Latest News: Sheet Piling UK Completes King Sheet Pile Wall Rail Embankment Stabilisation Project

April 12th, 2021

Sheet Piling UK Completes King Sheet Pile Wall Rail Embankment Stabilisation Project

Experienced sheet piling operatives from Sheet Piling (UK) Limited have completed a railway embankment stabilisation project in Langport which combined knowledge of King Sheet Pile (KSP®) retaining wall installation and use of our unique long-reach telescopic leader rig, the ABI TM20.

 

Sheet Piling UK was instructed by Suttles Projects Ltd, working on behalf of Network Rail, to handle phase two of a railway embankment stabilisation project, for which phase one was completed last year. The spring 2021 work has taken place on the west of the River Parrett in Somerset, whereas last year’s work was to the east of the river.

Civil engineering company, Suttles, was keen to explore the benefits of our unique rig’s long-reach capacity, which enables it to work a full three metres further than any other sheet pile installation rig. The TM20 can deliver significant cost and programme benefits, reducing the requirements for time-consuming and cost-laden enabling works and platform construction.

Sheet Piling UK worked closely with the Suttles team, producing full models of the long reach rig, whilst also offering a vertical mast height versus horizontal reach chart from ABI and comprehensive and engineered temporary works proposals.

On a project in which the local community’s sensitivities were always top priority, the Sheet Piling UK rig was also perceived to be highly advantageous, due to its lighter impacts on biodiversity and the fact that, by virtue of not requiring significant enabling works, it could reduce construction traffic movements and ease impacts on local traffic flows.

King Sheet Pile Wall Langport
Arcelor Mittal Steel Sheet Pile Wall

 

Such sustainability benefits were naturally important to a project which had already embraced the patented KSP® sheet pile wall methodology, buying in to not just its standardisation benefits but also its theoretical ability to save a reasonable percentage of steel when compared to a standard sheet pile wall construction solution.

A King Sheet Pile (KSP®) wall has its stiffness and structural properties reduced in proportion to the ratio of the length of the wall that is made up of king sheet piles – the primary pile sections. Intermediate steel sheet piles, usually lighter sheet pile sections, make up the rest of the retaining wall, spanning horizontally between king sheet piles. Z-section steel sheet piles are used for both, with a king sheet pile typically comprising a pair of Z-section piles.

In Langport, Sheet Piling UK installed the king sheet pile wall consisting of 12m to 15m long king piles and 4m long intermediate sheet piles. The methodology used for the king sheet pile wall, allowed for the equalization of water pressures either side of the wall which is important in embankment earthwork stabilisation projects. The sheet piles were installed by the unique TM20 rig, fitted with an MRZV 30VV vibratory hammer and using a pitch and drive sheet pile installation method.

Sheet Pile Installation for Network Rail
ABI TM20 Long Reach Leader Rig

 

All piles were initially driven to refusal using the ABI TM20 Long Reach Rig with the final circa 2m of sheet pile being impact driven using a crane suspended CX85 hammer to the desired pile toe-level. The ground conditions on the site consisted of Embankment Fill, overlying Alluvium Clay & Peat, overlying Weathered Mudstone. The king sheet piles were installed part-way, to allow for the installation of the shorter intermediate sheet pile wall to then be carried out. Once completed, the king piles were driven to their final levels. This avoided any deformation of the king piles and any resulting lack of tolerance for the subsequent piles driven.

The sheet piles used for the king pile wall were supplied from Arcelor Mittal and consisted of AZ36-700N king piles and AZ18-700 intermediate piles.

By bringing all of our expertise to bear on this project and using our unique long-reach rig, the Langport railway embankment strengthening phase 2 was completed in just 8 weeks.

If you wish to discuss a king sheet pile installation, or the use of our long-reach ABI TM20 telescopic leader rig on your project, please contact us on 01772 794141.

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NOTES TO EDITORS
Sheet Piling (UK) Limited is one of the UK's leading piling contractors. Owning and operating a comprehensive range of specialist piling equipment Sheet Piling (UK) Ltd also carry extensive stocks of new and used piles enabling rapid reaction to any urgent requirements or emergency situations.