An embedded or sheet pile wall obtains its soil retaining function from the soil pressure, combined with or without an anchoring system, and from the resistance of the wall against the bending moments and transverse forces. Steel piles are supplied as single, double and triple sheet piles, with U, H, or Z sections. The sheet piles are connected to each other by interlocks. To obtain double or triple sheet piles these are joined by means of punching or by intermittent welding. Steel sheet piling is suitable for quay walls with a high retaining height and heavy surcharge loads. If even heavier structures are needed, these can be constructed from various types of combined walls.
We install sheet piles from land or water base, depending on the project. The installation method for sheet piles or combi piles depends on the local conditions. Commonly used methods include:
Large diameter open tubular piles owe their properties to their shape. The large diameter provides the high bending stiffness. The tubular piles are installed without base plate and both the inside and outside areas as well as the pile annulus contribute to the pile’s bearing capacity.
Gulf Foundation has various techniques for installing tubular piles. We have the equipment to install these open tubular piles on land and in water. Piles are generally driven initially using a vibratory hammer after positioning on the installation point, and then driven the remaining depth with a hydraulic hammer or diesel hammer. We can install open tubular piles with a leader frame or with a pile guide.
When the seabed consists of hard material a gravity wall is often an economical solution for a quay wall. The most common type of gravity wall in the Gulf region is the precast concrete block wall, which consists of unreinforced concrete blocks, placed on top of each other. The blocks are placed from the water side on a foundation consisting of gravel or crushed stone. After placing, the blocks are covered by a concrete capping block that is cast in situ. The large weight of the blocks makes this type of structure appropriate for very hard subsoils with high bearing properties. Block walls are characterized by horizontal and vertical joints. These provide good drainage properties, so that water overpressure behind the walls is limited. However, this means that to prevent the leakage of soil it is necessary to have a good filter structure behind the walls. This filter structure consists of a sufficiently thick filling of rock fill material with good filter properties.