System Requirements
Required Updates:
Help Files - AB Walls Design Software
Help Files - AB CADD
SRW Wall Vendor Files
AB Site Solutions
- Documents to Support Designing
- SRW Walls and Sound Walls
Earn CEU Credits with
in-person AB Walls Training
One Hour Webinar Options
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Online Training Program
The Ultimate Design Tool for Segmental Retaining Walls
AB Walls is a comprehensive design tool which outputs professional quality construction drawings with technical support data. It allows designers to transfer a conceptual layout from a site plan to a complete wall solution and then export it to various CAD software programs as well as to the 3D Modeling Program SketchUp. In addition, designers can generate elevations, plans, and multiple cross sectional views of their retaining wall projects.
Some of the program’s design capabilities include static and seismic calculations for internal, external and internal compound stability. And most recently has been enhanced to allow designers to calculate internal and external results for complex terraced wall structures. AB Walls can take a designed wall project and print a complete package in one step making it an easy submittal to your client.
Inspired by the work in the Best Practices for SRW Design document to help drive the industry towards zero wall failures.
What Else Can AB Walls 3D+Terraces Design Software Do?
AB CADD Program in AB Walls - See Full Details Here
AB Walls now includes a full Computer Aided Design and Drafting program (CADD). AB CADD establishes new outputs that provide a full set of Construction Drawings, allowing you to provide the full story of everything that a contractor or inspector needs to meet your precise design requirements on site.
Detailing Enhancements:
One of the most difficult parts of the design and build process for segmental walls is conveying the design requirements to the contractor. AB Walls has greatly enhanced the Submittal and Shop Drawing Outputs to allow the designer to:
- Fully detail the wall profile with specific stationing and elevations of all step ups and step downs on the top and bottom of the wall profile.
- Provide multiple cross sections along the profile to thoroughly detail the design variations that can occur along the length of the wall. The inclusion of terraced panels is integrated seamlessly into the program, allowing the designer to have both terraces and non-terraced wall panels and sections within a single design.
- Display site specific wall drainage details directly on the cross sections. Blanket drains, chimney drains, drainage swales, etc. can now be shown directly on the cross section.
- Fully detail the plan view with stationing and geogrid depths. Knowing the geogrid depth allows the designers and contractors to avoid possible grid obstructions during construction.
- Provide individual panel views connected directly to their design panel section to provide clarity for grid placement.
Design Enhancements:
- A designer can model up to three different soil layers for both the infill and retained soil layers. This multiple soil layer modeling is used in the Internal Compound Stability section of AB Walls.
- For terraced designs, the designer can use a different soil type in each terrace’s infill or retained soils to allow for as close to as built conditions as possible.
- Use Trial Wedge Design Methodology for slopes above the wall in seismic regions. This provides the designer an alternative to the traditionally used Mononobe Okabe (M-O) method that greatly limits the steepness of slopes above any seismically loaded wall.
- An engineer can see graphical results from the Internal Compound Stability analysis from the Pressure Mapping page.
- Offers Internal Compound Stability analysis to be applied to No-Fines Concrete designs. Independent testing lab results have provided a conservative design friction angle which allows the designers to utilize the benefits of ICS calculations on No-Fines Concrete sections as well as geogrid applications.
- Provides complete design flexibility as each panel calculation is independent so the user can design with geogrid in one panel and No-Fines Concrete in the next panel, each having their own independent loading conditions.
Export 3D Models of Projects
- A designer can now create stunning three dimensional (3D) models of their designed AB retaining wall project to give them an advantage in the marketplace by offering a more complete design package.
- 3D model includes product and color options to give the customers a choice of looks and styles in the design process.
- Shows geogrid placement behind the wall, so a designer can review and catch potential problems in the design phase.
- Saves designers hours of time and offers a professional visualization of their designed project.
- Create models that they can share with Architects to be BIM (Building Information Model) compliant.
Output Enhancements:
AB Walls still provides both a Submittal Output for the engineers to submit for design review and a detailed Shop Drawing Output for use in the field - but now even better!
- Both packages include all detailing enhancements listed above. However the Submittal Output provides safety factor information for:
- Internal Calculations
- External Calculations
- Bearing Calculations
- Static and Seismic Loading
- Internal Compound Stability Calculations
- Internal Compound Stability Pressure Mapping
- Designers can choose from 33 typical details to be printed in both outputs.
- All design information in the Shop Drawing Output can be exported to .DXF format for use in any CAD program. Included are the Profile View, Plan View, Standard and Terraced Sections and Panel View, General Notes, Specifications and Specific Section Notes.
ReSSA Export:
Allan Block has worked closely with the designers of ReSSA, the industry leading global stability analysis program, to allow the section information from AB Walls to be exported to a ReSSA file. This gives the wall designer the opportunity to easily transfer information from AB Walls to ReSSA to investigate the global stability of the project site quickly and efficiently.
Tutorials:
The Allan Block Engineering Dept. offers basic and advanced tutorials on the use of AB Walls. Tutorials are offered to individual engineers or can be done in a group setting to cover your firm’s engineers at once. These tutorials take less than 60 minutes to provide the designer with industry information and functionality of the program to begin designing retaining walls. Completed tutorials are then eligible for continuing education credits (CEU’s).
Contact your local Allan Block Representative Today
to get your copy of our AB Walls Design Software and schedule your tutorial.
AB Walls 10 or 2007 Users:
Please Note: Files created in AB Walls 10 or 2007 are not compatible with newer versions of AB Walls. Allan Block Corporation no longer supports older versions of our AB Walls software. Contact your Local AB Representative to upgrade today or contact Allan Block Corp at (952) 835-5309 or engineering@allanblock.com.