Sheet pile walls, bulkheads, and cofferdams are retaining structures used for waterfront construction and temporary works. Sheet pile walls are continuous walls formed by driving interlocking sheet piles into the ground side by side. Bulkheads are sheet pile retaining walls along waterfronts. Cofferdams are enclosed working areas made of waterproof sheet pile walls used to exclude water during construction. Sheet pile walls are classified based on their material (timber, concrete, steel, aluminum), support condition (cantilever or anchored), and loading scheme. Cantilever walls derive stability from soil resistance alone, while anchored walls use tie rods for additional support. Design involves calculating earth and water pressures to determine the theoretical

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2. SHEET PILES, BULKHEADS AND
COFFERDAMS
 What is sheet pile wall?
 Sheet pile wall consists of a series of sheet piles
driven side by side in to ground thus forming a
continuous wall for the purpose of retaining an
earth bank.
 CERTAIN CONFIGURATIONS OF SHEET
PILING ARE TERMED AS BULKHEADS OR
COFFERDAMS.
 A BULKHEAD is a sheet pile retaining wall of
water front, backed up by ground.
 A COFFERDAM is a water tight enclosure made
of sheet pile walls, build around a working area for
the purpose of excluding water during
construction.

3. USE OF SHEET PILE WALL
 Water front structures
 Temporary construction
 Light weight construction
where subsoil is poor.
MATERIALS USED :-
Timber sheet piles.
Precast concrete sheet piles.
Steel sheet piles.
Aluminium sheet piles.

4. CLASSIFICATION OF SHEET PILE WALL
OR BULKHEADS
 ACCORDING TO MODE OF ESTABLISHING THE
RETAINING SYSTEM:-
FILL BULKHEADS DREDGED BULKHEADS

5. CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO THE
SHEET PILE MATERIAL:-
FLEXIBLE BULKHEADS RIGID BULKHEADS

6. CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO
CONDITION OF THE END SUPPORT:-

7.  CANTILEVER SHEET PILE
WALL OR BULKHEAD:-
which derives its stability entirely
from the lateral resistance of the
soil in to which the sheet pile is
driven.
It is used for moderate height only.
 ANCHORED SHEET PILE
WALL OR BULKHEAD:-
which is held above its driven depth
by one or more tie rods or anchors
at or near its top.
CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO THE STUCTURAL TYPE AND
LOADING SCHEME:-

8. CANTILEVER SHEET PILE IN GRANULAR
SOILS:-
The wall rotates about the point O. hydrostatic pressure from both the sides
will cancel each other, only lateral soil pressure will be effective.
ZONE A:- active earth pressure from the land side.
ZONE B:- active pressure from the land side and passive from the
water side.
ZONE C:- reverse of zone B

9. PROCEDURE FOR OBTAINING PRESSURE DIAGRAM:-
STEP 1:- calculate Ka and Kp.
STEP 2:- Calculate σ‘1 and
σ‘2.
STEP 3:- Calculate L3.

10.  STEP 4:- Calculate P.
 STEP 5:- Calculate z(i.e. the centre of pressure for the
area ACDE) by taking the moment about E.
 STEP 6:- Calculate σ‘5.
 STEP 7:- Calculate A1 A2 A3 A4 .

11.  STEP 8:- Solve equation by trial and error and obtain
L4.
 STEP 9:- Calculate σ‘4 and σ‘3
 STEP 10:- Obtain L3.
 STEP 11:- Draw the pressure distribution diagram.
 STEP 12:- Obtain theoretical depth of penetration L3
+L4. the actual depth is increased by 20 to 30%

12. Cantilever sheet pile in clay soil