Segemental Retaining Walls

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Allan Block® has the first Eco Friendly concrete retaining wall system available: AB Fieldstone

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Allan Block® has the first Eco-Friendly concrete retaining wall system available – AB Fieldstone


1/26/2010 MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Allan Block Corporation is pleased to release the first Eco-Friendly mortarless concrete retaining wall system – the AB Fieldstone Collection®. Using recycled materials has allowed Allan Block to create a green retaining wall system that is safe for the environment and is able to use post consumer materials without taking away from the quality of the blocks.


With the look and appearance of natural stone, this system is sure to meet the aesthetic needs you have come to expect. The lightweight units install quicker and easier than natural stone and lock securely together to build small landscape walls up to large commercial retaining walls.


The AB Fieldstone Collection is available with different facing textures for the beautiful natural stone look, multiple size units to build patterned walls and is manufactured in several blended colors to match your existing landscape.


Green, Natural and Friendly is how we describe the AB Fieldstone product. Allan Block retaining wall systems, including AB Fieldstone, has available tools, programs and support. Visit allanblock.com for more details and to find the nearest distributor.


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 throughout the world, Allan Block has the resources to deliver performance and quality to every project. We have the expertise to help you plan, design and build your next project.


Media Contact:
Allan Block Corporation,
Phone: 952-839-5309
Fax: 952-839-0013
Email: info@allanblock.com

http://www.allanblock.com

Posted in AB Press Releases, Commercial Retaining Walls, Landscape Retaining Walls | 1 Response »
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AB Walls 2007 Update V9.1

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Allan Block Design Software AB Walls 2007 Upgrade Now Available

8/25/2009 MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Allan Block has enhanced their segmental retaining wall design software with an update to AB Walls 2007, Version 9.1. The update is currently available for download at allanblock.com or by clicking the Update button in AB Walls 2007. AB Walls 2007 is a comprehensive design tool which outputs professional quality construction drawings, along with the technical support data. This program allows designers to transfer a conceptual layout from a site plan to a complete wall solution.
The software continues to allow the designer to generate elevation, plan and multiple cross sectional views of their retaining wall project. Additionally, its design capabilities include static and seismic calculations for internal, external and internal compound stability. All of this continues to make it the most flexible design tool available for engineering segmental retaining walls.

With this design software and methodology comes supporting documents like the AB Engineering Manual and Tech Sheets, as well as full technical support from the Allan Block Engineering Department.
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.


Media Contact:
Allan Block Corporation,
Phone: 952-839-5309
Fax: 952-839-0013
Email: info@allanblock.com
http://www.allanblock.com

Posted in Commercial Retaining Walls | No Responses »
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Which Block is Right for Me?

Monday, 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

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

Posted in Commercial Retaining Walls, Landscape Retaining Walls, Uncategorized | 2 Responses »
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Special Retaining Wall Conditions

Thursday, 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

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

Posted in Commercial Retaining Walls, Landscape Retaining Walls, Reinforced Walls | No Responses »
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Turn It Up By Turning Your Retaining Wall In

Friday, May 29th, 2009

Turn Ins

Turn Ins

Have an area in your yard you want to enhance? Make more usable space? Build a planter? What ever the project you are building, there is always a beginning and an end. Both parts are equally important but how you end your wall can really change to the look and feel of your project as well as the functionality of the area. Before you start your project you need to ask your self a few questions. How is this wall going to end? Is it a corner? Is it a step down or a terrace? Or is it my favorite… a turn in to the hillside kind of ending?

Terraced Turn In

Terraced Turn In


While all good choices, the turn in is my personal favorite. It is the no-muss, no-fuss answer to most wall ending projects. It’s an easy solution, and Allan Block has all the answers on their website, www.allanblock.com. Visit their page on Turn-ins to get all the details and turn up the beauty and functionality of your wall with Allan Block!

Posted in Landscape Retaining Walls | No Responses »
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