without any vertical solid support therebetween other than backfill. This facilitates especially high-degree compacting of the backfill and is making use of interlocking, but not one-piece connection between supporting and coupling units which allows slight, but sufficient vertical yielding of the solid structure parts located in the backfill by a certain small-angle swinging about said connections within the usual clearance. Thus the compacting forces are fully transmitted from those solid elements to the backfill material below.

According to an essential further development of the invention at least one of said coupling units, preferably a plurality thereof, is at least partly made as an anchoring unit aranged in said backfill or connected with such anchoring unit in one piece.

Indeed, sometimes this entails a more complex design and production of such combined coupling and anchoring units when using a concrete technology, however, together with a further enhancement of the compound and shape stability of the structure as highly desired in some applications. Furthermore, back-filling and compacting during the construction becomes easier and more work efficient.

The last-mentioned point is valid especially for a further development of the invention characterized by at least one connection between a coupling unit on one side and a supporting unit of said fore-part and/or an anchoring or abutment unit on the other side being formed by an interlocking indent which preferably is open in vertical direction. This favours a simple and expedient production of reliable interlocking connections, in particular when using a further preferred variation of the invention according to which said interlocking connections are held in together by the backfill pressure from above.

Another essential and independent variation of the invention also refers to structures according to the preamble of the claim 1, but which is characterized by pairs of supporting units arranged in different elevations of the fore-part and positively secured against horizontal displacement relative to each other by locking means, in particular shear locking means, arranged in the backfill behind said fore-part and at a distance therefrom. In such an arrangement horizontal forces acting on a supporting unit in a direction out of the backfill towards the front of the structure are transmitted to a supporting unit or another element of the structure or several thereof which are arranged in the next lower tier of the structure. Thereby, the horizontal overturning load is displaced downwards within the structure, i. e. in a direction towards the backfill regions located below the natural sliding plane, which backfill regions have supporting capacity of their own. Thus the stability of the structure is substantially enhanced. Such displacement of forces can be made effective over a plurality of tiers of the structure, if applicable down to the fundamental plane so as to obtain substantially complete safety against overturning. In this context it is advisable to make the force transmission between the tiers effective comparatively deep in the backfill, i. e. near to or on the other side of the natural sliding plane. This is facilitated by shear locking interconnec- tions comprising shear-force transmitting bars (SR) being effective between anchoring units and/or coupling units in different tiers of the structure. According to the invention those units are located far backwards in the fill material, i. e. at least near to the natural sliding plane and within preferably strong compacted backfill material.

Further features and advantages of the invention shall be explained now with reference to the examples schematically shown in the drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 shows a vertical cross-section of a first embodiment of a cellular structure according the invention for slope retention, in a shortened illustration with only three tiers, Fig. 2 shows again such a cross-sectional illustration of the foot section of a second embodiment of a cellular structure according to the invention, along the sectional plane marked II-II in Fig. 3, Fig. 3 shows a partial horizontal section of the cellular structure according to Fig. 2, along the sectional plane marked m-m there, Fig. 4a to Fig. 4d each shows one embodiment of a one-piece anchoring and coupling unit, and Fig. 5 shows a vertical cross-section of a third embodiment of a cellular structure according to the invention, designed as a space dividing stand-alone wall.

In the example of a cellular slope retention wall according to Fig. 1 the front of the wall is made by a fore-part VB, which consists of box-like concrete supporting units TE arranged in tiers side by side and one above the other in a chessboard design. Each such supporting unit TE comprises a front wall W1 ascending with inclination towards the front and upwards, two laterally spaced side walls W2 and a bottom W3. The back of the supporting units is open and limited below by a rim VS projecting above and extending over the width of the box. Due to the chessboard arrangement on both sides of a supporting unit in one tier there is a gap L bridged by a supporting unit in the superimposed tier. The side edges of supporting units in one tier are arranged so as to overlap the side edges of a supporting unit in the tier below. Accordingly, each supporting unit rests on two supporting units in the tier below. The lowermost tier is secured against sliding in rest on a basis plane UG of sufficient supporting capacity. For the lowermost supporting unit resting on a foundation F there is a shear lock provided, e. g. by means of an interlocking element FS engaging into the foundation.

Following the fore-part VB there is a backfill HF reaching on one side in to the internal spaces of the supporting units and extending on the other side towards solid or compacted slope material. The backfill material within the spaces of the fore- part and behind the fore-part will be compacted tier by tier during the construction and forms slopes B in the said front gaps. Said front slopes-usually covered by humus soil-are held in position by the front and side walls W1, W2 of the supporting units so as to establish an interlocking connection between fore-part and backfill.

In the example the fore-part alone has a comparatively small stability against turnover, and its upper regions are located before the natural sliding plane or friction angle. For this reason the overall stability of the structure is secured by means of an anchoring arrangement according to the invention.

The latter comprises coupling units KE, which are stiff, in par- ticular as a whole, or have stiff sections, and connected to the fore-part VB by interlocking or friction. The coupling units extend from the fore-part into the compacted or solid region in the depth of the backfill BF, at least in an essential part of the structure. In the example there are provided several coupling units for each supporting unit. Further the coupling units are connected firmly against tension and pressure with at least one anchoring unit WDE also located in the compacted backfill capable of giving support to the fore-part.

As shown in Fig. 1 the connection between a coupling unit KE and a supporting unit TE is designed as an indent VZa, which can be closed preferably in vertical direction, thus facilitating the mounting under construction. Said indents are maintained in an interlocking closure by the backfill pressure from above, so as to secure the interlocking connection in an advantageously simple manner.

Mounting is favoured in particular by a design of the indent VZa as shown in Fig. 1 with a downwards open excavation at the coupling unit KE and an upwards directed projection VS at the corresponding supporting unit TE. This projection is shaped as a rim extending longitudinally and substantially along the front of the structure, and it is connected to a plurality of coupling units by interlocking.

In the example, beam-like anchoring units WDE with large- dimensioned profile surfaces exposed to the backfill pressure are provided for the connection between the coupling units and the rear regions of the backfill. The connection between the coupling and anchoring units is again accomplished by means of indents VZb to be closed preferably in vertical direction. Facilitating mounting and similar to the indent VZa, the indent VZb is formed by an upwards open excavation at the coupling unit in combination with a downwards projecting section of the anchoring unit.

Further, the anchoring units are shaped as intermediate suppor- ting units and interlockingly connected with neighbouring coupling units. Thus the compound stability in the rear region of the backfill is further enhanced.

The embodiment shown in the Figures 2 and 3 principally is similar to the one according to Fig. 1. Corresponding elements, therefore, are carrying the same reference signs.

However, the design according to the Figures 2 and 3 present a further development which is an independent variation of the present invention. The essential features comprise pairs of supporting units TE arranged in different tiers E2, E3 of the fore-part VB, where each of said pairs of supporting units are positively secured against horizontal displacement relative to each other by locking means, in particular shear locking means, arranged in the backfill behind the fore-part and at a distance therefrom. In the example such locking means are shaped as shear locking stop blocks SR being effective directly by means of indents VZb between anchoring units WDE and further indirectly through coupling units KE between pairs of supporting units TE.

Accordingly this example illustrates likewise a further indepen- dent variation featuring interconnecting means, in particular interlocking means SR, VBZ arranged in the backfill behind said fore-part VB and at a distance therefrom so as to transmit horizontal forces, in particular shear forces, from at least one anchoring unit and/or at least one coupling unit to at least one lower situated anchoring and/or coupling unit. In principle this latter variation can be applied irrespectively of the kind of shear locking coupling between the supporting units in the fore- part.

In this context it is essential that the shear forces units of different tiers are transmitted in the rear parts of the backfill, i. e. at a comparatively great distance from the back of the fore-part and, accordingly, away from the front of the structure. This tends to minimize the tilting moments acting on the supporting units in the fore-part. Then fill pressure forces acting on anchoring units and possibly also on coupling units positioned in one tier can be transmitted to the rear part of the tier below. In principle, such force transmission can be realized directly between coupling units in superimposed tiers also, e. g. by means of directly cooperating indents such as shown between anchoring units and coupling units.

As to the embodiments of coupling units according to the Figures 4a to 4d: Fig. 4a shows a plate-like coupling unit KE in a perspective illustration. This coupling unit has a comparatively great width with elements carrying indents VZa and VZb. Such design is suitable in particular for difficult conditions which call for securing support units against torsion around a vertical axis. Fig. 4b is a vertical view on a coupling unit KEW made as one piece with an especially heaw anchoring unit WDE having great profile surfaces, also for extreme applications. Figures 4c and 4d are showing multiple coupling units KEW, again made as one piece with heavy anchoring units WDE having great profile surfa- ces. However, two single coupling units KE arranged in parallel are provided here. According to Fig. 4c supporting unit TE has two single coupling units KE, while according to Fig. 4d the multiple coupling unit KEW by its single coupling units KE is connected with two neighbouring supporting units. Furthennore, single and multiple coupling units may be designed U-shaped, T-shaped, I-shaped or Z-shaped with regard to their arrangement within the depth of the backfill as well as with regard to their interlocking connection with a supporting unit or a plurality thereof.

Fig. 5 shows a cellular structure designed as space dividing wall RTM comprising two fore-parts VB 1 and VB2 which are facing opposite to each other and have a backfill HF arranged there- between. The coupling units KE provided here are connected with two supporting units TE1, TE2 of both fore-parts which serve also as anchoring units. Coupling units KE are extending through the backfill between both said fore-parts.