Steel Sheet Pile Walls Research Articles

Centrifuge and theoretical study of the seismic response of anchored steel sheet pile walls in dry sand

Displacement-based approaches have been proven to be effective for the seismic design of gravity retaining structures. However, application of these methods to embedded flexible walls, such as anchored steel sheet pile (ASSP) walls, is still an open issue, as the factors affecting the accumulation of permanent displacements of these systems are not fully understood. This paper presents the results of four dynamic centrifuge tests on small-scale models of ASSP walls in uniform dry sand. The experimental results showed that ASSP walls can experience different failure mechanisms depending on their geometry and on the magnitude of accumulated displacements. During the earthquake, the system exhibits an overall increase of its seismic capacity, caused by: (a) progressive mobilisation of the soil passive strength; (b) sand densification; (c) rotation of the walls; and (d) reduction of the retained height. Accounting for these effects in pseudo-static limit equilibrium solutions improved the predictions of both the critical failure mechanism and the maximum internal forces in the structural members. Moreover, it allowed development of an efficient analytical tool for the prediction of the seismic permanent displacements of these systems, based on Newmark's sliding block approach.

Parametric Studies for Steel Sheet Pile Wall Using GE05FINE

Abstract: Based on the site conditions and lateral earth pressure of soil plays important role in the selection of sheet pile wall. In the present day different types of sheet pile wall present in the market like as steel sheet pile wall , concrete sheet pile wall and timber etc. Concrete sheet pile walls are common in use. Modification in the properties of the concrete sheet piles is easier making it more economical as the utility of the section can be considerably increased according to projects requirement. Sheet pile wall deformation is dependent on the materials properties. Consequently, it is essential to research how different material types and properties affect the deformation and stress distribution of cantilever concrete sheet pile walls. A parametric analysis was carried out numerically using a case study that makes use of a base model to determine how long a sheet pile wall should be at the bottom of an embankment with various material types for ditch with a depth of 3m, 5m and 7m.to safeguard and improve the stability of the embankment , a sheet pile wall was temporarily constructed near the toe of the embankment. Analysing simulation data was completed with the aid of GE05FINE. The analysis findings revealed that when subjected to the same loading situation, bending moment and shear force varies with the material properties. Therefore, it is wise to carefully select the sheet pile wall materials in accordance with the projects requirements.

Parametric Studies for Concrete Sheet Pile Wall Using GE05FINE

Abstract: Based on the site conditions and lateral earth pressure of soil plays important role in the selection of sheet pile wall. In the present day different types of sheet pile wall present in the market like as steel sheet pile wall , concrete sheet pile wall and timber etc. Concrete sheet pile walls are common in use. Modification in the properties of the concrete sheet piles is easier making it more economical as the utility of the section can be considerably increased according to projects requirement. Sheet pile wall deformation is dependent on the materials properties. Consequently, it is essential to research how different material types and properties affect the deformation and stress distribution of cantilever concrete sheet pile walls. A parametric analysis was carried out numerically using a case study that makes use of a base model to determine how long a sheet pile wall should be at the bottom of an embankment with various material types for ditch with a depth of 3m, 5m and 7m.to safeguard and improve the stability of the embankment , a sheet pile wall was temporarily constructed near the toe of the embankment. Analysing simulation data was completed with the aid of GE05FINE. The analysis findings revealed that when subjected to the same loading situation, bending moment and shear force varies with the material properties. Therefore, it is wise to carefully select the sheet pile wall materials in accordance with the projects requirements.

Efficient numerical algorithms for assessing the mechanical performance of corroded offshore steel sheet piles

Deterioration of offshore steel sheet pile walls subjected to corrosion may significantly affect the structural performance under serviceability and failure. Most steel corrosion studies focused on the mechanism of reflecting the actual corrosion situations to establish a relatively realistic corrosion model. The mechanical performances of the material loss phenomenon in the offshore steel sheet piles are useful for assessing their in-service and life cycle conditions. In this paper, the general power corrosion model is adopted to reflect the changes in the material and section properties of the pile and combine with the p-y curve method to formulate a new pile element to consider the corrosion effect. The Updated-Lagrangian (UL) method and the newly-developed element formulations are integrated into a modified Newton-Raphson method to eliminate the repetitive modelling process when considering the varied mechanical properties under different corrosion levels. After verifying the accuracy of the present numerical method, parametric studies have been considered to explore the effects of the changes of the annual corrosion rates and the trends of corrosion progress on the offshore steel sheet piles. The annual corrosion rate in the immersion zone plays an important role in the mechanical performance of offshore structures in a marine environment.

ELEMENT UP TO STRUCTURE MODELING WALL SHEET PILE WITH STEEL STRUTTING REINFORCEMENT IN FOUNDATION EXCUREMENT

<p>Evaluation modelling of the OT-22 steel sheet pile wall with type H-350 steel strutting reinforcement in the excavation for the foundation structure with a depth of 7.50 meters was carried out to get the value of the safety factor and wall stability. The evaluation stages include subgrade investigation using the SPT method, data collection of profile steel properties used, interpretation of soil data, staged-construction modeling using the Finite Element Method (FEM) computer application, and analysis of modeling results. From the research that has been done, the value of maximum bending moment (M<sub>max</sub>) is 223.8 kNm/m', the magnitude of the axial force that occurs in the strut members is 22.51 kN, 121.91 kN, and 66.10 kN respectively. The value of maximum lateral displacement (U<sub>x</sub>) is 62.4 mm. From these results, it can be concluded that the lateral displacement (U<sub>x</sub>) that occurs is much larger than allowable displacement (U<sub>all</sub>) 39 mm. Thus, it is necessary to modify the existing sheet pile wall system, such as to change the dimensions of the steel sheet pile, changing the dimensions of the steel strutting, or changing the distance of the steel strutting.</p>

A numerical assessment of jetty side support system

Steel sheet piles are amongst the most common kinds of quay walls used in the construction of port and harbor facilities. These are used most often for the birth of small crafts that have limited dimensions and capacity. An increasing number of berths require upgrades because of the growing market in marine traffic around the world, as well as continuously increasing dimensions and vessel capacities. A number of methods can be used to increase the steel sheet pile wall’s load-carrying capacity, including the use of double sheets with intermediate tie rods. This case study aims to evaluate the use of PLAXIS 3D to check system safety and to ensure sufficient capacity to withstand seismic design forces.

A Novel Approach to Use Soil-Cement Piles for Steel Sheet Pile Walls in Deep Excavations

In recent years, owing to advances in technology, excavation pits have shown increased improvements. Taking advantage of advanced solutions combined with traditional ones has brought about considerable advantages for construction contractors and saves on expenses to carry out construction projects. Owing to their ability to analyze geotechnical problems, several calculation and simulation software, such as Plaxis, Bentley, along with many others, have grown in popularity. Among them, Midas is one such software, which is a set of solutions developed by the MIDAS IT company and is widely applied in many constructions. The authors evaluated the ability to use Midas software to calculate the stability of a wall in a deep excavation pit for the Ho Chi Minh City Water Environment Improvement Project. The results of these researches reveal that combining soil-cement piles and steel sheet piles decreases the internal forces in sheet steel pile walls. At the same time, this solution not only reduces horizontal displacement but also keeps the settlement of the soil around the excavation pit within the permissible range, which helps to ensure that the adjacent pavements are stable and will not crack. The results of this study can be applied to similar geological constructions.

Improved Method for the Seismic Design of Anchored Steel Sheet Pile Walls

This paper describes a new pseudostatic approach for an efficient seismic design of anchored steel sheet pile (ASSP) walls supported by shallow passive anchorages. As for other retaining structures, energy dissipation during strong earthquakes leading to reduced inertia forces can be achieved by allowing the activation of ductile plastic mechanisms. To this end, a robust method is required to identify all the possible yielding mechanisms and to guarantee the desired strength hierarchy. It is shown that dissipative mechanisms for ASSP walls correspond either to the local attainment of the soil shear strength in the supporting soil and around the anchor, or in the activation of a log-spiral global failure surface. A new limit equilibrium method is proposed to compute the critical acceleration of the system, corresponding to the actual mobilization of its strength, and the maximum internal forces in the structural members. Theoretical findings are validated against both existing dynamic centrifuge data and the results of original pseudostatic and fully dynamic numerical analyses.

Corrosion Rate Estimation in Steel Sheet Pile Walls - Comparison between Empirical Models and Eurocode 3, Part 5

Steel sheet pile wall corrosion in soils and water is a complex phenomenon. The deterioration of these structures is costly and difficult to predict. The aim of this paper was to deal some empirical corrosion models which are analyzed and compared to Eurocode 3, Part 5 to estimate corrosion rate and the loss of thickness of anchored steel sheet pile wall. The results show that care should be taken to ensure that the maximum bending moments do not occur at the same level as the main corrosion zones. Furthermore, it is possible to define an upper and a lower bound, corresponding respectively to the presence of sea water in low water and the undisturbed natural soils, in order to predict the loss of thickness due to corrosion.

Transforming tomorrow with innovative steel solutions for flood protection

AbstractThis article describes innovative steel sheet pile solutions to protect urban areas from floodings. Recent examples, like the successful protection of the Weser Stadium in Bremen against storm surge Axel in 2017, demonstrate that steel sheet pile walls are fast to implement and fit for purpose during a hazardous event. In addition, steel sheet piles, as construction product, are a major actor in the circular economy. It's because they can be re‐used up to 10 times, and later recycled into new steel products. Finally, a method to evaluate water discharge through steel sheet pile walls is presented and reworked with examples for practical application.

Deep excavation in urban areas – defects of surrounding buildings at various stages of construction

Deep excavation and tunnelling works in city centres always bring some risks to surrounding structures, especially in the case of old town centres, where the technical condition and structural stiffness of historical buildings is rather doubtful. When the new desired excavation depth goes deeper than the foundation of the surrounding buildings or when tunnelling works are conducted directly under them, the existing objects are subject to stress, vibrations and displacements imposed at almost every stage of building the new construction. The presented paper outlines, on the basis of the authors’ experience, the typical damages appearing during the supporting wall construction (sheet pile driving, piling and formation of diaphragm walls) and tunnelling works. Other damages appear due to soil mass unloading (caused by excavation stages) and horizontal loading during pre-stressing of struts or ground anchors. The selected case studies of steel sheet pile wall installation is given with regard to typical failures caused by an unplanned excavation and its impact on neighbouring structures.

Analysis of Flexible Anchored Hollow WPC Quay Walls of the New Berth in Tur, Egypt

A seawall, also known as a bulkhead or retaining wall, is a structure built to reduce the effects of strong waves and to defend costal land from erosion. Traditionally, seawalls are made of steel, timber or concrete construction. Composite materials, however, have been recently introduced for their ease of installation/maintenance in dry processing, low cost, and environmentally friendly materials. A wood plastic composite (WPC) seawall system has been developed and patented for its unique hollow structure that can give greater stiffness and stability under various external stresses. This paper describes the development of design method used in the analysis of the WPC walls. The main challenge during the physical excavation works is to limit the deformations involved in order to minimize damage on adjacent structures. The deformations depend largely on the excavation and strutting procedures, but also on the properties of the structural elements like the soil, the sheet pile and strutting members. The detailed design procedure involves numerical analyses, national regulations and common practice considerations. The contribution of finite element method in this field was used herein to determine the lateral movements, the bending moments of the wall, the passive earth pressure of the soil and the tensile force exerted by the anchor rods. The overall objectives of this research can be divided into two categories, First calibration of the finite element model for the new Tur quay walls (the case study) and reviewing the results of the steel cross section that chosen and the suggested one. Second, analysis and comparing the results of WPC cross-sections with the designed Steel sheet pile wall (SPW).

Seismic analysis of tall anchored sheet-pile walls

The state of practice in designing of anchored steel sheet-pile (SSP) walls for strong earthquake shaking in non-liquefiable ground is reviewed, prior to investigating the performance of a typical quay-wall with a free height of 18m, embedded into relatively dense sandy “foundation” soil. Supporting moderately dense silty sand, the SSP wall is subjected to seismic motions of various intensities with respect to the PGA at the rock-outcrop level, namely 0.15g, 0.30g, and 0.50g. The long-established simplified design methods of (i) pseudo-static limit equilibrium (pLEM) and (ii) beam-on-Winkler-foundation (BWF), in conjunction with the Mononobe-Okabe (MO) method, are shown to lead to results for bending moments that in some cases are larger than, but in other cases quite similar to, those computed with two commercially available finite element (FE) codes, ABAQUS and PLAXIS. The pLEM neglects the effect of the anchor on the distribution of earth pressures on the wall, while at the same time the predetermined MO actions and reactions do not take advantage of the arching in the backfill due to the wall flexure. In contrast, the numerical FE analyses can capture well the physical phenomena of this complex interaction problem leading to reliable results, although the computed deflection of the wall is quite sensitive to the soil constitutive model. The hydrodynamic effects on the seaward side of the wall are shown to have a small effect on the wall performance, contrary to the pseudo-statically applied Westergaard pressures which exaggerate the effect.

Analysis of the Vibration Propagation Induced by Pulling out of Sheet Pile Wall in a Close Neighbourhood of Existing Buildings

The paper presents the results of research involving the measurement of vibration acceleration generated during the extraction of elements of sheet pile wall. The study was conducted at four measurement points in three mutually perpendicular directions. Three measurement points were located on the ground, the fourth point was taken on the wall of the building. The analysis of evaluation of the influence of vibration transmitted to the building were also conducted. It was confirmed that the vibration monitoring is necessary in the initial phase of work associated not only with the hammering of steel sheet pile walls but also in the process of dismantling.

Behavior of braced excavation supported by panels of deep mixing columns

This paper describes the instrumentation, execution and performance of two full-scale tests where a braced steel sheet pile wall interacting with rows of overlapping dry deep mixing columns was excavated and then loaded to failure. The purpose of these tests was to provide knowledge of the behavior of deep mixing column rows located in the passive zone and interacting with a retaining structure. Both tests were extensively instrumented on the active as well as on the passive side of the retaining structure. In both conducted tests a stability failure of the retaining structure occurred, resulting in heave at the bottom of the excavation and large settlements of the ground surface behind the sheet pile wall. For a spacing between lime-cement (LC)-panels of 3.0 m, a very brittle failure developed suddenly in the clay between the panels with small deformations prior to failure. In the second test, with a spacing of 1.5 m between LC-panels, the failure developed in the LC-panels as well as in the clay between the panels. Even if a similar failure mechanism developed, measured horizontal displacements, horizontal stresses, and pore pressure response prior to failure differed between the tests.

Precast Concrete Soldier Pile System with Corrugated Section Post for Riverbank Protection

Gabions, rubble stone walls, L-shape concrete retaining wall and revetments are commonly used for riverbank protection against base scouring and soil slope erosion. These conventional solutions for low retaining wall structures are relatively cheap and easy to execute. However, they are proven not lasting with high maintenance costs. Although steel sheetpile walls are structures with better performance for slope stabilization purpose, they are very expensive to build and maintain against corrosion. To address the problem, a new precast concrete soldier pile wall system was developed to provide a permanent and relatively economical solution with several innovative features. The system is comprised of a series of precast posts driven to the predetermined depth and secondary precast lagging elements secured between posts to support the retained earths. The structural capacity that resists lateral load is derived from passive earth pressure mobilized in front the embedded body to toe of the posts. The lagging elements are installed at 0.5m to 1.0m below the river invert levels to provide protection against base scouring. The precast posts and laggings take the efficient structural shape of corrugated section. They are jointed with a specially designed tongue and groove (T&G) slots to facilitate installation. A pilot project where such innovative solution is presented.

Corrosion rate measurements in steel sheet pile walls in a marine environment

Corrosion of steel structures in the marine environment is a major problem. The deterioration of this kind of structures is costly and difficult to predict both when designing new structures and when estimating the remaining service life time for existing structures. The aim of this investigation was to find indicative values for the corrosion rate of steel sheet piles on the Swedish west coast. Such corrosion rates (mm/year) can be used both when designing new structures by oversizing the steel thickness and when estimating the bearing capacity of existing sheet pile structures. Earlier investigations on the corrosion rates along the Swedish east coast – with salinity from about 0.2% to 0.8% – are still used today as guidelines for the corrosion rate of all steel structures in the Swedish maritime environment even though the salinity on the west coast can be as high as 3.0%.Steel sheet pile wharfs located in the port of Halmstad on the Swedish west coast were inspected by ultrasonic measurements. Three wharf structures with a total length of about 700 m were inspected. None of the inspected wharfs had or have had cathodic protection. The thickness measurements of the steel sheet pile structures were performed by divers.The age of the three inspected sheet pile structures ranged from 36 to 51 years. The dimensions of the original sheet pile sections are known. One of the quay structures is located along a river. The salinity at all wharfs varied from low values at the surface to approx. 2% at the bottom (also in the river outflow).The measured average corrosion rates were in the same order as the design values in the European code. However, the results indicate increased corrosion rates about 1 m below the mean water surface and at the level of the propellers from the ships berthing the most frequented of the inspected wharfs, 3–6 m below water surface.The tolerances of steel sheet thicknesses – usually in the order of ±6% – are often neglected when investigating the remaining thickness in steel sheet piles. A simple calculation model shows that the sheet pile must be almost 50 years of age before an accurate estimation on the corrosion rate can be made, considering the tolerances, if the true original sheet pile thickness is not known.

Validating and Improving Models for Vibratory Installation of Steel Sheet Piles with Field Observations

Vibratory driving is the most common installation technique for steel sheet pile walls. In practice, the assessment of the feasibility of this installation process is mainly based on rules of thumb, on numerical and empirical models or on experts opinions. In order to improve these prediction methods and formulas, 252 observations from the Dutch engineering practice have been compared with six different types of models. This comparison has been carried out applying the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve technique, which is new in geotechnical engineering. This paper introduces the ROC-curve technique to estimate mainly the quality of a model and to be able to optimize parameters and variables in the model. 252 field observations were used to re-examine prediction methods for the minimum required vibration force and to prove the ROC method works. The paper shows this technique is suitable for three purposes: (1) determining the quality of a model, (2) objectively comparing several models to each other, given certain assumptions and (3) for optimizing thresholds within a model. The model with added professionals’ experience proves to perform equally well as the numerical model Hypervib-I.

Eurocode reduction factors for U-profile sheet pile walls

The standard BS EN 1993: Part 5 Steel piling (Eurocode 3) requires that in-plane bending effects and reduced modulus action (RMA) be considered where appropriate in the ultimate limit state (ULS) design of steel sheet pile (SSP) walls. Appropriate reduction factors are defined on a country by country basis in a national annex to the Eurocode. However, there are contradictory experiences in practice both between countries and with respect to experimental and theoretical evidence for such effects. Without challenging the actual values suggested for use, in this paper a simplified approach is used to assess the impact of section modulus and inertia reduction factors on the available section resistance and bending moments likely to be mobilised in the wall system. This assessment has been undertaken by comparing moment demand curves, generated from a suite of numerical analyses, with structural curves derived from a set of generic SSP sections, to which section modulus and inertia reduction factors, recommended by the Eurocode, have been applied. It is concluded that the effects of moment reduction due to wall system flexibility effects may, in many instances, either completely or partially compensate for reductions in moment resistance due to RMA or in-plane bending, although this will lead to the safety margin with respect to structural ULSs becoming ill defined. It is considered inappropriate to apply the modulus reduction factors in isolation, due to the strong interaction between wall system flexibility and the bending moment mobilised in SSP retaining walls.

Embodied Energy and Gas Emissions of Retaining Wall Structures

The embodied energy (EE) and gas emissions of four design alternatives for an embankment retaining wall system are analyzed for a hypothetical highway construction project. The airborne emissions considered are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), sulphur oxides (SOX), and nitrogen oxides (NOX). The process stages considered in this study are the initial materials production, transportation of construction machineries and materials, machinery operation during installation, and machinery depreciations. The objectives are (1) to determine whether there are statistically significant differences among the structural alternatives; (2) to understand the relative proportions of impacts for the process stages within each design; (3) to contextualize the impacts to other aspects in life by comparing the computed EE values to household energy consumption and car emission values; and (4) to examine the validity of the adopted EE as an environmental impact indicator through comparison with the amount of gas emissions. For the project considered in this study, the calculated results indicate that propped steel sheet pile wall and minipile wall systems have less embodied energy and gas emissions than cantilever steel tubular wall and secant concrete pile wall systems. The difference in CO2 emission for the retaining wall of 100 m length between the most and least environmentally preferable wall design is equivalent to an average 2.0 L family car being driven for 6.2 million miles (or 62 cars with a mileage of 10,000 miles/year for 10 years). The impacts in construction are generally notable and careful consideration and optimization of designs will reduce such impacts. The use of recycled steel or steel pile as reinforcement bar is effective in reducing the environmental impact. The embodied energy value of a given design is correlated to the amount of gas emissions.