Sheet pile is a steel structural member with interlocking edges, allowing for free assembly to form a continuous, tightly sealed retaining or waterstop wall.
Sheet pile definition
Steel sheet piles are a type of steel with locking lips, featuring cross-sections in straight plate, channel, and Z shapes, available in various sizes and interlocking forms. Common types include Larsson and拉克万纳(Lakvanna) styles. Their advantages include high strength, ease of driving into hard soil layers; they can be constructed in deep water and can be fitted with diagonal supports to form a cofferdam when necessary. They have good waterproofing properties; can be assembled into various shapes of cofferdams as needed, and can be reused multiple times, making their applications extensive.

Steel sheet piles are categorized into: There are two types of steel sheet pile products according to the production process, namely cold-formed thin-walled steel sheet piles and hot-rolled steel sheet piles.
(1) Cold-formed steel sheet piles are available in two types: non-joint type cold-formed steel sheet piles (also known as channel plates) and joint type cold-formed steel sheet piles (divided into L, S, U, and Z shapes). Production Process: Using thinner plates (commonly 8mm to 14mm thick) that are continuously rolled into shape within the cold bending machine group. Advantages: Low production line investment, lower production costs, and flexible product sizing control. Disadvantages: Uniform thickness across the pile body, unoptimized cross-sectional dimensions leading to increased steel usage, difficult control of joint shapes, loose clips at the connection points that prevent water sealing, and a tendency to tear during usage.
(2) Hot-Rolled Steel Sheet Piling: The world's hot-rolled steel sheet piling primarily includes U-shaped, Z-shaped, AS-shaped, and H-shaped categories with dozens of specifications. Currently, the production, processing, and installation techniques of Z-shaped and AS-shaped sheet piling are relatively complex, mainly used in Europe and America; while in China, U-shaped sheet piling is predominant. Production Process: Formed through high-temperature rolling by section rolling machines. Advantages: Standardized dimensions, superior performance, reasonable cross-section, high quality, and tight water-tightness due to interlocking. Disadvantages: Higher technical difficulty, higher production cost, and inflexible specification series.
In construction projects, the application scope of cold-formed steel sheet piles is relatively narrow, mostly used as supplementary materials. Hot-rolled steel sheet piles have always been the dominant product in engineering applications. In light of the many advantages of steel sheet piles during construction, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China and the Standardization Administration of the People's Republic of China issued the national standard "Hot-Rolled U-Type Steel Sheet Piles" on May 14, 2007, which came into effect on December 1, 2007. At the end of the 20th century, Ma Steel Co., Ltd., leveraging the technological equipment conditions of the imported rolling production line, produced over 5,000 tons of 400mm-wide U-type steel sheet piles and successfully applied them in projects such as the Nenjiang River Bridge cofferdam, Jingjiang New Century Shipyard's 300,000-ton shipyard, and Bangladesh's flood control project. However, due to low production efficiency, poor economic benefits, low domestic demand, and insufficient technical experience during the trial production period, the production was not sustained. Statistics show that China's annual consumption of steel sheet piles is around 30,000 tons, accounting for only 1%, and is limited to some port, wharf, shipyard construction projects, and temporary projects such as bridge cofferdams and foundation pit support.
Cold-formed steel sheet piles are steel structures formed by continuously rolling and shaping on a cold-forming machine, with the side lock connections allowing for continuous overlap to create a sheet pile wall. These cold-formed steel sheet piles are made from thinner sheets (commonly 8mm to 14mm thick) and are processed using a cold-forming machine. They are cost-effective with low production costs and flexible size control. However, due to the simplistic manufacturing process, the thickness of all parts of the pile is uniform, making it impossible to optimize the cross-sectional dimensions and increasing steel consumption; the shape of the lock connections is difficult to control, leading to loose fit and water leakage at the joints; and the production is limited by the capabilities of the cold-forming equipment, allowing only for products with lower strength grades and thinner thicknesses. Additionally, the large stresses generated during the cold-forming process make the piles prone to tearing, significantly limiting their applications. In construction projects, the application scope of cold-formed steel sheet piles is relatively narrow, often used merely as a supplementary material. Characteristics of cold-formed steel sheet piles: They can select economical and reasonable cross-sections based on the actual project conditions, achieving design optimization and saving 10-15% of materials compared to hot-rolled steel sheet piles with similar performance, thereby reducing construction costs.
Currently, due to limitations in production conditions and scale, there is no domestic production line for hot-rolled steel sheet piles. All the hot-rolled steel sheet piles used in our country are imported from abroad.
Common hot-rolled steel sheet pile manufacturers include Hyundai Steel in South Korea, Nippon Steel in Japan, Sumitomo Steel in Japan, JFE Steel in Japan, as well as some European manufacturers.
Shape Category
Editor
U-shaped steel sheet pile
Basic Introduction
1. The cross-sectional structure design of the WR series steel sheet pile is rational, and the forming technology is advanced, which continuously improves the ratio of the cross-sectional modulus to weight of the steel sheet pile products, enabling them to achieve good economic benefits in application and expands the application field of cold-formed steel sheet piles.
2. The WRU type sheet pile offers a wide range of specifications and models.
3. Designed and manufactured according to European standards, the symmetrical structure is conducive to reuse, equivalent in reuse to hot-rolled materials, and features a certain degree of angular deflection, facilitating the correction of construction deviations.
4. The use of high-strength steel and advanced production equipment ensures the performance of cold-formed steel sheet piles.
5. Available for special length customization per customer request, offering maximum convenience for construction and also reducing costs.
6. Due to their ease of production, composite piles can be pre-ordered before shipment for use with the matching pile sets.
7. Short production design and lead time, with the steel sheet pile performance customizable to meet customer requirements.
Advantages:
1) A wide range of specifications and models for U-shaped steel sheet piles.
2) Designed according to European standards, the structure is symmetrical, facilitating reuse, which is equivalent to hot-rolled steel in terms of reusability.
3) Available for special length customization to meet customer requirements, offering great convenience for construction and also reducing costs.
4) Due to ease of production, pre-ordering is available before shipment for use with the composite piles.
5) Short production design and lead time; steel sheet pile performance can be customized according to customer requirements.