In China, thousands of sheet pile projects are carried out each year. Sheet piles are a great fit for the modern reduce -reuse -recycle practices for temporary foundation works. Here are at the Deep Foundations WeChat Group we discuss this topic regularly. This week we are sharing information about jacking and vibrating methods to drive and extract sheet piles without disturbance to the environment and with minimal soil settlement.

The primary use of sheet piles is to create a temporary or permanent barrier between excavations and their surroundings, examples are quay walls, soil retaining walls, tunnels, and subterranean parking garages. Sheet piles are also well suited for temporary excavation work, such as a retention wall for a excavation pit. In China diaphragm walls are the preferred method for building retaining walls. In contrast to a diaphragm wall the sheet pile wall is a temporary structure. This type of temporary solution fits well with modern trends such as the reduction of concrete, bentonite and steel reinforcement cages. In practice, the materials used in the diaphragm walls often have no additional structural function other than retaining soil, and will be hard to remove after completion of construction work. Sheet piles, however, can easily be extracted and reused on a new site.

The video below shows the PVE Pressing machines. The ICE pressing machine is a leader guided multifunctional machine. The compression stress of pressing machines varies from 600 to 1500 kN and is supplied by a hydraulic cylinder. This pile press drives 4 sheet piles simultaneously, the 4 clamps press the piles down in sequence. This method is ideal for long sheet piles and enables very high daily production rates. If heavy driving conditions are encountered, a small amount of water is injected under high pressure to assist the driving by fluidization.

Pressing machines - For delicate conditions

During operation, the pressing machine does not generate any vibrations. As the pressing machine presses the piles into the ground, rather than vibrating or hammering, the ground is not disturbed and the impact on the surroundings is almost zero. A perfect solution for your inner-city foundation project.

The 4240 or 4375 models can be installed on a Woltman 90PR Piling Rig. The 90PR has a mast with a height of max 36 meters, and with the PVE 4240 installed can drive sheet piles with a maximum length of 30 meters. The 90PR’s Caterpillar C18 engine provides all the hydraulic flow required for the operation of the pile press.

Pressing technique

The working principle of the pressing technique is the use of the four hydraulic cylinders that push the sheet piles into the soil. The sheet piles are connected through standard inter-locks, the piling rig is fitted with sensors that allows for accurate positioning of the piles, ensuring the sheet pile wall’s verticality and integrity.

Driving force of 180t, pulling force

Oil pressure is provided by the rig or an additional power pack. The four independently working cylinders are equipped with clamps holding the same number of sheet pile sections.

Pressing one sheet pile section alternates holding to the other sections.

Pressing machines can drive Larrsen piles and Z profiles, the clamps can be turned at different angles to fit these sheet piles’ different dimensions.

PRODUCT RANGE 

After  arrival on site the piling rig is ready for operation within 2 hours, this is because the mast does not have to be assembled, just needs to be erected.

Applications

*  Urban areas and vibration sensitive projects

*  Safe working close to existing buildings, underneath structures, railways etc. 

*  Suitable for nearly all soil types 

Advantages

*  Easily handled by only two people

*  No vibrations, so no harm to surroundings 

*  Minimum noise compared to other foundation techniques

*  Pressing of all U and Z form sheet pile profiles is possible

*  Ballasted start-up equipment is not required

*  Pressing single and paired sheet piles

*  Installs coated piles

*  Excellent quality

*  Wide range of clamping solutions

Foundations Industry developments 

The foundation industry is seeing rapid changes, sheet piles offerings are changing to include wider and longer piles, combination walls with sheet pile-casing or sheet pile- king pile are becoming available, piling equipment is making strides, regulators are pushing for more environmentally friendly methods and design institutes are on board to bring real change to the market. More research needs to be carried out for different soil types and ICE is seeking cooperation partners to further the industry. Please get in touch with your proposal!