Written by Blockhead on August 7th, 2009
Before starting your project, it is always important to double check all your materials delivered to your site. For help helpful information on what should be at your site and how to store your material, visit the Material and Site Checklist page on the Allan Block website.
AB Stone - AB Collection
To confirm the correct block was delivered, first check your construction documents to see which block type is required for this job. The AB Stones and AB Classic look almost identical when they are on the pallet. One way of determining which block type was delivered is by simply measuring a couple of the key characteristics.
The AB Stones and AB Classic will both have a top lip of approximately 2 inches (50 mm). On the other hand, the bottom notch for the AB Stones is about 0.5 inches, while the bottom notch for the AB Classic is roughly 1 inch (25 mm) as measured from the face of the block.
It is always better to spend a couple minutes to confirm the correct material was delivered, than a few days rebuilding a wall for an unsatisfied customer.
Tom
Share on Facebook
Posted in Commercial Retaining Walls, Landscape Retaining Walls, Uncategorized | No Responses »
Tags: Allan Block Walls, Block type, Plan design and build
Written by Blockhead on August 3rd, 2009
We just published our new AB Landscape Wall Guide and it got us to thinking, “How do you know what block is the best block for your site?” As you are planning your retaining wall project, it is easy to get overwhelmed with all the retaining wall block options. To help narrow this field of choices, the first thing I would recommend is to contact your local dealer to see what block is available in your part of the country.
If you are fortunate enough to have both the AB Collection and AB Europa Collection available in your area, it comes down to your personal preference whether you like the hand-laid look of the antiqued AB Europa Collection or the smooth, fluid finish of the AB Collection.
2 Course Pattern
Next, you must decide if you like a wall made from a single block shape, or if you prefer a patterned wall. If your wall is less than 3 ft (1 m) your options include using the Standard Patterns or the Lite Patterns shown in the AB Landscape Wall Guide or any of the single block shapes. If your wall is over 3 ft (1 m) tall, I would recommend using the Standard Pattern or one of the full size blocks (AB Stones and AB Classic from the AB Collection or the AB Dover from the AB Europa Collection).
Why?
Well, as you wall gets taller there is more soil behind the wall pushing against it. After about 3 ft (1 m) you start to get to a point where the weight of the block isn’t enough to hold back all the soil. At this point, the full size blocks may help keep the wall a gravity wall; otherwise you will need to add geogrid to the wall for stability.
Tom
Share on Facebook
Posted in Commercial Retaining Walls, Landscape Retaining Walls, Uncategorized | 2 Responses »
Tags: Allan Block Walls, Commercial Retaining Walls, Plan design and build, Segemental Retaining Walls
Written by Blockhead on July 30th, 2009
I just wrapped up helping an engineer with his design and thought to myself “this is a great wall to blog about.” The wall was nothing spectacular, in fact, it was quite ordinary. All too often we get excited about those monster walls and forget that most of the walls built are less than 10 ft (3 m) tall. What made this wall interesting was the slope below the wall, a parking lot above the wall, and a very tight jobsite. For a detailed look at some of the conditions you need to watch for, see the Conditions page on the Allan Block website.
The first thing we addressed was the slope below the wall. A general rule of thumb is to bury additional block when there is a slope below the wall so you have a minimum level area, or bench, of 5 ft (1.5 m) extending from the toe of the wall horizontally to daylight.
In relation to this slope below the wall, we discussed the potential for a global stability problem. A global stability failure can be defined as the entire hillside slipping and sliding to the bottom of the slope which would obviously take the Allan Block wall with it. Global stability can also be a concern when building terraced walls, working in poor soil conditions, or building near water.
Wall Setback
Next, we discussed the location of the wall on the jobsite. The wall’s setback was a critical factor in determining what type of block would be used. Segmental walls have a
setback, or batter, and as you can see in this picture, as the wall height increases the wall setback from vertical also increases. We determined that the AB Stones, with an approximate 12-degree setback, would not fit in the proposed location. Because of this, the engineer chose to use the AB Classic block with a rough setback of 6-degrees.
Finally we discussed the
surcharge from the parking lot. A surcharge can range from a sidewalk for a walking path, to a major freeway carrying thousands of vehicles per day. The wall design will be influenced by the expected load of this surcharge and its location in respect to the wall. When the engineer designed the wall in AB Walls 2007, he was sure to include the load from the commercial parking lot on the retaining wall.
Once the local engineer had the wall designed, he used the new “Send Info” button in AB Walls 2007 to send a preliminary material estimate to his local AB Sales Representative. In no time, the sales rep contacted the engineer with a couple AB Certified Contractors that were interested in bidding the job.
As I mentioned, this was by no means a monster wall, but it did demonstrate a few of the conditions that need to be considered when designing your retaining wall. For additional information, please visit allanblock.com or your local engineering professional.
Tom
Share on Facebook
Posted in Commercial Retaining Walls, Landscape Retaining Walls, Reinforced Walls | No Responses »
Tags: Allan Block Walls, Conditions above wall, Global Stability, Plan design and build, retaining walls, Segemental Retaining Walls, Setback, Slopes, Surchage
Written by Blockhead on July 16th, 2009
The soil on your site is a critical aspect to your retaining wall project. Among the ways your soils can affect your overall project cost are:
- Geogrid Requirements
- Increased Effort to Compact
- Cost of Importing Additional Material and Removing Existing Soils
A wall built in clay will have an increased need for geogrid when compared to the same wall build on a sandy site. This is because clay will “push” on the wall more than sand. This geogrid will be used to create a mass of soil large enough to overcome these forces.
Clays and silts resist compacting due to the shape of each grain of soil. They to trap water more and make proper compaction more labor intensive. It is important to achieve proper compaction to reduce future settlement and to increase the stability of the reinforced soil mass. To achieve the required compaction, you may need to compact more frequently with smaller lifts of soil, or use specialized compaction equipment.
When your site does not meet the minimum requirements suggested on the Working with Soils page on the Allan Block website, it may be required to remove the existing soil from the site and use select fill for the area within the geogrid. You may also find it necessary to increase the width of your base to compensate for poor soils under the wall.
If you have questionable soils on your site, please visit our website at allanblock.com for suggestions and recommendations. It will also be important that you contact a local engineer for help designing your retaining wall.
Tom
Share on Facebook
Posted in AB FAQs, Commercial Retaining Walls, Landscape Retaining Walls | 1 Response »
Tags: Add new tag, Allan Block Walls, clay soil, Commercial Retaining Walls, Estimating, Gravity Walls, Installtion guide, mixed soil, Plan design and build, sandy soil, Soil, stratuctural stability
Written by Blockhead on June 1st, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Project Success Starts with Proper Estimation of your Allan Block Retaining Wall Materials
(6-1-2009) MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Allan Block Corporation has created an estimating tool for retaining walls under 30 ft (9.1 m) in height. The AB Commercial Wall Estimator is a Microsoft Excel based tool, and is a free download from our website at allanblock.com. When there are many things that can turn a successful project into one that leaves you scratching your head wondering where things went wrong, making sure that the proper amount of materials on the job site is the first step to make sure the installation and construction of the retaining wall project is successful.
The AB Commercial Wall Estimator allows the user to enter the height and length of their particular retaining wall and receive a material estimate that includes:
Allan Block product count that includes caps and even a breakdown of different blocks when a pattern wall is desired
Geogrid quantities based on wall heights and conditions
Base and wall rock estimates needed to complete the wall installation
Infill soil amounts that will need to be excavated, backfilled and compacted
Drain Tile, adhesive and much more
The AB Commercial Wall Estimator is not the only tool available at www.allanblock.com. Allan Block also has estimating tools for smaller landscape walls and the AB Courtyard Collection, a beautiful collection of blocks used as seating walls and pillars around patios. These tools are provided to ensure proper material estimates get a project moving in the right direction.
With over 20 years of experience, Allan Block Corporation is a leading provider of retaining wall systems for commercial, industrial, roadway and residential projects. With millions of square feet of retaining wall product installed though out the world, Allan Block has the resources to deliver performance and quality to every project. Use the estimating tools to start your project right.
Share on Facebook
Posted in AB Press Releases | No Responses »
