What is the service time of combi wall？

WHAT is the service time of combi walls? As an efficient solution to increase the load bearing capacity, combi walls can meet client’s diffrentt requirements and play a vital role in rivercofferdams, bridge pier protection, foundation and many other construction field. This article will introduce more information about the lifetime of combi walls.

This article contains the following:

• The classification of combi walls

• The characteristics of combi walls 

• How long can combi walls exist

1、The classification of combi walls

A combi wall is a wall consisting of sheet and tubular piles. Tubular piles provide higher strength and stiffness than sheet piles alone. The pipe pile is equipped with interlock device to connect the sheet pile profiles together. Once all tubular piles are installed, the interspace can be filled with regular Z or U shaped sheet pile profiles. Combi walls using tubular piles are several times more rigid than the strongest sheet piles.Since the first combi walls were utilised as sheet pile walls for quay walls in Rotterdam area in the early 50’s, the combi walls has been developed further so that the driving of the course can be improved and the retaining height can be resisted.According to the service life, the combination wall can be divided into permanent wall and temporary wall.

2、The characteristics of combi wall

Different combi walls have their own advantages and disadvantages, customers can choose according to the project requirements. Temporary wall is mainly used for reinforcement of waterdam and bridge in flood season, or for construction of temporary parking lot. It is suitable for projects with relatively short sheet pile, soft soil and short construction period. Temporary walls are efficient and cheap, but the accuracy is relatively low and the error is large. It is not suitable for large projects or projects with high load bearing requirements. 

Permanent walls are used in a variety of permanent buildings. It is praised for being easier to achieve the required tolerances and for preventing sheet piling from leaning. However, this installation takes more time to process and insert the pile, and requires a longer crane boom to lift the pile.

3、How long can combi wall exist

The life of combi wall depends on soil condition, installation precision, installation method, sheet pile material and other factors. Generally, the combi wall with steel sheet pile as the main material has better load-bearing capacity and durability, which are often used in large and permanent water conservancy projects. Standard installation methods cintains panel driving, panel driving combined with staggered driving, pitching and driving, among which panel driving combined with staggered driving has a higher precision. Key parameters to consider include soil conditions, sheet pile sections and lengths, driving equipment, permanent and temporary walls, mounting tolerances, and interlock sealing systems used.

The introducyion of combi walls is as described above. The installation of combi wall is a complex problem which contains comprehensive factors. The variety of combination ensures its flexibility and adaptability to different construction conditions.It is popular for its low cost and efficiency.