Sheet Piles

Sheet piling is an earth retention and excavation support technique that

retains soil, using steel sheet sections with interlocking edges. Sheet
piles are installed in sequence to design depth along the planned
excavation perimeter or seawall alignment. The interlocked sheet piles
form a wall for permanent or temporary lateral earth support with
reduced groundwater inflow. Anchors can be included to provide
additional lateral support if required.

Sheet pile walls have been used to support excavations for below grade
parking structures, basements, pump houses, and foundations,
construct cofferdams, and to construct seawalls and bulkheads.
Permanent steel sheet piles are designed to provide a long service life.

Vibratory hammers are used to install sheet piles. If soils are too hard or
dense, an impact hammer can be used to complete the installation. At
certain sites where vibrations are a concern, the sheets can be
hydraulically pushed into the ground.

Sheet piles are also a sustainable option since recycled steel is used in
their construction, and the piles can often be reused.

SHEET PILE WALLS -

RETAINING SYSTEMS FOR
DEEP EXCAVATIONS: Sheet Pile
Walls
Sheet pile walls are constructed by driving prefabricated sections into the ground. Soil conditions
may allow for the sections to be vibrated into ground instead of it being hammer driven. The full
wall is formed by connecting the joints of adjacent sheet pile sections in sequential installation.
Sheet pile walls provide structural resistance by utilizing the full section. Steel sheet piles are most
commonly used in deep excavations, although reinforced concrete sheet piles have also being used
successfully.

Steel sheet piling is the most common because of several advantages over other materials:
1. Provides high resistance to driving stresses.
2. Light weight
3. Can be reused on several projects.
4. Long service life above or below water with modest protection.
5. Easy to adapt the pile length by either welding or bolting
6. Joints are less apt to deform during driving.

Sheet pile walls are constructed by:

1. Laying out a sequence of sheet pile sections, and ensuring that sheet piles will interlock.
2. Driving (or vibrating) the individual sheet piles to the desired depth.
3. Driving the second sheet pile with the interlocks between the first sheet pile and second
"locked"
4. Repeating steps 2 & 3 until the wall perimeter is completed
5. Use connector elements when more complex shapes are used.

Sheet pile wall disadvantages are:

1. Sections can rarely be used as part of the permanent structure.
2. Installation of sheet piles is difficult in soils with boulders or cobbles. In such cases, the desired
wall depths may not be reached.
3. Excavation shapes are dictated by the sheet pile section and interlocking elements.
4. Sheet pile driving may cause neighborhood distrurbace
5. Settlements in adjacent properties may take place due to installation vibrations
How To Install Sheet Pile
Contractors use sheet pile as a temporary supportive wall which is used to support the soft soil
collapsed from higher ground to lower ground. Sheet pile is commonly used in the construction and
has variety types of material for sheet pile. The price for variety types of material for sheet pile is
different, the driving method can be in variety ways as well. Contractors might need to determine the
condition of soil then only can decide which type of sheet pile can be used.

Simple Guide On How To Install Sheet Pile

Sheet pile installation cant be done by piling contractor while there is specialist contractor for sheet
pile to do the installation. Here is a rough installation procedure for sheet pile :

1) Pile Driving Equipment

Before starting driving sheet pile, a few equipments have to be prepared such as driving hammers
and jetting equipment. The driving energy for hammers shall be recommended by the manufacturer
so that its applicable to relevant sheet pile. While jetting equipment shall have a minimum of two
removable or fixed jets of the water or be a combination of air a water type.

2) Placing and Driving

After preparing all the sheet pile driving equipments, sheet piles can be started to place on the
location that shown in the construction drawings. Temporary wales, templates, or guide structures
have to be carried on to ensure the sheet pilings are placed and driven to the correct alignment.

After the sheet piles is set on place, jetting machine will be starting to driving the sheet piles. Sheet
piles have to be driven with the proper size of hammer and by approved methods to ensure no
damage to the sheet piles and proper interlocking throughout their lengths. A protecting cap shall be
employed on the tops of sheet pile to prevent damage during driving with hammer.

3) Cutting-Off and Splicing

After driving the sheet piles into the ground, if contractor find that they need additional penetration,
splicing or jointing works will be carried on. Driving works will be done again for the sheet piles until it
reaches its limit on the ground. After this, excessive of sheet pile will be cutting-off and removed from
the site. All cutting-off work must be done in a neat and workmanlike manner for safety purpose.

4) Inspection of Driven Piling

The contractor shall inspect the interlocked joints of driven sheet piles extending above ground. If
contractor find out that the sheet piles are out of interlock, then the sheet piles have to be removed
and replaced with a new sheet pile.

5) Pulling and Redriving

After the inspection of driven piling, another similar process has to be carried on which is called
pulling and redriving. The contractor shall pull selected sheet piles to determine the condition of the
underground portions of sheet piles. If contractor found any damages to the extent that its usefulness
in the structure is impaired, then the sheet piles have to be removed and replaced with a new sheet
pile.
 Press-in principle

Machine layout plan for typical silent piling

 Machine layout elevation for typical silent piling

Driving Aids in Hard Soil:

- Pre-augering;

- Water jet;

- Pre-drilling

NORMAL DRIVING METHODS

- Pitch and drive;

- Panel driving;

- Staggered driving;

- Combination
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SHEET PILE WALLS

Sheet pile shoring systems are constructed by driving or vibrating continuous corrugated sheet piling through the
ground from the surface along the perimeter of an excavation. After sheet piles has been installed, an excavation
is made to the top row of the tiebacks. Once the tiebacks have been installed, a steel waler is placed over the
anchors and attached to the sheet pile. The process is then repeated from the second, and subsequent rows of
tiebacks.