My proffesor @ college wants us to look up what a "keyed" wall is. He told us its either an application or anything to do with the wall. Do yuo guys have any remote idea what he is talking about? I'm thinking its the grooves that certain retaining wall block manufactures put on their block. But I have no clue. BTW this has to do with the retaining wall block used in residentail/commercail areas.
I don't know if this is what the prof is looking for, but sometimes a wall footer has an extra part that extends down into the undisturbed earth below the main part of the footer. That part is referred to as a "key". The idea is to prevent the whole unit from sliding forward, if the push from behind is too strong. There's a picture I posted. The link is to the individual post, since the key is much easier to see without all the rebar in place, but the pictures in the post above include it as well. Link: (I could be way off track, and you might be looking for something having to do with blocks themselves, but there it is.)
Kinda like that wall pic your posted digger the higher the wall the the more in the ground you go.
Keyed also can be a grove usally 2"x4" left on top of a poured footing to key the poured wall into the footing. See the pic below under the 2"x6" we have a 2"x4" that get cast into the concrete and then stip later to create a keyway.
Thanks ALOT GUYS FOR THE HELP.:notworthy :thumbsup
This may be what he is talking about. Each course of block is keyed to the last. I do a lot of work with this product.
It's either keying the first course into the ground (unseen) or as Steve mentioned, the blocks keying to each other.
A broad question that I suspect was in the context of SRW as Steve has posted above. However, back to the pyramids, a key was a stone laid perpendicular to the course at regular intervals to key across or what we call cross bonding. Stone walls we build now can be fully cross bonded ie. one course is completley cross bonded as in this wall: where every second course is turned at 90 degrees to the last. In Roman times the "keystone" was the last shaped stone installed into an arch and by which the arch became self supporting: http://www.technologystudent.com/struct1/arch1.htm
What threw me off was that he never mentioned the word "keyed" before. If he would have said setback it would have been clearer. Thanks again for all the info guys.:thumbsup I think I'l put down each for the answer so that no matter what he can't mark it wrong.
As long as you're going to provide way more information than you've been asked for, there's also a "key" at the bottom of a fill that you place on a slope. You cut a flat spot into the undisturbed material, and then place your fill on that. It keeps the fill from simply sliding away down the slope. Of course, that doesn't have much to do with walls. You will let us know which meaning of "keyed" he had in mind, right? (You could start off with explaining that it means someone has vandalized your wall by scratching the paint with their keys, and see whether he buys that one...)
Of course. My proffesor I have is the one that I wouldn't doubt if he had that as an answer. LOL Not the brightest guy. No JOKE, He told me a 30' tree taken down by a tree company cost around $3K. I laughed and told him to call my dad up any time he needs work and he'll do it for half that price. LOL:bouncegri (You could start off with explaining that it means someone has vandalized your wall by scratching the paint with their keys , and see whether he buys that one...)
Keyed Wall question. jzac, just what NAC said is correct. A "keyed" wall, or "keyway" as it's sometimes referred to, is a notch that is formed into the footing usually by leaving a 2X4 in the form in the center of the footing form.Once the footing is poured, the 2X4 is removed, leaving the impression of it in the footing. Then when the walls are poured, the concrete sets into this "keyway" in the footing, thus creating a sort of locking notch to strengthen the bottom of the wall, and help prevent it from kicking out or in. Quite frequently they'll use 2" or 3" angleiron to form a key as well. A lot of "mafia blocks", or concrete blocks (the big stackable ones used for retaining walls, barricades, etc,) have this angleiron styled key in them if you happen to see one somewhere. Another technique professor smart may talk about is a "pinned joint" possibly. That's when rebar or bolts of some sort are stuck into a vertical pour, then later another wall may be poured to meet up with them. This is a "cold joint", and the rebar or bolts will "pin" the existing wall with the newly poured wall, creating a cold joint, at which that is usually sealed with some form of membrane or silicone sealant, if in a living space situation. Otherwise it's just left alone. Any time a concrete wall is poured and another one would be mated to it later, it is standard practice to leave pins or bolts formed into the concrete to accept a later joint.A good example is a new foundation for a house is in place. Later down the road, a garage is planned to be added. A 3-sided wall would be poured to be attached to the existing house wall, therefor it should be pinned to the house. I just did one a month ago, and just drilled 3 vertical holes in the house wall with a 1/2" masonary bit, and stuck 3 anchor bolts in holes to pin the new wall in. Hope this helps.