Sheet piles are used in the construction industry to provide temporary and permanent walls. Sheet piling is used as excavation support and soil retention. It creates a boundary that keeps the soil away from the structure.
Usually, the material used to manufacture sheet piles is steel, but sometimes wood and vinyl sheets are used. The concept is to design narrow, interlocking sheets that can be attached and driven into the ground to form walls. Stability and strength are determined by the shape and material of the sheet. Steel is considered the most suitable material if large bending forces and stresses are required.
Temporary walls are used to prevent collapse during construction in confined spaces; to provide protection for workers working in the vicinity of the area.
In domestic settings, sheet piles are used as permanent walls because they provide stability and durability to interior walls, especially basement walls.
Sheet piling is also used to prevent flooding from affecting structures close to the shoreline.
Protects foundations from water damage.
Supports excavation of parking structures, basements, foundations, pumping stations, and the construction of weirs, seawalls and bulkheads.
U Type Sheet Pile
Advantages of sheet piling include.
It is lightweight and easy to lift and carry.
It is recyclable and reusable.
The length and design of the pile is easily adaptable.
The joint is designed to withstand the high pressures required to drive it into place.
It requires minimal maintenance above and below water.
Panel pile installation is typically accomplished by using one of three key panel pile methods.
Panel driving
Panel driving with staggering of sheet piles
Pitch and Drive
Z Type Sheet Piles
The choice of sheet piling installation method depends on the prevailing conditions at the construction site and should be based on a thorough soil survey. Traditional piling methods typically use equipment such as vibratory hammers, impact hammers, presses or equipment combinations to install sheet piles and suit individual sites.
Panel Driving
With this method of sheet pile installation, sheet pile panels are screwed together prior to pile driving using rigid guide frames or "forms" in which the sheet piles are placed. This helps to achieve verticality in sheet pile walls, especially in very soft soils where tilting can be a problem. It can also help to install longer piles where soil conditions are difficult. This is a more time consuming method of sheet piling than other methods due to threading and handling, but is commonly used in underground parking lots and basements.
Panel driving with staggering of sheet piles
This construction method is similar to panel piling, but sees alternating piles interlaced with tip reinforcement and piling, so these reinforced sheet piles are driven deeper than non-reinforced piles. This method of sheet pile driving is useful when soil conditions are compact.
Pitch and Drive
This is a popular method of piling construction because it is relatively quick and inexpensive. Individual piles are threaded and installed to their final depth, usually in locations where tilting is not a problem, where the soil is not too compact, and in many cases, where sheet pile installation is temporary. Sheet piles installed by spacing and driving methods are usually short in length. Hydraulic presses can only be used for this one method of sheet pile construction. The pitch and drive method using Giken silent presses can overcome the noise problems associated with this method of sheet pile installation.
