Sheet piling is a retaining system comprising of overlapping sections of sheet piles formed from varying gauges and strengths of uniform steel sheeting. Consideration is given to the loads required to be accommodated with the sheet piles either being installed as a cantilever to reinforce excavated sites or more commonly anchor supports will be utilised.
Sheet piling is commonly used to retain boundary walls during construction in situations where the adjacent buildings are deemed tolerant to the vibration that will occur during the installation process.
Installation of the sheet piles are undertaken using a method of high frequency vibration conveyed through the drive head configuration of either an excavator mast or crane. Sheet piling can be incorporated into the design of a project to be a sacrificial or permanent element of construction and is able to penetrate depths of up to approximately 16 metres depending of the geotechnical conditions of the site.
Ground anchors are used throughout the installation process to restrain the sheet piles forming a barrier wall as the excavation progresses. Due to the range of rigs available for the installation of sheet piling, it lends itself to a broad spectrum of development applications from small residential to large commercial and civil projects
2010-7-15