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.

Strengths of Hot-Rolled and Cold-Formed Steel Sheet Pile

Jan 26, 2021
3 min read

Updated: Jun 22

Hot-rolled and cold-formed steel sheet piles may differ in some characteristics as finish products, but both have proven their worth against the test of time and circumstances. Both products have been serving the construction industry for a very long time.

Hot-rolled sheet piles were available over a century ago as flat profiles before evolving to U-shape then the Z-shape that we are familiar of. Cold-formed sheet piles were introduced in the 1970s - that is, about 50 years in service, a more than valid reason not to doubt their integrity and design. In addition, hot-rolled and cold-formed sheet piles have identical physical and mechanical properties and are both highly recyclable.

What makes them different, of course, is the process by which they are manufactured. Hot-rolled steel sheet piles are produced by heating solid steel or pre-rolled steel at temperatures of over 1,200⁰C °C and shaping them into desired profiles without delay. Cold-rolled steel sheet piles also employ heating to form steel coils, but are later left to cool and fed through mills that form them into sections.

Although both products are believed to be instrumental in delivering successful projects, gathered data has defined the clear advantage of each as follows:

Hot-rolled Steel Sheet Pile:

Interlocks are more durable, allowing multiple driving and pulling out before they wear out. Larssen interlock appears to be the tightest.
The interlocks are designed to be thicker and proven tighter than that of cold-rolled sheet pile. This makes them suitable for pile driving in tough ground conditions such as hard soil strata.
Because of the tight fit of interlocks, the hot-rolled sheet pile wall has better performance against water seepage.

It comes out that the major, if not the sole advantage, of hot-rolled sheet pile is its interlock.

Cold-formed Steel Sheet Pile

Cold-formed sheet piles can be cheaper due to their economical yet efficient production process and lower labor cost. They are lighter than hot-rolled profiles, making them cheaper and easier to transport.
Because of looser interlocks, they are favored by some users for temporary use because of easy retrieval.
Cold-rolled sheet piles are more readily available. Worldwide, millers producing cold-formed sheet piles greatly outnumber millers producing hot-rolled sheet piles. This gives customers shorter lead times and faster material delivery due to the closer proximity of sources.
While most millers produce hot-rolled steel sheet piles in lengths up to 60ft, the cold-formed series provides a wide range of sizes and sections that allow customers to find the closest, if not the exact, sheet pile unit that satisfies their design requirement. Cold-formed steel sheet piles can be produced to any specific length up to over 100ft.
Cold-formed interlocks permit up to 25 degrees. This flexibility in alignment gives cold-formed sheet piles the advantage when repositioning is necessary, say, because of an underlying obstruction.

ESC Steel has one of the widest ranges of steel sheet piles: with over 15 seriesand over 400 profiles in hot rolled sheet piles, cold rolled sheet piles, and cold formed sheet piles in various steel grades and production standards.

ESC sheet piles have withstood the test of time all around the world with over 25 years of experience on all continents, including Antarctica. These factors, combined with a strong commitment to delivery timelines and repeated customer satisfaction, make ESC the preferred supplier for Sheet Piles globally. Applications include port and harbor structures, river revetments, retaining walls, cutoff walls, slope protection, and cofferdams.

For your assistance, please contact us, visit our website https://www.escsteel.com/, or email us at info@escsteel.com