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.

Jul 6, 20212 min read

Types and Applications of Sheet Pile Connectors

Updated: Aug 20, 2021

Sheet Pile Connectors, one of the most crucial part of a sheet pile is its connector or interlock.

Sheet pile walls or sections greatly depends on the performance of its connectors in becoming an effective full support system. The clutch shall allow on uniform load distribution to form a wall system, rather than individual piece of single pile effect alone.

Sheet pile connectors makes the whole support system rigid and durable yet become critical in resisting heavy loadings in long spans in ensuring that the wall stands firm and does not yield.

Applications Since the 1900s, sheet piles have been widely used for most of the construction project across the globe not just because of its strength to resist, but also of its versatility and convenience. With that, it is popularly used as a retaining wall, flood protection, bulkhead and seepage wall.

In addition, it can also be used as basement walls and as a marine protection, commonly being used for ship berthing structures in ports and harbors for mooring vessels. Different types of sheet piles are required on the structurally analyzed structures, it may require permanent sheet piles as it will take time to penetrate soils, that’s when contractors purposely install them by driving or jetting them into the soil, to make the planting of sheet piles quick and easy.

Classification of Sheet Pile Connectors When it comes to sheet pile connectors, there are two broad categories, extruded connectors and fabricated connectors. Here is a look at each of them:

Extruded Connectors

These types of connectors are designed in one solid piece and they corrode not as much as its counterpart. Extruded Connectors are manufactured for flat and Z-section sheet piles.

And as our Engineers becoming more innovative, the sheet pile connector market now has a 90-degree sheet pile connector or other, and with more options that are available makes it easy to implement in almost every situation in the construction trade.

Fabricated Connectors

These types of connectors are welded together with the angles, plates and interlock tips. These allows the manufacturers and customers to modify, arrange and design the connectors into various corners and angles. Fabricated connectors can be used for flat and z-section sheet piles also.

Connectors can also be classified as hot-rolled or cold-formed. Hot-rolled connectors can be used in various configurations including interlocking with non-ESC sheet piles. They include ESC-6E, ESC-6J, ESC-9E, ESC-9J, ESC-9HJ and ESC-10HJ connectors. Cold-formed connectors on the other hand interlock with ESC’s range of ESC-CRZ and ESC-CRU series sheet piles. They are available in a wide range of steel grades and shapes.