Let’s start with Larssen sheet piles. Larssen set of sheet piles are famous and well known to civil engineers worldwide. Their reliability, versatility and strength in all types of condition as retaining structures has beenwell proven and documented many times over.
Here is a little bit of history of this famous sheet pile. In 1902, Mr Tryggve Larssen, State Chief Engineer at the City of Bremen in Germany, developed the world’s first steel sheet pile, which has U section with riveted interlocks. Thus this how the name of this sheet pile comes about.
Larssen U Section Sheet Pile
The interlocking idea on both sides of the sheet pile came about In 1914. This is still utilized all over the world as the most popular steel sheet pile section.
One of the oldest Larssen U pile is displayed at Giken Kochi Head Office to remind us of the historical background of U steel sheet pile. The picture below is a typical larssen sheet piles stacked together.
The interlocking system mentioned above can be seen from the photo on the left. On both the sides of the sheet piles have U shapes which can be used to interlock to another sheet pile.
The interlocking system creates a water tight and increase the strength the sheet pile structures. Be it cofferdams or earth retaining systems.
Here is a diagram thats show how interlocking is done