SHEET PILING

Sheet Piling is a common solution for temporary shoring work in deep excavations in the field of civil engineering. Sheet pile is a steel pile with the shape of letter C.

Width, thickness, length and the shape of the sheet piles are in different categories. Normally the widths are in the range of 300mm to 700mm. And the length of the piles are normally 6m or 12m.

Sample sizes of sheet piles are shown in above table.

Transportation of sheet piles

Transport of sheet piles are mainly by high bed trailers or suitable trucks depend on sheet pile length. In case of high bed trailers, the maximum weight is around 35 ton and the number of sheet piles depend on the size and weight of a sheet pile. Normally a crane is needed for unloading and stacking purposes. Transport should be done with all the safety precautions for heavy machinery of goods transport.

Driving sheet piles

Installation of sheet piles can be using either vibro-hammers or silent pilers depend on the location. When using silent piler machines there will be less vibration generation induced by the operation. a vibrio-hammer is used its vibration and the pressure exert on pile to drive it in to the ground where a silent piler use a pulling and pressing method with the aid of a hydraulic compressor. Vibro-hammers can be either excavator mounted type or crane mounted type with a compressor. Prior to start sheet pile installation, a guider bar can be use to loosen the ground in the required location. A stream of water can help the easy installation of sheet piles with vibration of pushing process.

Driving a sheet pile using excavator mounted vibro-hammer

The force and the vibration is generated in the vibro-hammer by use of the hydraulic handling system of the excavator. The principle of the excavator to vibro-hammer connection here is moreover similar to a breaker mounted on a excavator. excavator arm can move the sheet pile to the correct location and the downward force and vibration will drive the sheet pile in to ground.

Driving a sheet pile using a crawler crane mounted vibro-hammer.

The force and the vibration is generated in the vibro-hammer by use of a compressor connected separately to the vibro-hammer will drive the sheet pile in to ground. Crawler crane (or a mobile crane) can use to move the sheet pile to the correct location and the downward force and vibration will drive the sheet pile in to ground. 

Sheet pile driving by use of a Silent piler

A crane is used to place the platform and the silent piler in to the required starting location of the sheet pile line. For the first 3 or 4 piles or at the corner if necessary, a platform is place on ground to support the initial sheet piles. Self weight of the platform will give stability to the silent piler when applying pressure on sheet pile. After installation of few piles, the silent piler it self can move on sheet piles line by holding already place piles as a support by its arms. Sheet pile is inserted in to the gap between two arms of piler machine, and the machine can hold and press the pile in to the ground.

Silent piler in a line of completed sheet piles after exaction, with adjacent multi story buildings.

Silent piler in operation without platform

Hydraulic compressor attached to silent piler

 

A line of sheet piles completed, prior to start excavation.

Taking measurement for cutting of sheet pile in a difficult situation to insert the pile further. Hardly there will be occasion the site team has to cut & remove small part of the sheet piles when it is really difficult to move sheet pile further. Normally after installation of a sheet pile, it is welded to previously installed pile to prevent uplift of further downward movement with the installation of a new adjacent pile. (Since piles are connected through the grove in each side of sheet pile sometimes adjacent piles move together with the new pile installing.)

An excavated area up to pile cut off levels covered with a line of sheet piles as temporary shoring method.