Sheet Piling

sheet piling

[′shēt ‚pīl·iŋ]

(civil engineering)

Closely spaced piles of wood, steel, or concrete driven vertically into the ground to obstruct lateral movement of earth or water, and often to form an integral part of the permanent structure.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Sheet Piling

 

a solid wall formed by wooden, reinforcedconcrete, or steel sheet piles driven into the ground. Sheet piling serves as a watertight barrier and prevents the ground from collapsing during the construction of hydraulic engineering installations, such as dams, embankments, lock chambers, docks, and cofferdams. It also provides a temporary enclosure for foundation areas or trenches. Very high sheet piling is equipped with stays, or steel braces, which are located in the upper part of the wall and are anchored in soil not subject to collapse. The piles are driven into the ground by pile drivers or by means of vibration drivers.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.