Benefits of Steel Pipe Piles

Steel pipe piles have a wide range of uses. They can be used as building foundations and bridge piers/foundations. Pipe piles are also used in port projects as the foundations for bridge piers and piers. Piles can also interlock to form a continuous wall to retain soil on the back, such as quay walls, cofferdams, and excavation protection structures.Pile foundations can use various types of materials. The magnitude of the loads imposed by the superstructure, the subsurface conditions, and the location of the groundwater table are just some of the factors that go into choosing the right material for pile foundations. Currently, reinforced concrete is commonly used for pile foundation construction. Steel piles are generally installed by driving the piles into the ground with an impact hammer (dynamic installation) or by pressing the steel piles into the subsurface until the desired depth is reached (non-dynamic installation). Piles are commonly found in the form of tubular, I-beam, W-beam, and H-beam. Engineers prefer H-beams to I-beams and W-beams because the web and flange thickness of H-beams tend to be equal.

1. High axial bearing capacity of piles – Steel pipe piles are generally larger in diameter. Recall that the axial bearing capacity of a pile can be attributed to its surface (or friction) resistance and end bearing (or pile tip) resistance. Both components depend on the geometry of the pile, so the surface resistance increases with the surface area of the pile, while the pile tip resistance is related to the cross-sectional area of the pile. Strong bearing capacity, most of the steel pipe piles used in engineering construction at this stage are low-carbon steel. The material is strong in strength, tension, compression, etc. After being processed into steel pipes, its bending strength level is high, which is suitable for geological environments with strong bearing capacity. , so that its force characteristics can be fully utilized.

2. High bending strength-Steel usually has a high yield strength, which means that it has a high moment capacity to resist the bending stress caused by the load of the superstructure (for buildings and bridge structures) or the lateral earth pressure from the retained soil (for retaining structures).

3. Pipes can be used as the main component of composite walls-For sheet pile applications, steel pipe piles can be used as the main bending member of the continuous wall (usually called the main pile), combined with infill sheet piles (usually a pair of U-shaped or Z-shaped sheet piles placed between two pipes). This continuous wall configuration provides higher moment capacity while maintaining an optimized wall design (i.e., the required total steel tonnage is low).

4. Steel pipe piles can be part of composite piles – In engineering projects, in most cases, steel pipe piles are filled with concrete after being driven into the ground, thus becoming composite piles. Concrete-filled pipe piles increase the stiffness of the pile body and better resist various external loads under static and dynamic (i.e., seismic loads or wind loads) conditions.

5. Easy to install and connect – Due to the geometric shape of steel pipe piles, it is relatively easy to connect piles by welding compared with other steel structure shapes. This makes it easy to adjust the pile length and improve economic benefits. The conventional length of each section of the steel pipe pile is 6 m, which is connected by welding. If the buried depth of the pressure-bearing layer changes, the steel pipe pile can be combined with the situation of pile sinking. Welding or cutting processing. In addition, the cutout part of the steel pipe pile can also be used for welding of other steel pipe piles, avoiding the waste of resources, and can also accurately control the design height of the pile top, which is conducive to construction.

6. Uses of steel pipe piles As foundations and/or retaining structures, they have been found to be effective in resisting various combinations of gravity and lateral forces. In most cases, it is a more cost-effective foundation solution than traditional concrete piles (for foundations) and typical U-shaped and Z-shaped sheet piles (for retaining walls). Soil extrusion is mild. Most steel pipe piles are open-type, and the pipe wall of steel pipe piles is thin, which reduces the uplift of topsoil and squeezed soil, and reduces the interference of pile pressing on soil and surrounding facilities. In addition, steel pipe piles can also be built densely in a smaller area.

First, it is a strong and durable material. The surface of the steel pipe is strengthened, which greatly enhances its wear resistance; second, the steel pipe can withstand greater pressure and bending moment, so it is more suitable for buildings such as concrete cast-in-place piles; third, the steel pipe is lighter, easier to transport and install, and can greatly reduce construction costs; in addition, the steel pipe also has good corrosion resistance, which can effectively prevent the impact of soil erosion on the building. Straight seam pipes are mainly used in railway and highway bridge construction, and are also widely used in water conservancy project construction. Straight seam pipes are widely used in railway and highway bridge construction projects because of their good quality, high strength, strong rigidity, light weight, long service life, strong earthquake resistance, obvious sound insulation effect, and not easy to rust.

ASTM A252 sets standard specifications for welded and seamless steel pipe piles, ensuring their quality, durability and performance in construction projects. The general standard for pipe piles is ASTM A252, with pipe diameters ranging from 10 inches to 60 inches (250 mm to 1500 mm) and wall thicknesses up to 25 mm.

The outer diameter of the pipes usually stacked is 250 mm (10 inches) to 1500 mm (60 inches), and the wall thickness is usually 8 mm to 25 mm.

Steel pipe piles are used in places where the subsoil density of the building is low and long-term stability is a concern. With steel pipe piles, the load is evenly distributed and penetrates deep underground where the soil is denser. This is particularly advantageous in the construction of large buildings, where the natural soil composition itself may not provide sufficient support.

On the contrary, steel pipe piles become indispensable in situations where land space is limited and it is impossible to install an extended base or traditional foundation. Their use ensures enhanced ground stability and facilitates the construction of buildings in restricted space conditions.

Therefore, through the above-mentioned classification of steel piles and the characteristics of steel pipe piles, everyone can better understand and use them reasonably, thereby improving the quality of construction.