Introduction of Steel sheet piles

Steel is the most common form of sheet piles as it has good resistance to high driving stresses, excellent water-tightness, and can be increased in length either by welding or bolting. They are connected by interlocking.

There are four basic forms of steel sheet piles:

Normal sections

These include Larssen and Frodingham sheet piles, which are systems of interlocking steel sheet piles. They have good driving qualities and are designed to provide the good strength for low weight.

The interlocking system facilitates easy positioning of the piles (pitching) and driving, as well as providing a close-fitting joint to form an effective water seal. In some cases, a sealant can be brushed into the joints prior to pitching which expands in thickness to form a watertight joint.

Larssen sheet piles are stronger and easier to drive because of their uniform section shape. Frodingham sheet piles are usually supplied interlocked in pairs, which makes them easier and quicker to handle and pitch.

Straight web sections

These are piles that are interlocked and driven to form cellular cofferdams which may be filled with material such as gravel and small rocks.

Box sections

These are formed by two or more sheet piles sections welded together, and are suitable when heavy loads and high bending moments are anticipated.

Composite sections

These are commonly used in waterfront protection where large bending moments and heavy axial loads are anticipated. A typical composite pile is a double Frodingham section welded to the flange of a universal I-beam.

This article comes from designing-buildings edit released