What is the proper vinyl sheet pile driving method for different soil types?

“Pitch and drive” method is the most practical way of pile driving in loose soils especially when using short piles. Also called “set and drive”, this method installs piles one by one. However, with only one interlock in control, sheet piles have high tendencies of rotating from the axis and leaning forward or backward. Panel driving is recommended for the dense deposit of sands and compact cohesive soils such as heavy clay or in presence of obstructions. In this method, a number of piles are interlocked together before driving. The panel of piles is supported by guide frames and driven gradually in sequence, sometimes in a staggered manner. The method can achieve installations of longer piles in more difficult ground conditions with better results in sheet pile alignment and verticality. In cases of difficult ground conditions such as hard strata and the presence of obstructions, driving assistance is employed along with a proper selection of driving method and equipment. Jetting and drilling help by loosening or eliminating obstructions by creating pressure right under the tip of the sheet pile being driven. Long and slender PVC sheet piles require steel mandrels as supports when driven in such conditions. Mandrel, which shape is similar to sheet pile profiles, increases the rigidity of Plastic Sheet Pile and supports the weight of the driving equipment such as a vibro-hammer.

What is the proper machine to drive piles in different conditions?

Impact driving is suitable for all soil types but appears to create the highest degree of stress to sheet piles. It is more appropriate to cohesive soils and soft soils such as silts and peats, loose medium to coarse sand, and gravels free of rock inclusions. Drop hammers such as the hydraulic hammer are the common types of impact-driving machinery. Driving using vibratory hammers is ideal for non-cohesive or granular soils such as soft soils and round-grained sand or gravel. It has also shown satisfactory performance in sandy, silty, or softer clay soils. It is less effective in angular-grained materials and soils with a firm consistency. With the introduction of vibration, however, the sub-soil can be further compacted, increasing penetration resistance and ultimately-refusal. If this is the case, driving aids like jetting and drilling might be necessary.

What are the pvc sheet pile selection criteria for soil condition of different hardness?

General rule of the thumb: “the harder the soil, the stronger and stiffer sheet pile section should be used”. Driveability of a pile section is a consequence of its cross-sectional properties (thickness, depth, and width), designed shape, length, grade, and the applied load. Hardness of soil strata characterized by SPT or CPT values is used to predict soil resistance which is essential in the calculation of driving force to be applied. Knowing the range of force from the selected driving machine, corresponding sheet pile sections can be picked according to their yield strength and elastic modulus.

How should I choose a sheet pile section for soils with, say, SPT Value, N=30? Can I still consider using vinyl or shift to steel?

Every sheet pile material has a design purpose, strengths, and areas of improvement. The availability of different materials denotes the need for a special material for a specific application. Plastic or synthetic sheet piles for example are known for being light and corrosion-resistant; Steel sheet piles are recognized for their extraordinary strength and versatility; and so on.

Structural Steel Applications in Marine Construction

Structural steel has a wide variety of applications in the construction industry. It is one of the most used materials for building various structures. Likewise, structural steel also has a wide range of technical/engineering specifications, such as yield strength, ultimate strength, and ductility.

WHAT IS STRUCTURAL STEEL?

Structural steel is a type of construction material that can be formed into various shapes, depending on the intended use in a particular project. Examples of standard shapes for steel sections are pipes, tubes, angles, channels, and wide flange sections. These shapes can be used for different parts of a structural framing, such as beams, girders, purlins, and columns.

There are also different methodologies on how to create the previously mentioned steel sections. Two of these methods are hot-rolled, and built-up sections. Hot-rolled sections refer to structural steel being rolled from the mill in a monolithic manner. Built-up sections on the other hand are structural sections that can be formed into the specified shape by welding steel plates together.

Some of the commonly used shapes for structural steel shall be discussed in the succeeding sections.

STEEL PIPES

In marine construction, steel pipes are usually used as infill elements for a sheet pile wall. In between two sheet pile panels, a pipe is installed to provide a higher section modulus, which provides better resistance against lateral loads being applied to the wall during its useful life.

Steel pipes can also be used as foundation elements for wharf and pier structures. These pipes are driven to the ground until it reaches a competent subsurface layer to provide adequate support to these offshore structures.

STEEL H and W SECTIONS

offshore foundation piling using steel pipes and wide flange beams

Similar to steel pipes, wide-flange (W) and H sections can be used for offshore/marine applications. Most of the time, these shapes can be designated as beam and girder elements of a bridge framing system. These serve as main flexural members of the bridge and shall resist various gravity and lateral loads such as traffic loads, earthquake, and wind loads. W and H steel sections are also used as walers for retaining wall structures. Interconnected walers act as a continuous beam to evenly distribute forces from the sheet piles to the steel struts.

W and H sections are effective as beam elements due to its shape: the flanges contribute to high section modulus values, while having a reduced mass per unit length as compared to other structural shapes.

STEEL SHEET PILES

Steel sheet piles are commonly used in offshore applications as a water-retaining and earth-retaining structures. Offshore construction such as cofferdams, jetties, and quay walls often require steel sheet piles to form the wall components. Like steel pipe piles, sheet piles are driven into the ground at its most optimum design depth to provide overall stability of the structure. Sheet piles are connected using steel interlocks at its ends to form a continuous wall. The interlocks are then applied with a sealant to prevent any water seepage when the sheet piles are installed at the sea.

OTHER STRUCTURAL STEEL APPLICATIONS

fabricated steel pipes for the wastewater treatment plant project

There are other structural steel shapes/sections that can be fabricated, as necessary. For special structures, non-standard shapes are usually required by the structural engineer to satisfy the desired flexural and shear capacity of the structure.

ESC Steel is a leading global supplier of fabricated structural steel sections. The capabilities of the in-house engineers and other technical professionals have led the company to working on a wide range of steel construction projects in a global scale.

Should you need structural steel for marine construction, or anything else, click here to get in touch with us today. We are always happy to help.

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