Design of Sheet Pile Walls

John C. Huang, Ph.D, PE, LEED AP

Course Outline

This course provides guidance for the safe design and economical construction of sheet sheet pile retaining and flood walls based on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Engineer Manual on Design of Sheet Pile Walls. This manual provides information on foundation exploration and testing procedures, analysis techniques, allowable criteria, design procedures, and construction consideration for the selec-tion, design, and installation of sheet pile walls. The guidance is based on the present state of the technology for sheet pile-soil-structure interaction behavior. This course provides design guidance intended specifically for the geotechnical and structural engineer. It also provides essential information for others interested in sheet pile walls such as the construction engineer in understanding con-struction techniques related to sheet pile wall behavior during installation. Since the understanding of the physical causes of sheet pile wall behavior is actively expanding by better definition through ongoing research, prototype, model sheet pile wall testing and development of more refined analytical models, this manual is intended to provide examples and procedures of what has been proven successful. This is not the last nor final word on the state of the art for this technology. We expect, as further practical design and installation procedures are developed from the expansion of this tech-nology, that these updates will be issued as changes to this manual.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of course materials.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, the student will:

• Be familiar with system loads, stability and structural design;
• Be familiar with geotechnical investigations and soil-structure Interaction analysis;
• Be familiar with engineering considerations for construction; and
• Have a better understanding of the general design guidelines and criteria for steel sheet pile retaining walls and inland and coastal flood walls.

Course Content

The purpose of this course is to provide design guidelines and criteria for design of steel sheet pile retaining walls and flood walls. You will be directed to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' website to study the following publication:

Engineering and Design - Design of Sheet Pile Walls (Engineer Manual EM 1110-2-2504, PDF)

which discusses both geotechnical and structural aspects of steel sheet pile wall design, such as structural stability, foundation analysis, structural design and details, and construction considerations.

The following contains the outline of the Engineer Manual EM 1110-2-2504:

Design of Sheet Pile Walls

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction

Purpose
Applicability
References, Bibliographical and Related Material
Scope
Definitions

Chapter 2 General Considerations

Coordination
Alignment Selection
Geotechnical Considerations
Structural Considerations
Construction
Postconstruction Architectural Treatment and Landscaping

Chapter 3 Geotechnical Investigation

Planning the Investigation
Subsurface Exploration and Site Characterization
Testing of Foundation Materials
In Situ Testing of Foundation Materials
Design Strength Selection

Chapter 4 System Loads

General
Earth Pressures
Earth Pressure Calculations
Surcharge Loads
Water Loads
Additional Applied Loads

Chapter 5 System Stability

Modes of Failure
Design for Rotational Stability

Chapter 6 Structural Design

Forces for Design
Deflections
Design of Sheet Piling

Chapter 7 Soil-Structure Interaction Analysis

Introduction
Soil-Structure Interaction Method
Preliminary Information
SSI Model
Nonlinear Soil Springs
Nonlinear Anchor Springs
Application of SSI Analysis

Chapter 8 Engineering Considerations for Construction

General
Site Conditions

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

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DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDHonline.com or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered professional engineer. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.

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