Wall units

Abstract

 A wall is built up of wall panels (3-8), joint units (11, 12) and other wall units (9, 10) for example, each wall unit being cast from appropriate material and provided over its face side with a relief simulating irregular stones having raised pointing therebetween. At least one edge of each panel (3-8) has an irregular contour at the face side, simulating the boundaries of adjacent stone, for engaging a complementarily contoured edge of another panel (3-8) or unit (9-12). The contoured edge of one or other of the joined units (3-12) is bounded by a raised ridge simulating pointing.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to wall panels and like units for building walls, particularly ornamental garden walls.

[0002] As seen from one aspect, this invention provides a wall panel or like unit which is cast from appropriate material and which is provided over its face side with a relief simulating irregular stones having raised pointing therebetween, at least one edge of the wall panel or like unit having an irregular contour at the face side, simulating the boundaries of adjacent stones, for engaging a complementarily contoured edge of another wall panel or like unit, the contoured edge of one or other wall panel being bounded by a raised ridge simulating pointing.

[0003] When two units are placed together with their contoured edges engaged, the join is successfully camouflaged by the raised ridge which bounds one or other of the two joined edges: this ridge is generally indistinguishable from the other pointing-simulating ridges which are provided over the faces of the two units.

[0004] In the embodiments to be described herein, adjacent units engage in overlapping manner at their joined edges, the edge of one unit being rebated on its rear side and the edge of the other unit being formed with a projecting tongue along the rear of its edge for engaging in the rebate of the one unit. No grouting is required between units.

[0005] In the embodiments to be described herein, a wall is built from wall panels each provided with opposite edges irregularly contoured at the face side, each of these opposite edges being provided with the bounding ridges and with the projecting tongues., Two adjacent panels are joined by a short joint unit having opposite edges irregularly contoured to complement and engage the edges of the two panels to be joined, these opposite edges being rebated to receive the projecting tongues of the two panels.

[0006] As seen from a second aspect, this invention provides a method of forming a wall panel or like unit as above defined, the method comprising providing a mould formed on its bottom with a relief complementary to the relief to be formed on the face side of the unit to be cast, the relief on the mould bottom including channels complementary to the simulated raised pointing, temporarily filling these channels, applying a coating of a first material over the mould bottom, emptying the channels and filling the mould with a second material.

[0007] The first material, for example comprising soft sand, white cement and a colouring agent, covers the areas which simulate the irregular stones in the cast unit. The second material, for example concrete, provides the body of the unit and the raised "pointing" ridges.

[0008] Embodiments of this invention will now be described, by way of examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation of an ornamental garden wall; and

FIGURE 2 is a perspective, exploded view of the wall of Figure 1.

[0009] Referring to the drawing, a double wall ₁,2 is shown, each wall being formed of three wall panels 3,4,5 and 6,7,8. An end pillar unit 9 is shown at one end of the wall and a closed end unit 10 is shown at the opposite end. Wall panels 3 and 6 are joined to panels 4 and 7 by a U joint unit 11 and panels 4 and 7 are joined to panels 5 and 8 by a U joint unit 12.

[0010] Each of the wall panels shown is a flat panel provided over its face side with a relief simulating irregular stones having raised pointing therebetween. Thus, the pointing is simulated by a pattern or mesh of ridges and the enclosed areas, simulating the stones, have an undulating surface. Each panel is formed with a rearwardly projecting integral capping 13 and the relief of the face side extends across the top and down the rear edge of this capping.

[0011] The opposite ends of each wall panel has an irregular contour 14 at the face side, which contoured edge is bounded along the full height of the panel by a "pointing" ridge. A projecting tongue 15 is provided along this edge, at the rear side of the panel, and is itself provided with a straight edge.

[0012] Each U joint comprises two face sections 16 joined integrally by a foot 17. Each face section is small, in the horizontal dimension lengthwise of the wall, relative to the length of the wall panels (for example 4 inches compared to 2 foot -. 10.2 cm compared to 61 cm). Each face section has its face side formed with a relief simulating irregular stones and raised pointing, and its opposite edges are irregularly contoured, on the face side, complementarily to the irregular contours at the edges of the two panels to be joined. No pointing ridge extends along these edges of the face sections of the joint unit. Thus, when a wall panel is abutted against a joint unit, the complementary edges engage and the irregular line of join is camouflaged by the pointing ridge which bounds the edge of the wall panel. The joint unit face sections are provided with rebates 18 along the rear of their contoured edges, to receive the projecting tongues 15 of the wall panel. The foot 17 projects over the rebates to provide slots 19 to receive the tongues 15. The face sections of the U joints are provided with cappings similar to those of the wall panels.

[0013] The closed end unit 10 comprises an end section joining two side sections, which side sections are provided with edges 20 similar to the edges of the U joint, and a foot 21 similar to the U joint foot 17. The face sides of the end and side sections are provided with a relief of the same type as the other units and with the same type of capping.

[0014] The end pillar 9 comprises four face sections, forming a 1 foot 4t inch (41.9cm) square as shown, with the same types of face relief and capping. The face section from which the wall extends is provided with two vertical slots (not shown) into which the ends of the two panels 3,6 project. Other pillars may be provided with such slots in opposite or adjacent sections, for use as an intermediate pillar in a straight wall or for a pillar at a return (90⁰ corner) in the wall. Preferably, however, the pillar comprises four identical face sections and a junction of any of these face sections to a wall is made using an end unit similar to end unit 10, but having its end face profiled complementary to the portion of the pillar face section which it is desired to abut.

[0015] For a single wall instead of the double wall shown, a joint unit is used which is the same as.the U joint shown except that one of the two face sections :.s dispensed with (and thus it is L-shaped). The single will is then built up using a series of the wall panels joined by this L-shaped joint unit.

[0016] The double wall shown will be filled with sont and the weight of the soil on the feet 17 of the joint units provides anchorage for the entire wall construction. The weight of soil on the corresponding foot of the L-shaped joint unit of the single wall provides similar anchorage.

[0017] For a curved wall, the panels may be cast in a curved mould. For a 90o corner in a wall, the panels ₀ may be cast integrally with the required 90 corner (internal or external) intermediate its ends.

[0018] All units are cast in the appropriate shape mould. The mould has a relief, formed on its bottom, complementary to the relief to be formed on the face side of the wall panel or like unit to be cast. Thus this relief includes channels complementary to the pointing in the simulated relief. A stencil of fibre glass, in the form of a matrix conforming to the pattern of the channels, is then placed into the mould to register with and thus fill the channels. Next, a coating of a first material is applied over the bottom of the mould, to a depth of about i inch (3.2 mm) on average. This material comprises, for example, soft sand, white cement and a colouring agent and forms the facing to the area simulating the irregular stones.

[0019] Finally, the stencil is removed and the mould is filled with concrete. This provides the body of the cast unit and fills the channels of the mould to provide the raised pointing in the cast unit, forming a colour contrast between the stones and the pointing.

[0020] The ornamental garden wall is built from the cast units without any grouting, adjacent units simply slotting together. Also, no foundations are necessary. In the double wall shown, the space between the parallel walls and the internal space of the pillar are filled with soil or the like or the pillar may be closed by a capping slab.

Claims

1. A wall panel or like wall unit which is cast from appropriate material and which is provided over its face side with a relief simulating irregular stones having raised pointing therebetween, at least one edge of the wall panel or like wall unit having an irregular contour at the face side, simulating the boundaries of adjacent stones, for engaging a complementarily contoured edge of another wall panel or like wall unit,the contoured edge of one or other wall unit being bounded by a raised ridge simulating pointing.

2. A wall panel or like wall unit as claimed in claim 1, arranged for adjacent units to engage in overlapping manner at their joined edges with the edge of one unit being rebated on its rear side and the edge of the other unit being formed with a projecting tongue along the rear of its edge for engaging in the rebate of the one unit.

3. A wall when made from a plurality of wall panels or like wall units as claimed in claim 1 or 2.

4. A wall as claimed in claim 3, comprising a plurality of panels joined by relatively short joint units.

5. A wall as claimed in claim 4, in which each joint unit includes a foot extending rearwardly from the face section of the unit and serving for anchorage.

6. A wall as claimed in claim 5, which is a double wall and each joint unit is U-shaped with its foot interconnecting two face sections.

7. A wall as claimed in claim 4, which is a single wall and each joint unit is an L-shaped formation of its foot and face section.

8. A method of forming a wall panel or like wall unit as claimed in any preceding claim, the method comprising providing a mould formed on its bottom with a relief complementary to the relief to be formed on the face side of the unit to be cast, the relief on the mould bottom including channels complementary to the simulated raised pointing, temporarily filling these channels, applying a coating of a first material over the mould bottom, emptying the channels and filling the mould with a second material.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, in which the first material comprises soft sand, white cement and a colouring agent.

10. A method as claimed in claim 8 or 9, in which the second material comprises concrete.

Drawing