Interlocking Blocks

Abstract

To provide an interlocking block which can withstand a high load, is easy to construct, and has a high degree of completion of construction.SOLUTION: An interlocking block is composed of a block body 1 having a rectangular parallelepiped basic shape, the upper surface and the bottom surface of the block body 1 are formed in a flat surface, and a wave-shaped interlocking part 2 in which circular arcs are continued in a plan view is formed on four side surfaces of the block body 1. Joint-keeps 3 and 3 formed on each of a pair of inclined surfaces of a mountain part 2a and a valley part 2b constituting the interlocking part 2. The interlocking part 2 formed on the four side surfaces of the block body 1 is formed in a waveform in which circular arcs are continuous, and therefore, the surface area is large. Consequently, the load distribution performance of the block body 1 is increased, and the block body 1 can withstand a high load. In addition, since the interlocking part 2 has an arc shape, the interlocking of the plurality of block bodies 1 and 1 is smoothly performed at the time of construction, and the interlocking part 2 is not damaged.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to interlocking blocks. Interlocking blocks are blocks used for paving purposes and are widely used in sidewalks, plazas, parks, roads where heavy vehicles run from building exteriors, container yards, etc. The present invention relates to such interlocking blocks. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventional interlocking blocks are disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3. The interlocking block of Patent Document 1 is a rectangular parallelepiped block, as shown in Fig. 10, with flat top and bottom surfaces and interlocking portions formed on the four side surfaces for interlocking the blocks. The interlocking portions are composed of a convex portion 201 and a concave portion 202 that are approximately triangular in plan view. When the roughly triangular convex portions 201 and concave portions 202 of adjacent blocks are interlocked, the blocks are restricted from moving. Therefore, by laying a large number of blocks and interlocking them, a large paved surface can be created.

[0003] The interlocking block of Patent Document 2 is a rectangular parallelepiped block, as shown in Figure 11, with the top and bottom surfaces formed flat and the four side surfaces formed corrugated, and joint keeps 111, 112 formed at the peak and bottom positions of the corrugations, respectively. Among the joint keeps, a pair of joint keeps 112, 112 with a narrower gap are configured to be sandwiched between a pair of joint keeps 111, 111 with a wider gap. When the block tilts due to the load, the joint keeps 111, 112 come into contact with each other, preventing the block from moving horizontally.

[0004] The interlocking block in Patent Document 3 is a rectangular block with six flat faces, including the top, bottom, and four side faces, and each of the four side faces has a set of joint keeps that is a combination of a long joint keep and a short auxiliary joint keep. One set of joint keeps is formed on the narrow side, and two sets of joint keeps are formed on the wide side. The long joint keep is a ridge that extends vertically from the top to the bottom on the side of the block, and the short joint keep is a ridge that is provided only on the upper part of the side of the block.

[0005] However, the above Patent Documents 1 to 3 have the following problems. In the prior art of Patent Document 1, the uneven shape of the interlocking parts is approximately triangular, so if the sharply pointed tops come into contact with each other during construction, the blocks do not interlock smoothly, making construction difficult. There was also the problem that the sharply pointed tops were easily damaged. In the conventional technology of Patent Document 2, there is a slight gap between the joint keeps 111, 112 before a load is applied, but the gap between the joint keeps 111, 112 is very small, so during construction, installing a pair of joint keeps 111, 111 so that they are sandwiched between other joint keeps 112, 112 requires great care and there is a problem that construction takes a long time. In the conventional technology of Patent Document 3, the short joint keep is located in the upper part of the side of the block, making it difficult to fill the joint sand during construction, which causes the joint sand to be insufficiently filled, resulting in insufficient load distribution when a heavy load is applied. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-285511 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-145579 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-239407 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an interlocking block that can withstand a high load, is easy to install, and has a high degree of installation completion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The interlocking block of the first invention is made up of a block body having a basic shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, and the top and bottom surfaces of the block body are formed as flat surfaces, and the four side surfaces of the block body are formed with interlocking portions having a wave-like shape with continuous arcs in a plan view. A joint keep is formed on each of a pair of slopes in the peak and valley portions that constitute the interlocking portion, and the radius of curvature of the valley portions is larger than the radius of curvature of the peak portions. Characterized by 。 No. 2 The interlocking block of the invention is 1 In the invention, a long joint keep is formed on one of the pair of slopes, the length of which reaches from the bottom surface to the top surface of the block body, and a short joint keep is formed on the other slope, the length of which reaches partway from the bottom surface to the top surface of the block body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the first invention, It has the following effects: a) The interlocking sections formed on the four sides of the blocks are formed in a wave-like pattern with continuous arcs, which increases the surface area of ​​the sides. This increases the bearing capacity when lateral loads act on the blocks, allowing them to withstand heavy loads. In addition, the wave-shaped interlocking sections can withstand loads acting from all directions within a 180° angle in plan view, so they can support loads in all directions between multiple interlocking blocks, enabling long-term use after paving construction. Furthermore, because the interlocking sections are arc-shaped, multiple blocks interlock smoothly during construction, and there is no damage to the interlocking sections. b)When interlocking blocks are installed, the peaks and valleys of the interlocking parts of multiple adjacent blocks interlock with each other, and in this state, the two joint keepers on the slopes of the peaks of one block are sandwiched between the two joint keepers on the slopes of the valleys of the other block, which increases the effectiveness of preventing lateral displacement. c) When two interlocking blocks are combined, a pair of joint keepers formed on both slopes of the valley section with a large radius of curvature sandwiches a pair of joint keepers formed on both slopes of the mountain section with a small radius of curvature from both sides, making it impossible for the two interlocking blocks to move between them. This improves the quality of the pavement construction. d) When multiple interlocking blocks are grounded adjacent to each other, it is possible to interlock the long sides together or the long sides with the short sides, allowing for free combination of interlocking blocks. No. 2 According to the invention, the long joint keep effectively prevents the tilt between adjacent blocks, and the short joint keep can open a gap above the adjacent blocks, making it easier to fill the joint sand. This prevents insufficient filling of the joint sand and allows for the realization of a pavement with a high degree of construction perfection. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an interlocking block A according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the interlocking block A of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 2. (A) is a front view of FIG. 2, and (B) is a right side view of FIG. [Figure 4] 1A is an enlarged plan view of the interlocking portion 2. FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of the upper end portion of the joint keep 3. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram of the contact state of joint keepers 3l and 3s between adjacent block bodies 1 and 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an interlocking block B according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an interlocking block C according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8]FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the installation procedure of the interlocking block A according to the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an example of construction of interlocking block A according to the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an interlocking block disclosed in Patent Document 1. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a plan view of the paving block of Patent Document 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. (First embodiment) As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the interlocking block A of the first embodiment is made up of a block body 1 having a basic shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. A rectangular parallelepiped is a hexahedron with all faces formed by rectangles, and adjacent faces intersect at right angles. The reason why a rectangular parallelepiped is defined as the "basic shape" is that although the four side faces of the interlocking block A of the present invention are not flat but wavy, they are treated as if they were flat, and are therefore included in the rectangular parallelepiped in this specification.

[0012] The block 1 is a standard product used for various types of paving, and is approximately 100 to 125 mm in diameter and 200 to 250 mm in length. The height can be selected from 60 mm, 80 mm, and 100 mm. Note that a height of 100 mm is preferred for heavy-duty blocks.

[0013] The material of the block body 1 is concrete, the same as known interlocking blocks. Various types of concrete can be used, and the mixing ratio of cement and aggregate such as sand can also be selected as desired.

[0014] The top surface 1a and the bottom surface 1b of the block body 1 are flat. A decorative layer may be formed on the top surface 1a to improve its appearance. Examples of decorative layers include, but are not limited to, shot blasting, polishing, and washing.

[0015] The block body 1 has four side faces. Two of the four side faces 1c are the long side faces, and the remaining two side faces 1d are the short side faces. Interlocking portions 2 are formed on the long side surface 1c and the short side surface 1d. The interlocking portions 2 are configured in a wave-like shape with a series of arcs in a plan view. The wave-like shape here refers to a shape in which semicircular protruding peaks 2a and semicircular recessed valleys 2b are continuous. Therefore, every peak 2a is connected to a valley 2b on both sides, and every valley 2b is connected to a peak 2a on both sides.

[0016] In the interlocking block A shown in Figures 1 to 3, six peaks 2a and six valleys 2b are formed on each of the two long side surfaces 1c. Half of the peaks 2a or half of the valleys 2b are formed at each end of the side surface 1c. On each of the two short side surfaces 1d, three peaks 2a and three valleys 2b are formed. Half of each peak 2a or valley 2b is formed at each end of the side surface 1d. The number of peaks 2a and valleys 2b can be selected and may be more or less than the above number, as long as there is sufficient meshing between adjacent block bodies 1, 1.

[0017] A joint keep 3 is formed on each of the multiple peaks 2a and multiple valleys 2b that make up the interlocking portion 2. More specifically, a joint keep 3 is formed on each of the two slopes on both sides of one peak 2a. This means that a joint keep 3 is also formed on each of the two slopes on one valley 2b. In this specification, the two slopes on both sides of the peak 2a are referred to as a pair of slopes, and the two slopes facing each other on both sides of the valley 2b are also referred to as a pair of slopes.

[0018] The joint keep 3 consists of two types of long joint keep 3l and short joint keep 3s, which have different lengths. The long joint keep 3l has a length that extends from the bottom surface 1b of the block body 1 to the top surface 1a. However, a joint keep that is about 10 mm lower from the top end is also considered to essentially reach the top surface 1a and is included in the long joint keep 3l of the present invention. The short joint keep 3s has a length that extends from the bottom surface 1b of the block body 1 to partway up to the top surface 1a. In the illustrated embodiment, the short joint keep 3s is about half the length of the long joint keep 3l, but is not limited to this length. The upper ends of the long joint keep 3l and the short joint keep 3s are rounded by a circular arc process. The radius of curvature R5 of the circular arc process can be selected at will, but in the embodiment shown in Figure 4(B) it is 5 mm. The thickness t of the joint keep 3 can be selected at will, but in the embodiment shown in Figure 4(B) it is 1.5 mm.

[0019] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, if the joint keep on the right slope of one peak 2a is a long joint keep 3l, the joint keep on the left slope is a short joint keep 3s. This means that if there is a short joint keep 3s on the right slope of one valley 2b, there will be a long joint keep 3l on the left slope.

[0020] As shown in Figure 4, the radius of curvature Ra of the peaks 2a and the radius of curvature Rb of the valleys 2b in the interlocking portion 2 can be set to any values, but the radius of curvature Ra of the peaks 2a is set to be slightly smaller than the radius of curvature Rb of the valleys 2b. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the radius of curvature Ra is 11 mm and the radius of curvature Rb is 14 mm. As a result, the distance d1 between the centers of the bottom surfaces of the joint keeps 3, 3 formed on the slopes on both sides of the peaks 2a is smaller than the distance d2 between the centers of the bottom surfaces of the joint keeps 3, 3 formed on the slopes on both sides of the valleys 2b. For example, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 4, d1 is approximately 17 mm and d2 is approximately 21 mm, although the dimensions are not limited to these.

[0021] 1 and 2, the positions of the peaks 2a and valleys 2b are reversed between the pair of long side surfaces 1c, 1c, and the same is true between the pair of short side surfaces 1d, 1d. Therefore, as shown in Figure 5, when the peaks 2a and valleys 2b of two block bodies 1 are fitted together, the peaks 2a fit into the valleys 2b, and the two block bodies 1 are interlocked. Because the radius of curvature Rb of the valleys 2b is greater than the radius of curvature Ra of the peaks 2a, a pair of joint keep 3l, 3s formed on a pair of slopes of the peaks 2a is sandwiched between a pair of joint keep 3l, 3s formed on a pair of slopes of the valleys 2b. Furthermore, the contact between the joint keep 3l, 3s between two adjacent block bodies 1, 1 creates a gap. This gap serves as a gap to be filled with joint sand, as described below.

[0022] As shown in Figure 5, when the block bodies 1, 1 are interlocked, the two joint keepers 3l, 3s on the slopes of the peaks 2a of one block body 1 are sandwiched between the two joint keepers 3l, 3s on the slopes of the valleys 2b of the other block body 1, with the peaks of the joint keepers 3l, 3s on the peaks 2a and the joint keepers 3l, 3s on the valleys 2b coming into contact. At this time, because the valley spacing d2 of the valleys 2b is slightly wider than the peak spacing d1 of the peaks 2a, the joint keepers 3l, 3s on the valleys 2b come into contact slightly outside and inward of the joint keepers 3l, 3s on the peaks 2a. This increases the effectiveness of preventing lateral displacement between the block bodies 1, 1.

[0023] (Second embodiment) As shown in Figure 6, the interlocking block B of the second embodiment has a rod-like shape that is extended to the upper end without being subjected to a circular arc processing to give a rounded shape to the upper end of the long joint keep 3l. With this shape, when adjacent block bodies 1, 1 tilt, the upper ends of the long joint keep 3l come into contact with each other, and the distance between the upper edges of the block bodies 1, 1 can be secured to be larger than in the first embodiment, making the block bodies 1 less likely to be damaged.

[0024] (Third embodiment) As shown in Fig. 7, the interlocking block C of the third embodiment has six faces of a block body 1 each formed into a substantially square shape. The definition of a rectangle includes a square, and this embodiment falls within this definition. The block body 1 of this embodiment has a side length of approximately 100 to 125 mm, and the height can be selected arbitrarily from 60 mm, 80 mm, and 100 mm. In this embodiment, too, a block with a height of 100 mm is preferable for heavy loads.

[0025] Compared to the block body 1 in Figures 1 and 6, the block body 1 is characterized by its shorter length, but there are no other structural differences. Of course, the long joint keep 3l may or may not have a rounded upper end. By using the short blocks 1 of this embodiment and combining them with long blocks, paving with a variety of patterns can be achieved.

[0026] (Example of paving construction) As shown in FIG. 8, when two interlocking blocks A, A are interlocked with each other at their long side surfaces 1c, a part of the pavement P can be formed. As shown in Figure 9, multiple interlocking blocks can be combined in any way. In the figure, paving example P1 is a type of paving called herringbone bond, in which long blocks are arranged perpendicular to each other and combined with short blocks. Pavement example P2 is called a stretcher bond, in which long blocks are parallel and offset in the length direction and combined with short blocks. The paving example P3 is made by combining two sets of long blocks in parallel, with the orientation of these combinations perpendicular to each other, and is known as basket paving.

[0027] Next, the effects achieved by each embodiment of the present invention will be described. (1) The load distribution performance of interlocking blocks refers to their ability to distribute wheel loads acting on the block surface over a wide area through the interlocking of the blocks, thereby reducing the load acting on the roadbed. Load transmission performance is expressed as the "load transmission rate." The load transmission rate is highly correlated with the ratio of the total side area of ​​the block to the top area of ​​the block; the higher this ratio, the higher the load transmission rate. In each embodiment of the present invention, the interlocking portions 2 formed on the four side surfaces 1c, 1d of each block body 1 are formed in a wave-like pattern with continuous arcs, thereby increasing the surface area. For example, in a block body with four flat sides, the ratio of the total side area to the top area is approximately 2.6, but in the case of interlocking block A shown in Figure 1, it is approximately 3, which is approximately 10% larger. Increasing the area ratio by approximately 10% increases the load transmission rate and allows the block to withstand high loads.

[0028] (2) The corrugated interlocking portion 2 can withstand loads acting from all directions within 180° in plan view. In addition, numerous joint keepers 3l and 3s are provided on the sides of the block body 1, which increases the contact rate between the sides when adjacent blocks A are interlocked, improving frictional resistance. This allows the interlocking blocks to withstand loads not only from the side but also from any direction, including diagonally, enabling long-term use after paving construction. (3) Since the interlocking portions 2 are wave-shaped, the interlocking of the blocks 1 occurs smoothly during construction, and since there are no sharp corners in the interlocking portions 2, damage is less likely to occur.

[0029] (4) When the interlocking blocks according to the present invention are installed, the peaks 2a and valleys 2b of the interlocking portions 2 of adjacent block bodies 1 interlock with each other, and as shown in Figure 5, in this state, the two joint keepers 3l, 3s on the slopes of the peaks of one block body 1 are sandwiched between the two joint keepers 3l, 3s on the slopes of the valleys of the other block body 1. This increases the effectiveness of preventing lateral displacement between the block bodies 1. (5) The long joint keepers 3l effectively prevent tilting between adjacent blocks 1, 1, and even when a concentrated load is applied, the upper ends of the long joint keepers 3l come into contact with each other, preventing tilting of the blocks 1. This makes it less likely that the corners of the block surfaces will come into contact with each other on the pavement surface (so-called corner chipping). (6) In addition, the short joint keep 3s allows for an upper gap between adjacent blocks 1, 1, making it easier to fill the joint sand. This prevents insufficient filling of the joint sand and allows for a highly complete pavement construction. [Industrial Applicability]

[0030] The interlocking blocks of the present invention can be used in any paving application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] A Interlocking Block B Interlocking Block C Interlocking Block 1 Block letter 2 Interlocking part 2a Mountain 2b Valley 3 Keeping the joints 3l Long joint keeping 3s Short joint keeping

Claims

1. It consists of a block body with a rectangular parallelepiped basic shape, The top and bottom surfaces of the block are flat, The four side surfaces of the block body are formed with interlocking portions having a wave-like shape with continuous arcs in a plan view, A joint keep is formed on each of a pair of slopes in the peak and valley portions that make up the interlocking portion, The radius of curvature of the valley portion is larger than the radius of curvature of the peak portion An interlocking block characterized by:

2. A long joint keep is formed on one of the pair of slopes, extending from the bottom surface to the top surface of the block body, and a short joint keep is formed on the other slope, extending partway from the bottom surface to the top surface of the block body.

2. The interlocking block according to claim 1.

Images