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What is sheet piling? Sheet piles are sections of sheets of Steel or PVC with interlocking edges that are driven into the ground to provide earth retention and excavation support. Vibratory hammers are usually used to install sheet piles, and Impact hammers can be used if soils are too hard/dense.
On building projects sheet piling is often adopted to provide temporary retention for construction of basement. On civil projects sheet piling is commonly used for riverbank protection, seawalls, cofferdams etc.
Value of sheet piles to a project is great dur to the ability to use and re-use them. This sets them apart from other retention/shoring techniques. PVC sheet piles are a cost effective alternative to Steel sheets if requirement is in permanent works.
Why PVC sheet piles? These are most durable synthetic pile products in the world. PVC is the material of choice when environmental factors require that sheet pile wall structures will not rot, decay, rust, or spall. PVC sheet piles are specifically designed to replace the conventional sheet piles.
Durable: In corrosive environments, PVC is protecting your assets as wood rots, concrete spalls, and steel rusts. Based on independent testing and analysis, PVC walls can last 75+ years when properly designed and installed. You do not need any other equipment for installation of these sheet piles. PVC Sheet piles can be driven with vibratory hammers
Attractive: By using an attractive graphite Gray colour, sheet piling blends perfectly with marine applications, while custom colour matching colours can create a million-dollar look for your project.
Applications of sheet piles:
Popular equipment that you can use for driving sheet piles:
Vibratory Hammers: Vibratory hammers are highly effective for sheet pile driving in soft and granular soils. Their unique feature lies in harnessing vibrational energy through eccentric weights or hydraulic motors, creating high-frequency vibrations that reduce friction during penetration. Resonance Free Vibratory hammers can be used in urban areas because of their ability to minimize soil disturbance and noise. This characteristic of RF hammers make them invaluable in urban settings or projects adhering to strict environmental regulations. The rapid installation in specific soil types further enhances their appeal for efficient and eco-friendly sheet pile driving, especially where minimizing environmental impact is important.
Vibratory Hammers can be a. Crane suspended or b. Excavator mounted
Crane Suspended: Crane Suspended Vibro hammers are more powerful as they get their power from a dedicated powerpack and allow you to drive sheet piles to a depth of even upto 35-40m. This set up is more expensive as you will need a crane with double winch, a vibro with a powerpack and a team of crew for operation of this set up. If you need to drive sheet piles deeper and in hard soils, this is the set up you need to choose.
Excavator Mounted: These Hammers have evolved drastically over the years and now you can get the one with tilting mechanism to hold, lift and drive sheet piles in a single operation. If you need to drive upto 8m, you can opt for a unit suitable for a 20T excavator. 30T & 40T excavators with gooseneck extensions or Vibro boom attachment can allow you to drive sheet piles upto a depth of 14-16m. Excavator mounted set ups are cheaper in both investment and operating costs. They are more popular all over the globe due to their ease and speed of operation.
Side Grip hammers: You can opt for excavator mounted side grip vibro hammers if you have space constraints. For e.g. if you need to drive sheet piles under a bridge / flyover, you cannot use a crane of a large excavator. Here you can use a side grip mounted on a 20T or 30T excavator to drive even upto 14m sheet piles.
Impact Hammers: Impact hammers are characterized by a striking mechanism where ram weight of the hammer drops on the sheet piles with gravity. It is pulled up with hydraulic force and dropped repeatedly with concentrated impact energy driving the sheets into the ground. Their key feature lies in high driving efficiency, making them suitable for a harder soil conditions. The robust construction and adaptability of impact hammers contribute to their reliability in diverse construction scenarios. Whether facing challenging ground conditions or requiring versatility in soil types, impact hammers emerge as an effective and dependable solution for sheet pile driving. Impact hammers are also useful if you need to drive deeper sheet piles.
Impact hammers can be Hydraulic, Pneumatic or Diesel. However, diesel hammers are no longer preferred due to their high pollution and pneumatic hammers are not as powerful or efficient as their hydraulic counterparts.
Hydraulic Pile Pressing machines: Also known as silent piler or still worker, these machines use reactionary force to press the sheet piles silently without any noise or vibrations. The most expensive set up of all, these equipment are used wherever environmental disturbances are prohibited like in eco sensitive marine areas, dense urban locations etc.
Suretech Infrastructure Pvt Ltd have specialised in pile driving equipment for over 30 years, for installing all types of temporary and permanent sheet piles & casings. Suretech has a wealth of experience in helping you to select the equipment most suitable for your project & value engineered solution no matter the scale or complexity of the project. Our product quality and product support are second to none in India.
