Sheet Piling Systems  
 
 
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Hydraulic Performance - Transmissivity and Permeability
Mike Yeats
2004
The movement of water can severely sabotage an engineer's efforts by degrading the strength of underlying soil and causing washout of structures, or by transporting chemicals to unwanted locations.

The long-term transmissivity and permeability capabilities of CMI's vinyl sheet piling are outstanding due to their corrosion and chemical resistance, lower cost, and tight interlocks, which have been designed to utilize the latest in sheet piling sealants. The ability to reduce flow is further enhanced by our full box section sheet piling, which have 50% fewer interlocks than conventional sheet piling.

Casagrande, using conventional flow net techniques, evaluated the ability of sheet piling to cut off water flow. The evaluation revealed that the efficiency of a cut-off wall was related to both the percent open area and the distribution of the interlocks.

The cut off efficiency will therefore be higher when the interlocks are broadly spaced. CMI's two-foot-wide full box sheet piling offer a 20% higher cut off efficiency versus typical sheet piling.

Geotechnics, an independent laboratory, measured the rate of water flow through our sheet piling interlocks. The results of testing for groundwater heads up to 32 feet fell within most regulatory tolerances. While the leakage through the standard interlock is minimal, applying a hydrophilic sealant will reduce the flow to an even greater extent.


Interlock Sealants
The use of hydrophilic sealants in the interlocks of sheet piling has been a common practice for many years. The ability of the sealant to expand several times its volume when coming in contact with water can effectively seal the interlocks. Sealants form Adeka Ultra Seal are available in paste form, P-201, or a two-part liquid form, A-30.


For more information about hydrophilic sealants, go to www.adeka.com.

hydrophilic sealant application
P-201
One-part system available in tubes
Cure time is temperature and humidity dependent
Does not require interlock ends to be taped or pilings to be level
Two times expansion by volume
Approximately 120 feet of interlock coverage per gallon
A-30
Two-part system requires mixing prior to application
Quick cure time, even in sub-freezing temperatures
Pour able consistency of heavy oil
Interlocks must be level and ends taped
Three times expansion by volume
Approximately 130 feet of interlock coverage per gallon
hydrophilic sealant application


flow vs. hydraulic head
leakage rate results
 
Physical properties are defined by ASTM testing standards, The Aluminum Association Design Manual, and/or standard engineering practice. The values shown are nominal and may vary. The information found in this document is believed to be true and accurate. No warranties of any kind are made as to the suitability of any CMI product for particular applications or the results obtained there from. ShoreGuard, C-Loc, TimberGuard, GeoGuard, Dura Dock, Shore-All, and Gator Gates are registered trademarks of Crane Materials International. ArmorWare, Ultra Composite, GatorDocks, GatorBridge and CMI Waterfront Solutions are trademarks of Crane Materials International. United States and International Patent numbers 5,145,287; 5,881,508; 6,000,883; 6,033,155; 6,053,666; D420,154; 4,674,921; 4,690,588; ;7,393,482; 5,292,208; 6,575,667; 7,059,807; 7,056,066; 7,025,539; 1,245,061; Other patents pending. © 2008 Crane Materials International. All Rights Reserved.