Shoring
At Henry Drilling, we provide professional earth retention systems designed to adapt to the specific challenges of any terrain. For your project's containment and excavation support, we offer three of the industry's most efficient shoring methods: Secant Piles, Soldier Piles, and Sheet Piles. Explore the sections below to review the detailed characteristics, advantages, and applications of each system to determine the optimal structural solution for your project.
Secant Piles
Applications Secant pile walls are used for:
Construction and Installation Process The walls are formed by constructing intersecting reinforced concrete piles with a usual overlap of three inches.
Benefits
- Increased construction alignment flexibility.
- Increased wall stiffness compared to sheet piles.
- Ease of installation in difficult ground (cobbles and boulders).
- Can be used in high water table conditions with little dewatering.
Applications
- Shoring
- Large diameter access shafts
- Large storage tanks
Process
- The walls are formed by constructing intersecting reinforced concrete piles with a usual overlap of three inches.
- The Method: Primary piles are installed first. Once they gain sufficient strength, secondary piles are constructed in between them.
- Reinforcement: The piles are reinforced with either steel rebar or steel beams.
- Drilling Methods: They are constructed by drilling open hole, slurry drilling, continuous flight auger drilling, or using the temporary cased secant pile method.
Soldier Piles and Lagging
Soldier pile and lagging is an earth retention system consisting of wide flange or H-Pile steel beams driven or placed in drilled holes.
The installation process follows these steps:
Benefits of Soldier Pile and Lagging This earth retention method is a viable option for many contractors due to the following advantages:
Limitations and Ground Conditions While highly effective for many projects, this specific method does not work well in:
Benefits
- Inexpensive
- Relatively easy to install
- Fast to install
Process
- Beam Installation: Wide flange or H-Pile steel beams are driven or placed into drilled holes.
- Excavation: The earth is excavated in lifts along one side of the beams to expose a cut face of earth and partially expose the front faces of the beams.
- Lagging Application: Lagging is installed using either timber or sprayed shotcrete to hold back the soil.
Limitations and ground conditions
- Ground conditions with a high-water table
- Non-cohesive soils
Sheet Piles
Sheet piles are sections of sheet materials with interlocking edges that are driven into the ground. They are used in both permanent and temporary applications for both shoring and structural work to provide:
Most commonly made of steel, sheet piles can be installed via top driving or vibratory methods.
Ground Conditions and Limitations Sheet piles do not work well in dense hard ground or ground with cobbles and boulders. Typically, when encountering these specific areas:
Benefits
- Quick Installations: Fast and efficient to set up on site.
- Long Lifespan: Durable over extended periods, both above and below water.
- Neat and Clean: The installation process is generally clean and creates no spoils.
Applications
- Earth retention
- Excavation support
- Support for foundations
Limitations and ground conditions
- Pre-drilling is required, or
- Another method of support will be utilized.