Sheet piling for Hull River Defences
Steel Piling Solutions installed 12m steel sheet piles along 85 linear metres of river wall for Bam Nuttall. Restricted access behind the Finlay Tea factory called for a piling system that could move along the new piles as work progressed.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The project
Bam Nuttall awarded Steel Piling Solutions the piling subcontract for Phase 2 of Hull River Defences. The existing concrete river wall had damage and defects that could lead to further deterioration and failure.
The design placed a new steel sheet pile wall in front of the existing wall. The gap between the two walls was then to be backfilled with mass concrete.
THE CHALLENGE
Piling behind the Finlay Tea factory
The factory stood over and behind this section of river wall, restricting access to the work area. Standard crane operations could not reach beyond the corner of the building, so the team needed a way to progress along the wall as installation continued.
The piling equipment also imposed significant weight on the installed piles. With moderate embedment in the river bed, the piles needed additional lateral support to reduce the risk of toppling or overturning as the system advanced.
OUR METHOD
Moving the piling system along the river wall
The team began at the quay wall, using an excavator-mounted Movax Side Grip Hammer to install the first piles. The Giken F201 Pile Press, GRB clamp crane and pile runner were then positioned on the installed piles.
The pile runner and GRB crane fed each new pile to the Giken press as it advanced along the river and behind the factory. Steel Piling Solutions designed and installed additional lateral support to reduce the risk of the equipment overturning the piles.
At the end of the piling run, the team walked the equipment back along the installed piles to recover it.
THE RESULT
Work completed to time and budget
The team completed the piling works within six weeks, on schedule and within the piling budget. The new sheet pile wall extended 85 linear metres in front of the existing concrete river wall, ready for mass concrete backfill.