Sheet piles are hot in China, both the hot-rolled AZ variety as well as the cold-pressed U variety. Here are six major applications for sheet piles that you could implement in your construction plans today!

1)     Temporary shallow excavation works for infrastructure and roadwork projects. Most often No. 3 and 4 piles with interlocks to keep your excavation dry and the environment unaffected. Sheet piles vary in length from 6-15 meters and are often driven by excavator mounted hammers. Chances are that whenever you see an excavation work in your neighborhood you will see these piles used!

2)     Watertight cofferdams in river. Most often the wider No. 6 piles are chosen for this application. The interlocked sheet piles have a length of 15-24 meters and are driven by a 416L hydraulic vibratory hammer. In more complicated soils with perhaps some gravel, a medium sized hammer such as the 815C is chosen. The cofferdams provide a dry dock for the building of a concrete foundation. After the bridge pylons are finished the sheet piles are extracted and reused. A good example is also the double sheet pile wall used in the Suzhou River Tianmu Road Project. Another example is the artificial island built from 196 sheet piles in Hong Kong’s HK-Macao-Zhuhai project

3)     Deep foundations where bentonite and diaphragm walls are to be avoided. Sometimes in combination with casings for extra lateral bearing capacity, or with the addition of struts  to support the walls. These applications call for No. 6 U piles or AZ sheet piles of 24-36 meters in length, or for combi-walls that combine interlocked casings and U-piles. These wide sheet piles are economical and provide great lateral bearing strength for excavation up to 20 meters. For inner city projects a resonance free hammer is recommended so as not to interfere with metro lines, gas pipes and to avoid damage to adjacent buildings. The 28RF and 36RF are your number would be our recommendation.

4)     AZ piles are also commonly used in permanent harbor walls. High grade steel that is corrosion resistant is chosen for these harsh environments. Special coatings can be added to the sheet piles that see the most corrosive action from seawater and wind. Because of the length and weight of the piles a large vibro like the 55NF or 1412C is recommended, often complemented with a NL series impact hammer to drive the pile to final depth.

5)     Excavations for municipal tunnel construction in inner cities are protected by sheet pile walls. Choosing a resonance free vibratory hammer will allow you to work close to existing buildings without upsetting the neighborhood with sound and damaging buildings with low frequency vibrations. This calls for either the 8RFB installed on a 30t excavator or the 20RF and mobile truck combination.

6)     AZ sheet piles are also used for permanent load bearing structures such as rail and highway overpasses, and parking garages. The double function of soil retention and load bearing is a winner! A medium sized 815C/ 28RF or larger 1412C/ 50RF are typically chosen for these construction projects.

BONUS (7): concrete sheet piles! These are a cost effective and eye pleasing product for river and waterway shoring. Standard strength piles can be driven with hydraulic vibratory hammers, thinner piles that are more prone to damage from resonance should be driven by resonance free vibratory hammers.

Bonus (8): plastic sheet piles. A plastic sheet pile can’t carry heavy loads but is ideally suited for installing a watertight barrier in a dike, or for shoring of shallow water. 

Also read: add link to WeChat story  https://www.icevibro.com/article/348.html

If you want more information about where to buy or rent sheet piles or need advice on a suitable piling hammers to drive and extract the sheet piles in sensitive areas, please contact our specialists today. We are waiting for your call!