Stability of Sheet Pile Walls

Typically, sheet pile walls are cantilevered, anchored or braced.

Cantilevered

Anchored

Braced

Common forms of failure are: (i) rotation of wall, (ii) forward movement of wall, (iii) failure of
piles (sheet piles) due to bending, and (iv) failure of anchors or bracing.

HES3150 Geotechnical Engineering

Failure of Cantilevered Sheet Pile Wall by Rotation

Actual Case (net)

Wall is assumed to rotate

about some point producing
active and passive pressures
as shown on the right.
Passive

Active

Passive
Assumed point of rotation

Note: Wall depends on

passive pressure for stability

To calculate the minimum embedment depth of a cantilevered sheet pile wall, we first need to
determine where the point of rotation is located.
Therefore, we need a simple model:
HES3150 Geotechnical Engineering

Failure of Cantilevered Sheet Pile Wall by Rotation Simple Model

H
Active

Hint: You can sum moments

about different points to obtain
equations, then solve to find the
location of rotation.

d Passive
Passive

Does this active

pressure zone exist ?

Point of rotation

This can be further simplified to:

HES3150 Geotechnical Engineering

Failure of Cantilevered Sheet Pile Wall by Rotation Simple Model

2/3 (H+d)

Pactive
d

Ppassive
FS

2d/3

Point of rotation

1
a H d
2
1
Pp p d
2

Therefore, Pa
And,

HES3150 Geotechnical Engineering

P2 , which represents the sum of passive

pressure below the point of rotation. This is
not correct. However, by rule of thumb, we
can assume this to simplify our calculations
as long as we increase the final embedment
depth by about 20%.

1
1
2
K a H d soil H d K a soil H d
2
2
1
1
K p d soil d K p soil d 2
2
2

Approximate Method for Calculating Embedment Depth of Sheet Pile Walls

2/3 (H+d)

Pactive

Ppassive
FS

2d/3

Point of rotation
Then summing the moments about the point of rotation
to solve for d (Since H should be known),
M rotation point = 0 +

This simplifies to:

H d
Pa

Pp d

P2 0 0
FS
3

FS H d

Ka
d3

Kp

HES3150 Geotechnical Engineering

P2 , which represents the sum of passive

pressure below the point of rotation. This is not
correct. However, by rule of thumb, we can
assume this to simplify our calculations as long
as we increase the final embedment depth by
about 20%.

Now solve for d then add 20%

Failure of Anchored Sheet Piling

To reduce sheet pile wall driving depth, or if the wall is too high, sheet piles maybe anchored near the top.
Thus, the force produced by the anchor supplements the lost passive force
Anchor Point

Deflected Shapes

or

Active

Active
Passive failure at toe ?

Passive

Assuming no passive failure to the toe occurs, we can simplify the lateral soil pressures.
HES3150 Geotechnical Engineering

Anchored Sheet Piling Simplified Lateral Earth Pressures

a
Anchor
Force

Total active force,

Pa
d

Total passive force, Pp

FS

Point of rotation

1
1
2
K a soil H d and Pp K p soil d 2
2
2
Pp
2
2

M anchor = 0 + Pa

d 0 And solving for d.

3
FS
3

Pp
Then F horizontal = 0
Anchor Force Pa Should provide the required anchor force.
FS
Knowing, Pa

HES3150 Geotechnical Engineering