The present invention concerns a stabilizing reinforcement intended to be used in reinforced soil structures, as well as the use of such a reinforcement for the construction of reinforced soil structures.

A reinforced soil structure combines compacted backfill, a facing and reinforcements either connected or not connected to the facing.

The facing is for example produced from prefabricated concrete elements, in the form of slabs or blocks, juxtaposed to cover the front face of the structure. One particular structure produced in this way is known by the trade name Terra Class of the company Terre Armee Internationale.

The facing can equally be produced from a grid, in particular consisting of metal rods welded together. Such a facing can comprise a geotextile and can be planted. One particular structure produced in this way is known by the trade name Terra Trel of the company Terre Armee Internationale.

Diverse types of reinforcements can be used: of metal, for example galvanized steel rods, of synthetic material, such as stabilizing strips based for example on polyester fibres. The reinforcements are placed in the soil with a density depending on the stresses that liable to be exerted on the structure, the thrust forces of the terrain being absorbed by soil- reinforcement friction.

The stabilizing reinforcements are attached to the facing and/or to a wall situated at a distance from the facing.

The stabilizing reinforcements intended to be used in reinforced soil structures comprise longitudinal portions of elongate shape. Their length is of the order of one metre. They can be several metres in length. The longitudinal portions of the reinforcements can be disposed in the soil one by one or assembled together by various means. The width and the thickness of such longitudinal portions are of the order of one centimetre and generally do not exceed about ten centimetres.

The longitudinal portions can be disposed substantially perpendicularly to the facing or inclined relative to the facing. In the latter case, the longitudinal portions are generally disposed on either side of an axis perpendicular to the facing. As a general rule, the longitudinal portions of the reinforcements are disposed in a substantially horizontal plane.

Metal stabilizing reinforcements are often considered advantageous in terms of price and generally consist of metal rods welded together to form ladders or a trellis, for example.

A ladder-shaped reinforcement generally consists of two substantially parallel metal rods each constituting a longitudinal portion and two transverse rods that connect the longitudinal rods together to confer stiffness on the assembly.

The term "transverse" refers to a portion of a reinforcement that connects together two longitudinal portions. Such portions consist of rods, for example.

Consequently, the transverse portions are disposed in such a manner as to be substantially parallel or inclined relative to a facing.

The transverse rods of ladder-shaped reinforcements are generally disposed perpendicularly to the longitudinal rods. They can be inclined relative to the longitudinal rods, however.

These transverse rods are generally distributed over the entire length of the longitudinal rods and in particular regularly spaced. For example, the spacing between two transverse rods is of the order of a few tens of centimetres for a standard ladder-shaped reinforcement .

Thus a reinforcement is formed resembling a ladder .

As a general rule one end of the ladder-shaped reinforcement comprises means for fixing it to the facing, in particular hooks formed at or disposed on one end of the longitudinal rods, or a flat perforated portion connecting the ends of two longitudinal rods, where the perforated part of said part is intended to receive means for connecting it to the facing.

The metal rods used for such reinforcements are generally steel rods. They are cylindrical and their diameter is generally of the order of one centimetre. These rods are advantageous to use because their cost is moderate. However, the environment in which they are disposed is corrosive, in particular because of the pH of the soil and the ions that they contain, which can moreover vary as a function of time, precipitation and other parameters.

To ensure that the structures produced have a satisfactory service life, it is therefore necessary to protect the steel reinforcements used.

To produce a long-life ladder-shaped metal stabilizing reinforcement, the usual procedure is as follows :

- to place two substantially parallel longitudinal rods,

- to place the transverse rods, generally orthogonally to the longitudinal rods,

- to weld the transverse rods to the longitudinal rods ,

- to galvanize the assembly.

Such a ladder-shaped stabilizing reinforcement has a number of drawbacks.

In particular, the inventors have determined that the welds are sometimes weak points in a ladder-shaped reinforcement. It appears that the protection by galvanization is often imperfect in the areas of the welds, with the risk of allowing localized corrosion and significantly weaken the assembly. One solution is to increase the safety factors for a given structure, for example by increasing the density of the reinforcements. Such a solution is costly, however, and somewhat unsatisfactory.

It is equally possible to use, to form a ladder- shaped stabilizing reinforcement, steel wires or bars continuously coated beforehand with a zinc-aluminium alloy, and which are cut to the required size and then welded. It is found that the welds can significantly damage the protective coating and this damage can also weaken the reinforcement.

One object of the present invention is to avoid the drawbacks cited above and in particular to propose a reinforcement free of the risks associated with corrosion of the welds between longitudinal portions and transverse portions.

The invention proposes a Passive metallic stabilizing reinforcement intended to be used in reinforced soil structures, comprising at least two longitudinal portions, and at least a transverse portion, wherein each longitudinal portions comprises at least a contact part having a section with at least a rectilinear segment, and said transverse portion comprises at least two contact parts each having a section with at least a rectilinear segment, and wherein the stabilizing reinforcement is configured so as to have said rectilinear segments of said contact parts of said transverse portion welded to said rectilinear segments of said contact parts of said longitudinal portions so that the angles between said rectilinear segments of said contact parts of said longitudinal portions and the non-contacting surfaces of said transverse portion adjacent to the said rectilinear segments of said contact parts of said transverse portion are greater than or equal to 90°., for example comprised between 90° and 140°.

Thanks to the particular shape of the contact parts of the longitudinal and transverse portions and to the configuration of the reinforcement it is possible to weld the longitudinal portions to the transverse portions without creating an appendix at the location of the weld between said portions. The inventors have observed that as a result of this such reinforcement no longer runs the risk of preferential corrosion.

Indeed, the reinforcements according to the prior art usually comprise longitudinal and transverse portions in the shape of right circular cylinder rods. When the transverse portions are welded to the longitudinal portions, the interpenetration of the portions leads to the rejection of a melted drop of metal, which in turn forms an appendix at the welding point between the transverse portion and the longitudinal portion. The inventors have observed that the galvanization of the reinforcement is usually weak around such appendix.

Suppressing such appendix makes the galvanisation much stronger and therefore increase the life time of the passive metallic stabilizing reinforcements according to the invention.

According to various embodiments that can be combined :

- said longitudinal portions are cylinders whose cross sections comprise at least a rectilinear segment,

the at least two longitudinal portions comprise fixing means configured to fix the reinforcement to a facing,

- said longitudinal portions are cylinders whose cross sections are convex polygon,

- said transverse portion is a cylinder whose cross section comprises at least a rectilinear segment,

- said transverse portion is a cylinder whose cross sections is a convex polygon,

- the longitudinal portions are of hot-dip coated metal or stainless steel,

- the transverse portions are of hot-dip coated metal or stainless steel,

- the two longitudinal portions are continuously connected together,

- the at least two longitudinal portions are connected together to form a part having substantially the shape of an elbow, V or U,

- the passive metallic stabilizing reinforcement comprises a plurality of transverse portions of regularly increasing length adapted to determine a plurality of separation distances (di, d ₂ , d ₃ ) between two longitudinal portions,

- one end of a longitudinal portion is continuously connected to a transverse portion by intermediate portions, for example of substantially elbow, V or U shape, and

the transverse portions of the same stabilizing reinforcement are continuously connected together by intermediate portions.

The invention is also directed to a reinforced soil structure comprising a facing along a front face of the structure and/or a wall delimiting a backfill (81), where said backfill is stabilized by at least one stabilizing reinforcement according to the invention.

The invention further relates to a method of constructing a reinforced soil structure, wherein there is placed at a distance from a wall a facing along a front face of the structure delimiting a volume to be backfilled, reinforcements are placed in an area of said volume, backfill material is placed in said volume and the backfill material is compacted, characterized in that said reinforcements consist at least partly of passive metallic stabilizing reinforcements according to the invention. According to various embodiments that can be combined :

- prior to placing the reinforcements, said transverse portion is welded by a resistance welding process to said longitudinal portions, - prior to placing the reinforcements, said transverse portion is welded by a linear or orbital friction welding process to said longitudinal portions,

after having welded the transverse portion to the longitudinal portion and prior to placing the reinforcement, said reinforcement is hot-dip coated, and

- the transverse portion and the longitudinal portion of the said reinforcement are continuously hot-dip coated prior to cutting and welding.

The invention will be better understood on reading the following description, given by way of example only and with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is an isometric, cut away view of a modular block retaining wall with stabilizing reinforcements ,

- Figure 2a is a top plan view of a typical earth stabilizing reinforcement according to a first embodiment of the invention,

- Figure 2b is a top plan view of a typical earth stabilizing reinforcement according to a second embodiment of the invention,

- figure 3 is a view of a reinforcement according to the invention in a plan perpendicular to the transverse portions,

figure 4 is a bottom plan view of an alternative stabilizing reinforcement an a wall block construction,

- figure 5a is a side elevation of an alternative construction depicting a stabilizing reinforcement in combination with a precast wall panel and further illustrating a fastening assembly for fastening the stabilizing reinforcement to the panel,

- figure 5b is a top plan view of an assembly similar to that of figure 5a,

figure 6a is a side elevation of another stabilizing reinforcement construction in combination with a system for fastening the stabilizing reinforcement to a panel, a block or the like,

- figure 6b is a top plan view of the assembly of figure 6a,

- figures 7 to 12 are diagrammatic views of different embodiments of a reinforcement of the invention, and

- figure 13 is a diagrammatic view in lateral section of a reinforced soil structure of the invention during construction.

For reasons of clarity, the various elements represented in the figures are not necessarily to scale. In these figures, identical references correspond to identical elements.

In the sense of the invention, a convex polygon is a simple polygon whose interior is a convex set. In other words every internal angle is less than 180 degrees and every line segment between two vertices remains inside or on the boundary of the polygon.

Figure 1 generally depicts the combination of components or elements which define a modular block retaining wall construction. Modular blocks 40 may be arranged in courses one upon the other in an overlapping array. Generally rigid earth retaining or stabilizing reinforcement 1 and/or flexible stabilizing reinforcement 44 are cooperative with or interact with the blocks 40. Also, anchoring elements such as tie back elements may be utilized in cooperation with blocks 40. The stabilizing or anchoring reinforcements 1, 44 may be attached to blocks 40 by means of vertical anchoring rods 46. The reinforcements 1 and/or 44 project from the back face of blocks 40 into compacted soil 48 and interact with the soil 48 as anchors and/or frictionally .

It is noted that interactions between the reinforcements 1 and 44 and soil or particulate 48 depends ultimately upon frictional interaction of particulate material comprising the soil 48 with itself and with elements, such as reinforcements 1 and 44. Conventionally, that interaction may be viewed as an anchoring interaction in many instances rather than a frictional interaction. Thus, for purposes of the disclosure of the present invention, both frictional and anchoring types of interaction of compacted soil 48 with stabilizing and/or anchor elements are considered to be generally within the scope of the invention.

Referring to figure 2a, there is illustrated a stabilizing reinforcement 1 according to an embodiment of the invention.

The stabilizing reinforcement 1 comprises a first longitudinal portion 140 and a second longitudinal portion 142. The longitudinal portions 140 and 142 each have a loop 144 and 146 respectively formed at an inner end thereof. Typically, the longitudinal portions 140 and 142 are deformed to form the loops 144, 146 and the ends of the loops 144, 146 may be welded onto the longitudinal portions 140 and 142.

A transverse portion 152, positioned beyond the back face of the block 40, connects the longitudinal portions 140 and 142 to ensure their appropriate spacing and alignment. A second transverse portion 154 may be used to ensure that the longitudinal portions 140 and 142 remain generally parallel.

There may be additional transverse portions 156 provided along the length of the longitudinal portions 140 and 142. The spacing of the transverse portions 156 is preferably generally uniform along the outer ends of the longitudinal portions 140 and 142.

The transverse portions 156 are preferably uniformly spaced one from the other at generally closer intervals in the so called passive or resistive zone. However, this is not a limiting feature and uniform spacing may be preferred by a wall engineer.

The transverse portions 154 and 152, are not necessarily closely spaced or even required so long as longitudinal portions 140 and 142 are maintained in a substantially parallel array. It is noted that according to an embodiment of the invention, just two longitudinal portions 140 and 142 are required or are provided. However, stabilizing reinforcements having one or more longitudinal portions may be utilized. The stabilizing reinforcement depicted and described with respect to figure 2 relies upon frictional interaction but could be configured to rely, as well, upon anchoring interaction with compacted soil. The transverse portions 156, thus, could be configured to act as a collection of anchors. The longitudinal portions 140 and 142 and transverse portions 156 in an embodiment of the invention provide frictional interaction with compacted soil.

Figure 2b represents a passive metallic stabilizing reinforcement according to an embodiment of the invention. The passive metallic stabilizing reinforcement represented on figure 2b differs from the passive metallic stabilizing reinforcement disclosed on figure 2a in that it comprises a third longitudinal portion 141.

The third longitudinal portion 141 as the first and second longitudinal portions 140, 142 comprises a loop 143 formed at the inner end thereof.

The transverse portions 152 and 154 connect the first, second and third longitudinal portions together so as to ensure that the longitudinal portions remain generally parallel.

Transverse portion 156 may be added to connect the three longitudinal portions together. A transverse portion 157 may be provided to connect the first and third longitudinal portions. Furthermore, a transverse portion 158 may be provided to connect the first and second longitudinal portions.

Figure 3 depicts different shape of the sections of transverse portions of a stabilizing reinforcement according to the invention.

In the embodiment illustrated on figure 3, the longitudinal portion 140 is a circular section bar. However, the invention is not limited to such configuration of the longitudinal portions, and in particular is not limited to the combinations of such particular configuration of the longitudinal portions and the configurations of the transverse portions illustrated in figure 3.

As illustrated on figure 3, a transverse portion 156 of a stabilizing reinforcement according to the invention may have a rectangular or semicircle or a trapezoid cross-section.

The transverse portions 156 all comprise at least a two contact parts to be welded to the longitudinal portions of a stabilizing reinforcement of the invention .

In the contact part of each transverse portion 156, the section of the transverse portion has at least a rectilinear segment 1561. The rectilinear segment

1561 is to be in contact with the rectilinear segment of the section of the longitudinal portions in the contact part.

Furthermore, the transverse portion are configured so as when said rectilinear segment 1561 of said contact part of said transverse portion is welded to said rectilinear segments of said contact parts of said longitudinal portion, the angle Θ between said rectilinear segment 1561 of said contact part of said longitudinal portion and the non-contacting surface

1562 of said transverse section adjacent to the said rectilinear segment 1562 of said contact parts of said transverse portion are greater than or equal to 90°. For example, the angle Θ is comprised between 90° and 140° .

As indicated previously, such configuration of the passive metallic stabilizing reinforcementpassive metallic stabilizing reinforcement reduces the risk of having the Zinc build-up around the welding point; thus, reducing the risk of corrosion of the passive metallic stabilizing reinforcementpassive metallic stabilizing reinforcement according to the invention.

According to different embodiments of the invention, the longitudinal portions may have a rectangular or semicircle or a trapezoid cross-section.

Optionally, the contact parts may be formed by hammering the longitudinal and/or transverse portions so as to form rectilinear segments.

Figure 4 depicts an alternative construction for a stabilizing reinforcement 1 and the connection thereof to a block 40. Stabilizing reinforcement 1 includes a transverse portion 156 welded to two parallel longitudinal portions 140, 142. The parallel longitudinal portions 140, 142 are connected by a cross member 143 which fits in the space between counterbores 70, 72 defined by passage 74. The shape of the walls defining the passage 74 may thus be moulded to maximize the efficient interaction of the stabilizing reinforcement 140 and block 40.

Referring to figure 5a, an alternative stabilizing reinforcement is depicted in combination with a precast wall panel. Specifically a stabilizing reinforcement 400, which is similar to such reinforcements previously disclosed, includes a first horizontal run 402 or longitudinal portion and a second, coplanar, horizontal parallel run 404 or longitudinal portion. Runs 402, 404 are spaced from one another by means of a transverse portion 406 welded thereto. A series of transverse portion 406 at spaced intervals are provided as with the construction of stabilizing reinforcements previously described. Inner ends 408 and 409 of the stabilizing reinforcement 400 are formed as closed loops 410 and 412, again, as previously disclosed. These loops 410, 412, however, are positioned one over the other so that they define a vertical passage or opening 414. Thus the runs 402, 404 are bent toward one another so that loops 410, 412 overlie one another to define the opening 414.

A precast panel or block member or the like such as panel 416, may include a cast-in-place connecting member 418 projecting from the backside thereof as projecting tabs 420 and 422 having aligned, vertical passageways therethrough. The passage or opening 414 associated with the looped ends 410 and 412 is aligned with the passageways. A bolt 428 is then vertically inserted through the aligned passage 414 and passageways and a nut 430 is attached to the threaded end of bolt 428. Washers, such as washers 432, may be positioned on bolt 428, as depicted, in order to ensure that the bolt 428 and nut 430 will not accidentally fall through the passage 414 or passageways. Attachment of the stabilizing reinforcement 400 to the member 418 is thus effected.

Referring to figure 5b, another alternative configuration of a stabilizing reinforcement is depicted. In figure 5b, a stabilizing reinforcement 452 includes spaced generally parallel horizontal runs or longitudinal portions 454 and 456. The runs 454, 456 are spaced from one another and connected together by spaced generally parallel, horizontal transverse portions 458, 460 and 462. The transverse portions 458, 460 and 462 are welded to the horizontal bars or longitudinal bars 454 and 456. The transverse portions, such as cross bar 458, may extend laterally beyond the longitudinal bars 454 and 456, thereby defining projecting ends such as ends 464 and 466 in figure 5b.

The runs 454 and 456 connect or otherwise constitute a single, connected, reinforcing bar which defines a loop 468. The loop 468 in figure 5b is defined by the reinforcing bar which is bent and crosses over itself as depicted in figure 5b. It is possible, however, to have the loop 468 open-ended, i.e., parallel runs 454, 456 connected by a crown or cross member.

The stabilizing element 452 may be attached to a panel 470 having a cast in place connecting element 472 and one or more projecting tabs 474 in a manner similar to the connection construction in the embodiment depicted in figure 5a. Thus, a bolt 476 co-acts with one or more of the tabs or elements 474.

Figures 6a and 6b disclose yet another variant of a stabilizing reinforcement according to the invention. The stabilizing reinforcement 490 is comprised, as depicted in figures 6a and 6b, of generally parallel horizontal and longitudinally extending portions or bars 492 and 494. The portions or bars 492 and 494 are spaced from one another and connected by transverse portion or cross bars 496 in the manner previously described. The bars or longitudinal portions 492 and 494 are spaced typically about two inches (2") apart.

In the embodiment shown, the bars 492 and 494 are welded to a planer plate 497. The planer plate 497 is generally rectangular in configuration and the bars 492 and 494 are welded to the lateral parallel spaced edges of the plate 497. The plate 497 includes a passage or opening 498 through one end. The plate 497 may thus be attached by means of a bolt 499 through parallel spaced projecting tabs 500 and 501 of a cast-in-place retaining element 502. The retaining element 502 is cast in place in a pre-existing pre-cast concrete facing panel 503. The bolt 499 is then retained in position by means of a nut 504.

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic view from above in which a stabilizing reinforcement 1 of the invention is connected to a facing (not shown) at one point along a line 2. A facing usually consists of a plurality of facing elements, for example formed by a block of concrete cast in a mould. The facing element can comprise one or more anchor parts, for example hooks or rings, embedded in the concrete and extending beyond the block of concrete along the line 2. The line 2 is generally substantially parallel to the front face of the facing.

The reinforcement 1 is connected to an anchor part of a facing element via a hook 3.

The reinforcement represented generally extends substantially horizontally and rests on the backfill material .

The reinforcement 1 comprises two longitudinal portions 11 continuously connected by an elbow 12 to form a part 10 that is substantially V-shaped and a plurality of transverse portions 15. Three transverse portions are represented, but this is not limiting on the invention. The transverse portions are of regularly increasing length di, d ₂ , d ₃ .

The two longitudinal portions are separated angularly by a non-zero angle a + β, here of the order of 20° to 30°. In the configuration represented, the angles a and β are substantially equal, where the angles a and β each measure the angular separation between an axis orthogonal to the line 2 of the places of attachment of the facing and the longitudinal portion 11 situated on the right in the figure and respectively the longitudinal portion 11 situated on the left in the figure.

The part 10 can be formed by bending a rod of length 2L in the middle to obtain the two longitudinal portions 11 of length L separated by an angle + β.

Such reinforcement 1 can be obtained by first welding the transverse portions 15 on part 10 so as to obtain a stabilizing reinforcement according to the invention and then galvanizing such stabilizing reinforcement .

The passive metallic stabilizing reinforcementpassive metallic stabilizing reinforcement may then be fixed to the facing element using the hook 3.

Figure 8 is a view from above of another stabilizing reinforcement 1 of the invention. The reinforcement comprises two parts 20 each comprising a longitudinal portion 21 each with a hook 22 at one end.

The hooks 22 are disposed in a ring 27 that is connected to an anchor plate 28. This plate can be integral with or attached to a facing element. The two longitudinal portions 21 are separated by an angle + β and their angular separation is limited by transverse portions 15 of the type described hereinabove .

The ends of the longitudinal portions 21 opposite those at which the hooks 22 are disposed are optionally connected together. For example, they can be connected together by portions 24 that extend them. These portions 24 are substantially parallel to the transverse portions 15 and continuously connected by an elbow 23 to the longitudinal portions 21. For example, the portions 24 can be connected together by threaded ends 25 retained by a part 26 with the complementary thread .

A variant of the figure 8 embodiment is represented in figure 9 in which a stabilizing reinforcement of the invention comprises two parts 30 each comprising a longitudinal portion 31 and a head 32 at one end.

The heads 32 are disposed in one of the holes of an anchor plate 28 of the type described hereinabove. The two anchor plates are spaced and the heads 32 of the parts 30 are thus connected to the facing at distant points. It is therefore possible to produce a stabilizing reinforcement wider than those described hereinabove .

Figure 10 is a view from above of a stabilizing reinforcement 1 of a further embodiment. This reinforcement comprises two longitudinal portions 11 continuously connected by an elbow 12 to form a part 10 and a part 55 comprising a plurality of transverse portions 56 continuously connected by elbows 57. It is entirely possible to replace the part 10 comprising the longitudinal portions represented here by parts 20 or 30 as shown in Figures 8 and 9, respectively.

The part 55 can be produced by bending a bar.

The reinforcement 1 represented in Figure 10 can be obtained by sliding the part 55 on the part 10 from the elbow 12, for example by introducing the longitudinal portions 11 into the loops formed by an elbow 57 and the two transverse portions 56 that are attached to it. The part 55 therefore passes above and below the part 10. The transverse portions 55 are then welded to the longitudinal portions 11. Figure 11 shows another embodiment of a stabilizing reinforcement 1 of the invention consisting of a continuous part 60. This reinforcement comprises two longitudinal portions 61 continuously connected by an elbow 62 and two transverse portions 65, 66 each continuously connected by a respective elbow 63, 64 to the longitudinal portions 61.

The transverse portions 65 and 66 are welded to the longitudinal portions 61.

The transverse portions 65, 66 can be moved, for example by rotation about the axis of the elbows 63, 64, slightly deforming these elbows, in such a manner as to bring the hooks 67, 68 into contact with the longitudinal portions 61 and thereby form angular stops for limiting the angular separation of the two longitudinal portions.

Figure 12 shows another embodiment of a stabilizing reinforcement 1 of the invention that can equally be obtained by bending a single bar and forming a continuous part 70.

This reinforcement comprises two longitudinal portions 71, 73 continuously connected by an elbow 72 and a plurality of transverse portions 75, 77. The transverse portion 75 is continuously connected to the longitudinal portion 73 by an elbow 74. The other transverse portions 77 are continuously connected together by elbows 76 and one of them is continuously connected by an elbow 76 to the transverse portion 75. The transverse portion 75 is welded to the longitudinal portions 71, 73.

The invention also concerns a method of constructing a reinforced soil structure.

Figure 13 shows such a process. Compacted backfill 81 in which stabilizing reinforcements 1 of the invention are distributed is delimited at the front of the structure by a facing 84 constituted by juxtaposing free fabricated elements 85 and at the rear by the ground 83 against which the retaining wall is erected . To ensure the cohesion of the retaining wall, the passive metallic stabilizing reinforcementpassive metallic stabilizing reinforcements 1 can be connected to the facing elements 85 and extend a certain distance in the backfill 81. These passive metallic stabilizing reinforcementpassive metallic stabilizing reinforcements 1 contribute to reinforcing the soil situated in a reinforced area Z at the back of the facing 84.

In this reinforced area Z, the material of the backfill 81 is very strong because it is reinforced by the stabilizing reinforcements 1. It is therefore able to withstand the shear stresses that are exerted because of the traction forces to which the passive metallic stabilizing reinforcementpassive metallic stabilizing reinforcements 1 are subjected. This reinforced area Z must naturally have a thickness sufficient to retain the facing 84 properly.

Simply connecting passive metallic stabilizing reinforcements to the back of the facing elements 85 therefore holds the facing pressed against backfills that can be of large volume.

The passive metallic stabilizing reinforcements are generally connected to the back of the facing elements 85 by connecting means, in particular hooks or rings .

In the example of a structure configuration shown in Figure 13, the passive metallic stabilizing reinforcements 1 are disposed in superposed horizontal planes alternating over the height of the structure.

The structure shown in Figure 13 can be erected as follows:

a) place some of the facing elements 85 in order then to be able to add the backfill material to a certain height. As is known to the person skilled in the art, the placing and positioning of the facing elements can be facilitated by assembly members placed between them;

b) install the passive metallic stabilizing reinforcements 1 on the backfill already present;

c) add the backfill material on top of the layer of stabilizing reinforcements 1 that has just been installed, up to the next level of passive metallic stabilizing reinforcements 1 on the rear side of the facing elements 84. This backfill material is compacted as and when it is added;

d) repeat the steps a) to c) until the top level of the backfill is reached.

In a variant of said method of constructing a reinforced soil structure, the stabilizing reinforcements 1 are attached to the wall 83.

It is possible to attach the passive metallic stabilizing reinforcements both to the facing 84 and to the wall 83. The attachment to the wall can be effected by nailing an anchor member into the wall 83 to which a ring is connected, for example. A hook is then used to connect said ring and a stabilizing reinforcement, for example .

For example, a reinforcement of the type represented in Figure 8 can be attached to the wall by means of a hook situated along the portions 24 or in an elbow 23, a reinforcement represented in Figure 11 by a hook situated in an elbow 63 or 64, or a reinforcement represented in Figure 12 by a hook situated in the elbow 74. Connecting a reinforcement of which a longitudinal end part 11, 31, 71 is free by adding at that end a hook or a ring for introducing an element for connection to the wall can also be envisaged.

It is equally possible to use the reinforcements of the invention and to attach them only to a wall. In this case, it must be understood that the narrowest portion of the stabilizing reinforcements faces towards the wall 83 to which it is connected. In this case the line 2 represents the line of the places of anchorage to the wall. For example, the plates 28 can be connected to the wall by nails.

It is furthermore possible to alternate the attachment of the reinforcements of the invention, one layer of reinforcement being attached to the wall and the layer of reinforcement above and/or below it being attached to a facing. The projections onto a horizontal plane of the reinforcements attached to the wall and those attached to the facing preferably have an area of overlap .

Note that there is a large number of possible variants of the structure described above and the method of producing it .

The invention is not limited to these embodiments and must be interpreted in a nonlimiting manner encompassing any equivalent embodiment.