The Sheet Piling UK team called upon the company's extensive stockholding of Emirates Steel EZ Section Sheet Piles, to ensure piling could commence swiftly and not be subjected to price fluctuations that could negatively impact on project costs.
In total, 150 steel sheet piles, ranging in length from 7m to 15m have created temporary but sacrificial earthworks' support for a double-height, temporary road, complete with the required ramps, for the use of London Underground construction plant. The newly constructed road provides enhanced access to a site.
The location of the sheet pile works is right alongside the new Battersea Power Station Underground station, part of the extension to the Northern Line - the first extension work to any London Underground line this century. In addition, luxury residential apartments are situated adjacent to the desired piling line.
The proximity of both station and apartments made it essential to minimise impacts during the sheet piling works, generating as little vibration and noise as possible. This led to the specification of a silent piling methodology for these works.
With the local geology consisting of Made Ground, laid over Granular Terrace Deposits on to London Clay, it was important to pre-augur the sheet pile line, ensuring that sheet piles could more easily be inserted into the ground using the vibrationless, silent piling technique.
Emirates Steel sheet piles installation was carried out via the hydraulic pressing-in method, using a Kowan ZU100 pile press from the Sheet Piling UK fleet, served by a 70 Te crawler crane. This ensured virtually no vibration or noise, delivering on the requirement for sensitive and environmentally friendly installation methodologies within this prime urban location.
Part of the steel sheet pile wall is designed to be temporarily propped using a hydraulic bracing frame, with the maximum retained height being up to 8.30m in total. Eventually, the sheet piles will become a back shutter, to which permanent reinforced concrete walls and floor slabs will be added, to form a two-storey basement box.
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