1

Design, execution and

monitoring of impervious steel
sheet pile walls embedded in
impermeable layers
Marc Widong, Luxembourg
Topics:
Theoretical aspects
Introduction
The concept of joint resistance versus Darcys law
Practical use of the concept of joint resistance
Formulation of unequivocal watertightness
requirements
Practical aspects
Some bad examples
Provisions to be made during driving to prevent
declutching
Declutching detection
The practical aspects of the sealing of interlocks
of steel sheet pile walls
Control measurement of the discharge through
sheet pile joints
Some good examples and case histories
Conclusions
Theoretical aspects
Introduction
Research project Grondmechanica Delft and
ProfilARBED, 1992
Goal: to give the engineer the possibility to adapt the
imperviousness of the steel sheet pile wall to
the requirements of the final structure
avoid uneconomic solutions
Two key areas:
Setting up a consistent theory to describe the leakage
steel sheet pile joints
In situ experimentation on steel sheet pile walls
The concept of joint resistance
For porous media like sand, concrete or
slurry walls DARCYS law is applicable:
v = filtration rate
K = coefficient of permeability
p / = difference in pressure height
s = length of filtration path
s
p
K v
/

=
The concept of joint resistance (continued)
What about sheet piling joints?
The kind of flow (pipe, potential,...) through the sheet
pile joint is not of porous media type
the Darcys law is not applicable for sheet
piling
Delft Geotechnics has introduced the
concept of Joint Resistance.
The concept of joint resistance (continued)
The concept of joint resistance (continued)
The discharge can be assumed proportional to the pressure
drop
q(z) proportional p(z)
q(z) = p(z) /
where:
q(z) : discharge per unit of the joint length at level z,
[m
3
/s/m]
p(z) : pressure drop at level z, [kPa]

-1
: joint resistance, [s/m] (for calculation is used; is
called the inverse joint joint resistance)
: unit weight of water [kN/m
3
]
Important:
All interlock properties are incased in which must be
determined from experiments
p
q
INTERLOCK GEOMETRY SOIL
SEALANT
DRIVING
METHOD
TYPE OF
PRODUCT
INSTALLATION
OF PRODUCT
VIBRATION
IMPACT
PANEL
PITCH & DRIVE
* More than 120 measurements made by Arcelor RPS
What is influencing in reality?
(RHO)
Can only be determined by measurements *
Practical use of the concept
q(z) : [m
3
/s/m]
: [m/s]
p(z) : [kN/m]
: [kN/m]
Example:
where p(z) = z, z H
H, H < Z H + h
and = 10 kN/m
Q
1
= H (0.5 H + h)
Number of interlocks (n): n = L / b
Total discharge: Q = n Q
1
Assumption: no water flow around the toe and
through the bottom layer

+ +
= =
h H
0
h H
0
1
dz p(z) ) / ( dz q(z) p Q
q(z) = p(z) /
Practical use of the concept (continued)
Practical use of the concept (continued)
Numerical example:
For a building pit with a SSP wall made of AZ 18,
b = 0.63 m, the perimeter length is L = 160 m.
H = 5 m and h = 2 m
r = 3.0 10
-10
m / s, using a waterswelling filler.
The number of interlocks:
n = 160 / 0.63 254
Discharge per joint:
Q1 = 3.0 10
-10
5.0 (0.5 5.0 + 2.0)
Q1 = 6.75 10
-9
m / s
Total discharge into the pit:
Q = 254 6.75 10
-9
m / s
Q = 6.17 l / h
Advantage of larger piles
AU (750 mm) compared to PU (600 mm) :
25 % reduced water flow
25 % reduction in costs
PU
5 x 600 = 3000 mm
AU
4 x 750 = 3000 mm
Practical aspects
The practical aspects of the sealing of interlocks
Topics:
The requirements regarding the level of
watertightness
The specific requirements for steel sheet
piling in watertight constructions
Design
Practical sealing aspects
Requirement Darcy Construction
Very strict
K 10
-10
m/s
- Waste disposals
- Containments
- Cut-off walls
Strict - Underground car parks
- Road tunnels
Less strict Railway tunnels
Low Temporary excavations
- without pumping
- with pumping
K = 10
-4
m/s
The requirements regarding the level
of watertightness
Range of variation of K (d = 1 m)
Practical aspects (continued)
Design
Practical use of
1. Choice of the sealer:
The following table helps the designer to make a
choice between the usually available sealing
methods:
- Bituminous filler
- Water-swelling filler
- Welding
2. How the concept helps to solve design problems
Practical aspects (continued)
Choice of the sealant
Type of sealant

[m/s]
Admissible
Waterheight
Degree of
difficulty
Cost Ratio *
No sealant 10
-6
-
-
0
Bituminous Filler 10
-7
6 10
-8
10 m Very easy
1
Water-swelling
Filler
25 m Precautions
necessary
2
Welding 0 Not relevant skilled people
(not always
possible)
5
3 5 10
-10
Cost of sealant
Cost of bituminous filler
* Cost ratio =
Table 1
Practical aspects (continued)
How the concept helps to solve design problems.
At design stage, the concept allows to solve
following problems:
When the sealing method is defined, the
calculation of discharge is easy
When the maximum seepage is limited, the
choice of the sealing method can be made
without difficulty
When a specific K/d [m/s] is required, /b may be
easily determined and the sealing method may
be specified
Formulation of unequivocal
watertightness requirements
The total flow into the building pit must be inferior
to 100 l/ h.
Or:
The wall must have the equivalent imperviousness
of a 1,3 m thick concrete wall with a permeability of
10
-8
m/s. Significant flows around the wall toe must
be avoided.
Or:
The wall must be constitued of steel sheet piles
having a minimum system width of a 0,6 m and a
maximum inverse joint resistance of 4,6 x 10
-9
m/s.
Significant flows around the pile toe must be
avoided by sufficient embedding into the impervious
layer.
Practical aspects
Some bad examples:
High discharge through a sheet pile wall
Declutching
High discharge through a sheet pile wall
High discharge through a sheet pile wall (continued)
Declutching
Practical aspects (continued)
Provisions to be made during driving
Driving methods
Proper driving, even if a little bit more expensive,
is essential to guarantee impervious walls.
The method which is normally used in
Continental Europe is the pitch and drive
method (each pile is driven to full depth before
pitching the next one)
This method can cause damages to the wall.
However allowed in most cases provided that the
sheet piles are well guided.
Other methods like panel driving or
staggered driving give better results
Panel driving
Staggered driving
Practical aspects (continued)
Driving guides
Purpose:
Keep the sheet piles in the correct horizontal and
vertical alignment
Better: 2 guides (one upper and one lower guide)
or a fixed leader and a lower guide
At least: 1 lower guide (better in combination
with a fixed leader)
Lower guide made out of 2 H-Beams
Lower guide for a
so-called Jagged-Wall
Practical aspects (continued)
Declutching detection
Purpose:
Checking by means of interlocking control detectors
whether sheet piles interlock properly or not
Where to use?
In critical structures and/or in difficult driving
conditions
Breaking pin
Approach switch
Approach switch
Approach switch
BITUMINOUS
PRODUCTS
WATER
SWELLING
PRODUCTS
WELDING OTHERS REPAIRING
VERTICAL SEALING
HORIZONTAL
SEALING
SEALING OF
STEEL SHEET PILES
Practical sealing aspects
Vertical Sealing
Bituminous products
=10
-7
6 10
-8
m/s (determined by tests)
Durability
Fresh water (ph : 3.5 11.5) : excellent
Sea water : excellent
Oil, fuel, gasoline low
Adherence on steel: excellent
Installation of the filler: t 140 150
easy
Driving: all methods
Economic
Installation of bituminous filler material
in the FREE pile interlock
Installation of bituminous filler material in the
INTERMEDIATE pile interlock
Installation of bituminous filler material
Installation of bituminous filler material
Water-swelling filler
=3 5x 10
-10
m/s (maximum test values)
Waterpressure < 25 m
Expansion
Urethane prepolymer with water-swelling property
Fresh water: 115%
Sea water: 90%
Leakage water of waste disposals
(Alkaline salts): 115%
Durability
Fresh water: excellent
Sea water: excellent
Mineral Oils: excellent
Gasoline, fuel etc.: excellent
Installation:
Preferably in the workshop with special tools
No water in the interlocks
Adherence on steel: excellent as long as no
swelling has occurred.
Water-swelling filler (continued)
Transportation, handling and storage
Secure double piles against sliding in the
intermediate interlock
Driving:
Impact, Vibrator, Press
Guides!
Lubrication of the interlocks
Cleaning tool
Temperature of steel < 130C
!! Interruption: max. 2-3 hours if product in
contact with water
more expensive than bitumen but still less than welding
Excellent results
Installation of the water-swelling filler
Installation of the water-swelling filler
Installation of the water-swelling filler
Installation of the water-swelling filler
Installation of the water-swelling filler
Expansion of water-swelling sealer in
threaded interlocks
Medium interlock U-piles
Medium interlock Z-piles
Welding
For extremely strict requirements
May be done in the workshop on the centre interlock of
double piles (more economic and better quality)
May be done on site but only when accessible
Precautions and procedure: see brochure.
Earth
Earth
Earth
Excavation
Excavation
Excavation
Watertightness
Welding of interlocks
Anchorage of AZ-piles
Eccentric anchorage of AZ-piles
Other sealing methods
Sheet pile wall in combination with cement bentonite
bentonite cement
penetration depth in
case of an impermeable
layer
impermeable
layer
steel sheet pile
Repairing
Criterions for the choice of the repair method:
Type of sealant
Location (Land/ Excavation side)
Interlock spacing
Moisture of the interlock
Water flow across the joint
Accessibility
Methods:
Welding
Mortising of
plastic joints
timber
(water-swelling) rubber in the interlock
spacing
Injection
Etc.
See table 2 on page 34 of Practical aspects
Repairing (continued)
Repairing (continued)
Horizontal sealing combined to vertical sealing
Occurs in :
Waste disposals
Underground car-parks
Tunnels
Etc. ...
Examples are illustrated in the brochure Practical aspects
Advantage
A good design and execution of this type of structure
gives excellent results with respect to watertightness.
Horizontal sealing combined to vertical sealing
1) sheet pile
2) steel sheet
(fixed by welding)
3) concrete subbase
4) studs
5) sealing membrane
fixed either
mechanically
or with adhesive
6) concrete protection
7) concrete base slab
1) sheet pile
2) steel sheet
(fixed by welding)
3) concrete subbase
4) studs
5) sealing membrane
fixed either
mechanically
or with adhesive
6) concrete protection
7) concrete base slab
Horizontal sealing combined to vertical sealing
1) sheet pile
2) steel sheet
(fixed by welding)
3) concrete subbase
4) studs
5) sealing membrane
fixed either
mechanically
or with adhesive
6) concrete protection
7) concrete base slab
Horizontal sealing combined to vertical sealing
Slab-sheet pile-connection
Studs
Sealed Floor
Connector
Block
Slab-sheet pile-connection
SHEET PILE
WL
WELDED SHEAR REINFORCEMENT
SEALING FOIL
CONNECTOR BLOCK
JOINT PLATE
REINFORCED
CONCRETE FLOOR
WL
SHEET PILE
SWELL SEAL WITH
INJECTABLE TUBES
DRAINAGE
DRAINAGECONCRETE
REINFORCED
CONCRETE FLOOR
Slab-sheet pile-connection
SHEET PILE
WL
SEALED FLOOR
CONNECTOR BLOCK
UW CONCRETE
JOINT PLATE
REINFORCED
CONCRETE FLOOR
Slab-sheet pile-connection
Slab-sheet pile-connection
Bad Connection
SEALING FOIL
SHEET PILE
WL
REINFORCED
CONCRETE FLOOR
Slab support detail
SEALING FOIL
SHEET PILE
WL
REINFORCED
CONCRETE FLOOR
TEFLONSUPPORT
REINFORCED CONCRETE
CAPPING PIECE
JOINT PACKING
Slab support detail
SEALING FOIL
PREFABRICATED
CONCRETE FLOOR
TEFLONSUPPORT
REINFORCED CONCRETE
CAPPING BEAM
SHEETPILE
WL
Slab support detail
SEALING FOIL
REINFORCED
CONCRETE FLOOR
SHEET PILE
WL
CONNECTOR
BLOCK
WELDED JOINT PLATE
Slab support detail
Some good example and case histories
Following pictures show examples where driving
and sealing has been done in a proper way.
Some good examples
waste disposal in Horn (Austria)
Some good examples
waste disposal in Horn (Austria)
Collectrice du Sud, highway in Luxembourg
Some good examples
Collectrice du Sud, highway in Luxembourg
Some good examples
BENELUX Lijn
Some good examples
Underground Car Park
Some good examples
Double wall cofferdam filled with contaminated soil
4.800 to mainly AZ
eccentric anchorage with Roxan
Proevestenen
Double wall cofferdam filled with contaminated soil
4.800 to mainly AZ
eccentric anchorage with Roxan
Proevestenen
Double wall cofferdam filled with contaminated soil
4.800 to mainly AZ
eccentric anchorage with Roxan
Proevestenen
New Opera House
New Opera House
Conclusion
A consistent methodology to access the seepage
resistance of steel sheet pile walls is available:
At design stage:
- The right sealing method may be defined
- The discharge may be calculated
- The cost / advantage ratio may be evaluated
- A comparison with other structures is possible
During execution:
- Bad examples have been shown
- Methods have been explained to drive steel sheet piles
without declutching
- Declutching detection systems have been shown
- The installation of the sealing fillers has been explained
- The installation of watertight steel sheet pile walls has been
demonstrated
- Repair methods have been shown
- Solutions have been given how to continue vertical and
horizontal sealing
After execution
- An accurate method for measuring the discharge
through the joints has been explained
- Good examples have been shown
Hence
Impervious steel sheet pile structures with high
reliability and durability in accordance with the
design requirements may be achieved.
Try it,
You will not be disappointed!