CompositeZ SHEET PILE INSTALL GUIDE

WHAT IS PULTRUDED (COMPOSITE) SHEET PILING?

• Pultruded sheet piling is manufactured from a process utilizing high performance
“space-age” composites. It has 2 primary characteristics:
1. It is manufactured incorporating continuous fiber reinforced roving and
matting combined with a high strength resin. The roving gives the
sheeting its longitudinal strength and the matting, the desired transverse
properties. The tensile strength of the roving itself is greater than most
steel.
2. These high strength fibers are then drawn through a “resin bath” and
pulled through a heated die that cures the pultruded profile to its final “Z”
shape. The final result is a solid, rigid, high strength sheeting profile with
some of the most consistent tolerances available today.
• Manufactured with the worlds most widely accepted and trusted Domestic “ball
and socket” interlock, this combined with its rigid “Z” profile, 1/4” thickness and
18” driving width results in what we believe to be the finest composite
(pultruded) sheet piling available today!
Unlike most vinyl sheet piling which is simply a non-reinforced pvc (poly vinyl chloride)
extruded into the shape of an interlocking sheet pile configuration, pultruded sheet piling
is a fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) resin impregnated composite. The glass is actually
“woven” in a pattern when combined the hardened with resin results in incredible
material strength. The final product is a glass reinforced sheet piling with true structural
integrity. The best (and most familiar) analogy is probably the “orange” ladders sold in
any Home Depot or hardware store. The orange ladder rails (sides) of these ladders are
not simply fiberglass coated with resin. These “orange” ladder rails are actually
pultruded shapes with structural strength second to none.

Characteristics of Pultruded Sheet Piling

• Resistant to corrosion.
• Resists attack of marine borers and other destructive
elements in the marine environment.
• High strength.
• Non conductive – thermally and electrically.
• Resists UV degradation.
• Life expectancy of 50 years-plus.
• Low maintenance.
• Lightweight (80% less than steel) – allows for easier
installation, even setting by hand in many cases.
• Can cut with a circular saw – No burning.
Composite Z Sheet Piling Uses:
Bulkheads/Seawalls – Commercial and Residential
Marinas
Dikes
Erosion Control
Jetties
Groins
Cut-off Walls
Soil Containment
Retaining Walls
Wing Walls
Trench Shoring
Floodwalls
Bank Stabilization
Golf Course Retaining Walls
Waste Containment

Manufacture
One manufacturer of pultruded profiles defines pultrusion as “the continuous processing
of raw materials by pulling resin-rich reinforcements through a heated steel die to form
profiles of constant cross section of continuous length.” The first reinforcement utilized
in the profile are long continuous glass fibers referred to as “roving”. Glass roving runs
the length of the pultruded profile and gives the shape its “longitudinal strength”. To add
multidirectional reinforcement, continuous glass “matting” is added. The roving and
matting is now pulled through a resin bath where the glass fibers are saturated with a
liquid thermosetting resin. This process is typically referred to as the “wet-out” process.
The coated fibers are now assembled to the proper shape by a forming guide and finally
drawn through a heated (curing) die. Once exiting the die, the pultruded shape is cooled
and the resulting high strength, reinforced composite sheet piling is cut to length.

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ENGINEERING AND DESIGN

Strength of Pultruded Sheet Piling

Although the composition of Composite sheet piling is different from other material used
in the manufacture of sheet piling, the strength of the sheeting can be computed using
techniques common to all sheet piling. An understanding of the principles of sheet pile
design is essential to the proper specification of any sheet piling material or section
configuration. Sheet pile walls are generally designed to a) resist overturning due to
lateral earth pressures and b) failure in bending due to the same lateral earth pressures.
This section of the guide will deal primarily with (b); we will start with a general
overview of bending moment and flexural stresses.

Bending Moment in Sheeting

The objective in specifying a section of sheet piling is to obtain sufficient resistance to
bending moment. Allowable bending moment is computed by the formula
M allow = Zσ allow
where
• Mallow = Allowable bending moment
• Z = Section Modulus
• σallow = Allowable Stress of the Material
Both the allowable bending moment and the section modulus are specified as per lineal
foot or meter of wall. The section modulus is strictly a function of the physical shape of
the material and the allowable stress of the material itself. Thus, the strength of sheet
piling to resist bending is a combination of the shape of the section and the material out
of which it is made.

Allowable Stresses in Pultruded Sheet Piling

Below is a chart showing the material properties of Pultruded sheet piling.
Mechanical Property ASTM Test Property, Parallel to Property,
Fibers Perpendicular to
Fibers
Tensile Strength D638 30 ksi 7 ksi
Tensile Modulus D638 2,500 ksi 800 ksi
Compressive Strength D695 30 ksi 15 ksi
Compressive Modulus D695 2,500 ksi 1,000 ksi
Flexural Strength D790 30 ksi 10 ksi
Flexural Modulus D790 1,800 ksi 800 ksi

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Full Section Modulus 2,800 ksi
of Elasticity
Notched Izod Impact D256 25 ft-lbs/in 4 ft-lbs/in
Allowable Stress 12.5 ksi 2.3 ksi
The difference between the allowable stress in Pultruded sheet piling and the tensile
strength and flexural stress is due to the factor of safety of 2.4 being applied to the tensile
strength of the material in the direction parallel to the fibers. This results in the allowable
stress in Pultruded sheet piling to be 42% of the tensile strength. This kind of factor of
safety is customary for materials used in sheet piling. For example:
• Steel sheeting is generally designed so that the allowable stress is 65% of the
yield stress of the material. For an ASTM A-328 material, this means that the
allowable stress is 65% of the yield strength of the material, which is 38.5 ksi.
This makes the allowable stress to be 25 ksi.
• Aluminum sheeting is generally designed so that the allowable stress is 50% of
the ultimate stress of the material; this is similar to Pultruded sheeting. For 6061-
T6 aluminum, which has an ultimate strength of around 38 ksi, the allowable
strength is 19 ksi.
• Vinyl sheeting can have tensile strengths up to 7.5 ksi; however, due to long term
creep concerns, most vinyl manufacturers have derated the allowable stress in
vinyl sheeting to 2 ksi. However, even when this is ignored, the allowable stresses
for vinyl are less than those for the pultruded sheeting.
These factors of safety are important in the proper configuration of sheet pile walls. They
take into account both variables that are integral to the material being used and to the
loading conditions in the application itself.

Allowable Moment vs. Section Modulus

The chart to the left1 shows the relationship
between the section modulus and the
200
allowable bending moment for a selection of
Allowable Moment, ft-lb/ft wall length

175
sheet pile manufactured in (4) different
150
materials, using the formula above. It can be
125 Steel seen first that, for a section with the same
Aluminum
100
Fibreglass section modulus, sections manufactured
Vinyl
75 from pultruded fiberglass have a higher
50 allowable bending moment (by a factor of
25 more than six) than comparable vinyl
0 sections.
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Section Modulus, cu. in./ft wall length

1
The graph is only valid for comparing Composite Components Inc. fiberglass sheeting with other
materials.

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Structural Specifications for Composite Z Sheet Piling
The specifications for P-100 pultruded sheet piling are shown in the table below.
Specification Z-100 Z-200 SPW 911
Variable
Designation
Shape Z-100 Z-200
Modulus of Elasticity 2.8 x 106 psi 3,000 ksi E
Moment of Inertia per 37.15 in4/ft 64 in4/ft I
Unit Length of Wall
Section Modulus per 10.25 in3/ft 16 in3 /ft Z
Unit Length of Wall
Working Stress 12,500 psi 12,500 psi f
Allowable Bending 10,664 ft-lbs/ft of NA BM
Moment per Unit wall
Length of Wall
Sheet Cross-Sectional 4.03 in2/ft 4.9 in2 /ft A
Area per Unit Length
Sheet Weight per 4.75 lbs/ft 6.7 lbs/ft W
section per Unit
Length of Sheeting
Width of Sheeting 18” 18” B
Section
Thickness .250” .260” -
Weight (per ln ft) 4.54 lbs/ft 6.7 lbs/ft -
Additional information on the Z-100 sheeting profile can be found in the drawing below.

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 Composite Z-100 section

Application of Specifications to Allowable Bending

Moment
The Composite Z section Z-100 has a section modulus of 10.25 cu. in./ft of all length.
What is its allowable bending moment? And what other sections does it compare with?
First we need to compute the allowable bending moment. Since this material has an
allowable stress of 12.5 ksi,
M allow = (10.25 cu. in./ft)(12.5 ksi)/(12 in/ft) = 10.66 ft-kips/ft of wall.
The equivalent section modulus of other materials would be obtained by the formula
 
(10.66 )12 in. 
Z=
M allow
=  ft. 
σ allow σ allow
a) Vinyl
Section Modulus for Vinyl = (10.68)(12)/(2 ksi) = 64.08 cu. in./ft
At the time of this writing, the largest section of vinyl sheeting available -- the Northstar
9400 - has a section modulus of 43.67 cu. in./ft. So there is no equivalent vinyl section.
b) Aluminum
Section Modulus for Aluminum = (10.68)(12)/(19 ksi) = 6.75 cu. in./ft. This is larger
than, say, an AWL-135 section, which has a section modulus of 1.71 cu. in./ft.
c) Steel
Section Modulus for Steel = (10.68)(12)/(25 ksi) = 5.125 cu. in./ft. of wall section. This
exceeds such sections as LZ5 (4.58 cu. in./ft.) and the L60 (4.97 cu. in./ft.)

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In the case where the allowable moment is known, the chart can be used to compare the
various types of sheeting to each other as well as the application requirements for each.
Once the allowable moment is computed, the chart can be consulted and the section
modulus required to resist that moment can be determined for the various materials.
These calculations are only for longitudinal bending. Situations where other
considerations such as deflection (bending and shear deflection) and transverse bending
should be considered separately.

DESIGN OF PULTRUDED SHEET PILE WALLS

Now that we have established the basics of the strength of Pultruded sheet piling, we
need to discuss the actual configuration and design of the product.
Pultruded sheet piling is an engineered product. Although it is light weight (it can be
manually picked up and set in many circumstances) and can be installed relatively easily,
it is in fact load bearing and like all sheet piling, subject to failure if not properly
configured. Thus, all of the care that is necessary for the design and configuration of
other materials and shapes of sheet piling, such as steel sheeting, should also be given
when the design of Pultruded sheet pile walls is carried out. This includes but is not
limited to the use of a licensed, experienced professional to carry out the design work.
As mentioned earlier, sheet pile walls are primarily designed to resist overturning and
failure due to excessive bending stresses. Both of these are addressed in established
methods used to compute the strength and overturning resistance of sheet piling. These
are described in such reference materials such as the Pile Buck Sheet Piling Design
Manual and other reference books on the subject.
There are two methods currently employed to analyze sheet piling for moments and
deflections: “classical” methods and finite element methods. Classical methods involve
computing the lateral earth pressures on both sides of a sheet pile wall and then
configuring the depth of sheet penetration suitable to resist overturning. They also are
used to compute bending moments and deflections in the sheeting. Although they can
and traditionally have been implemented using “hand” solutions, a faster approach is to
use computer software such as Pile Buck’s sheet pile retaining wall software program
SPW 911 v. 2.01 to perform the calculations. A significant advantage of using this
software is that multiple cases can easily be analyzed.
Both the design manual and the software are available from Pile Buck Inc.
(www.pilebuck.com).
Finite element methods are relatively new for the design of sheet pile walls. These model
the soil and pile by dividing both into small elements; a stiffness matrix is then developed
and solved to determine the forces, stresses and deflections of the various elements.
These methods should only be employed by those who are familiar with the use of finite
element methods, not just sheet piling design.
Other important items of note concerning the design of Pultruded sheet piling are as
follows:

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• Deflection. Although stiffer than other non-metallic sheeting, Pultruded sheeting
is still more susceptible to deflection than, say, steel sheeting. Designers need to
insure that excessive deflections do not take place. Both of the methods described
above, when properly employed, can be used to compute deflections. Also, the
deflections shown here – and those of most methods used to compute deflections
of sheet piling – do not take into consideration shear deflection, which is
significant in short sections and more important in fiberglass than in materials
such as steel. This should be checked independently with methods shown in any
mechanics of materials text. SPW 911 2.01 outputs values of wall shear, as
shown below.

Local Buckling. In addition to the flexural stresses computed by conventional

analysis methods as implemented by either hand calculations or SPW 911 v. 2.01,
Pultruded fiberglass shapes – both the sheeting and the H-beams used in the wales
– are subject to both compression flange buckling and lateral-torsional buckling.
The former is a function of the geometry of the shape and the properties of the
material; the latter includes the unsupported length of the sheeting. Although
both of these situations can generally be avoided through the limitation of
conventional deflection and bending stresses, the designer should be aware of
these conditions. With the H-beams used in the wales, these can be factored into
the calculations by use of the property tables available from the manufacturers of
Pultruded H-beams and those enclosed herein, along in some cases with
discussions of these conditions in general.
• Interlock strength. The description of the manufacture and configuration of
Pultruded sheet piling should make it clear that the transverse strength of the

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 material is considerably less than the longitudinal strength. Applications such as
cofferdams where interlock strength is critical should be avoided with Pultruded
sheeting.
• The type and compaction of backfill is critical to the success of a Pultruded sheet
pile wall. Backfill should be made up of free draining cohesionless soil,
compacted in layers. As is the cases with the design of any sheet pile wall,
cohesive soils should be avoided as backfill to avoid rupturing the sheets when
they expand with changes in water content.

• Weep holes should be drilled into any pultruded sheet pile retaining wall to allow
drainage behind the sheets that may occur during rapid changes in the
groundwater level. The success of these weep holes is heavily dependent upon
whether the recommendations previously mentioned for use of cohesionless soils
in the backfill are followed. Weep holes are more effective if the soil is
cohesionless and has high permeability. Holes should be a minimum 1-1/2”
diameter with filter fabric and gravel filler material (1 cubic foot minimum) and
be installed every 6’ on center at 6’ about the berm line or at MLLW. Weep holes
in areas of wave action may also require protection at the outlet.
• Factors of safety should be similar to those used with other sheet pile materials.
• Sheet pile wall returns must be provided at the ends of all bulkheads/seawalls to
prevent the possibility of flanking and/or washout.
• Any timber face and/or anchor piles used in a marine construction or saltwater
environment should be specified using tip circumference in accordance with
ASTM D-25. Preservative treatment shall be to AWPA Standards C-3 and C-18
as required.
• Although no sheet piling does well against rock, it is especially important to avoid
rock with Pultruded sheet piling.
The layout of Pultruded sheeting is also similar to other types of sheeting. Careful
consideration needs to be made to the sheet geometry and how it comes out in corners.

Sample Design of a Pultruded Sheet Piling Wall

Following is a sample design of a Pultruded sheet pile wall using SPW 911 v. 2.01. This
is only a sample and should not be used for an actual design. We will present the results
in a series of “screen shots” taken from an actual SPW 911 analysis to illustrate the data.
However, although SPW 911 is used for this example, obviously hand calculations using
classical methods or finite element analysis can be used for this type of sheeting.
First, enter the basic contractor information into the program:

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 The input dialog for this is shown at the left.
Step 2. Input the basic excavation data.

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 In this case, the design calls for an
excavation of 10’. The water depth on the
excavated side is 5’, which means that the
water depth from the top of the
excavation/sheeting is 5’ as well. The water
table on the other side has the same depth as
the water on the excavated side. There is a
surcharge of 200 psf.

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 Step 3. Input the soils data. From ground
level to the excavation depth of 10’, the soil
is loose fine sand; below this 10’ mark, it
becomes dense find sand. In this example
the Columb theory of modeling lateral earth
pressure is chosen as an option in Pile Bucks
SPW 911 V2 sheet piling retaining wall
software program. Alternatives would be
the Rankine or Terzaghi pressure models or
hand calculations.
Next, input the sheeting data.

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 The sheeting specifications given above are
in the order and format needed for their use
in SPW 911, although these specifications
are essential in any analysis of the sheeting.
Without wale design at this point, the
program automatically assumes a cantilever
design and designs a toe depth of nearly 13’
from the bottom of the excavation. This
successfully resists overturning but has very
unsatisfactory bending moment and
deflection results. The wall in this
configuration is not an acceptable design;
wales are required. As a result, supports
(wales) must be added.

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 In this case a wale with tiebacks 2’ from the
top of the wall is added. As a result, the
bending moment falls to within the
allowable bending moment of the pultruded
sheet piling. It is important to carefully note
the wale support load per unit length of wall,
as this is essential in proper tieback design
for any wall design.
One thing that needs to be especially
watched with the design of Pultruded sheet
piling is the deflection. One method of
decreasing the deflection of the sheeting is
to drive it further into the ground. In this
case we increased the toe depth from 5.15’
below the bottom of the excavation to 10’.
As shown below, the maximum deflection
decreased from 1.0” to 0.6”. Additional
wales and tiebacks could also be used to
accomplish this task. Also shown below is
the pressure diagram along the wall.

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The deflections shown here are merely the results of calculations and are not meant to
represent any property of the wall with regard to deflection. Maximum permissible
deflection may also be influenced by other factors, such as connecting or neighboring
structures. Also, the deflections shown here – and those of most methods used to compute
deflections of sheet piling – do not take into consideration shear deflection, which is
significant in short sections and more important in fiberglass than in materials such as steel.
This should be checked independently with methods shown in any mechanics of materials
text. SPW 911 2.01 outputs values of wall shear, as shown below.

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After this, we can see detailed results of input data, graphs and tables below.

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Page 18 of 28
It should be noted again that Pultruded sheeting is an engineered product and must be
designed with the same care and expertise that other engineered products should be.
Finally, we take a look at the same case if a competing fiberglass section is used. The
basic results are shown below.

CUTTING & DRILLING

PULTRUDED SHEETING
Pultruded sheeting is furnished cut to
specified length. In most cases,
however, it will be necessary to cut, or
drill the material to complete the wall
installation.

Cutting Pultruded Sheet

Piling
The cutting or sawing of Composite
ZTM Sheet Piling, cap and walers can
be accomplished quickly and
accurately with a circular power saw. Considering a retaining wall is built on site, a hand
model with the proper blade, cutting a properly clamped and RIGID pultruded shape
utilized by a capable individual should be effective.
For routine cutting, a carbide edged masonary blade works well. If doing a final
“leveling off” of a pultruded sheet piling wall and the cutting will be extensive, a
diamond edged blade will perform best. Remember, pultruded shapes are an “abrasive”
material. Tungsten carbide or diamond-coated blades are recommended. An inventory
of these should be maintained. When sawing relatively few pieces, a hacksaw blade is
suitable. Hacksaw blades will break occasionally and as a result, an adequate supply
should be maintained. Although an ordinary carpenter’s saw can be used, frequent
resharpening can slow down this method and not encouraged.
One problem that may be encountered with a circular power saw is that larger pultruded
sections (e.g. walers/H-piles) cannot be cut in one pass due to the blade vs. wale size.
This problem does not exist with Composite ZTM Sheet Piling. However, larger wale
sections can present a problem. As a result, these sections can be sawed in two passes by
sawing half the profile from one side, then cutting the remaining half from the other side
Obviously this would be best performed prior to placement of the waler however can be
accomplished in place by a skilled carpenter.
Important Notes when Cutting Composite Z Sheet Piling or Structural
Components

1. Composite ZTM sheet piling and pultruded structural components are strong,
however also elastic. As a result, rigid (stiff) support is required at all times to
keep the pultruded shape from moving when making a cut. Without adequate

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 support pultruded sheet piling, as well as cap or wale sections, can shift and may
cause edges to chip or result in an uneven cut. Proper support will also prevent
any warping or twisting of the structural member. Clamps, tie-downs, and vices
should be utilized before any section is cut. Remember, RIGID, STIFF
SUPPORT IS REQUIRED FOR ALL CUTTING AND DRILLING
APPLICATIONS!
2. Fiberglass is very abrasive. Whether it be a circular saw blade, hand or hack saw
blade, drill bit or even punch, these tools will wear quickly. Maintaining an
inventory of saw blades and other cutting and drilling tools is highly
recommended.
3. In cutting and drilling operations, avoid excessive pressure. Operating the saw or
drill with a “light” steady pressure will result in the best finished cut or drilled
hole.
4. Avoid excessive pressure. Too much pressure can clog the saw blade with dust
particles, creating unnecessary heat. This will shorten the cutting life of the blade
or drill bit.
5. The speed in which one is cutting is extremely important when cutting pultruded
sheet piling, cap or wale sections. If the edges begin to splinter, slow down.
Slow, steady cutting speeds aid in smoother finished cuts.
6. Too much force can rapidly dull the tool. Frequent tool sharpening is common.
Diamond-coated or carbide grit edge saw blades and carbide tip drill bits are
recommended.
7. The greater the thickness, the slower the cutting or drilling speed. As a result and
to aid in decreasing heat generated during cutting also use an appropriate “speed”
when cutting or drilling. Cutting speeds should be moderately fast.
8. Water cooling can assist when cutting more than one piece or when thick “wale”
profiles are to be cut. Water aids in reducing heat generated on both the tool as
well as the profile being cut. In addition, water helps control the dust created
when cutting or drilling.
9. Do not generate excessive heat in any cutting or drilling operation. Excessive
heat softens the bonding resin in the fiberglass – resulting in a ragged rather than
a clean-cut edge. Excessive heat can also burn resin and glass.
10. Shearing and punching requires specific knowledge and should not be performed
on a pultruded shape if not administered by an experienced person. Moreover,
punching or shearing shapes in excess of 1/8” thick is not recommended.
11. Adhere to standard industry, OSHA approved safety procedures. Namely the use
of an OSHA approved dust mask as well as the appropriate eye protection. The
appropriate attire may also be necessary as some workers may experience skin
irritation during cutting or drilling operations.

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Drilling Methods
Any standard cobalt or carbide tipped drill bit is excellent for drilling Composite ZTM
sheet piling, caps and walers. In many cases a standard “twist bit” may be suitable for
drilling smaller quantities of holes. Most pultruders recommend drilling at the same
speed in which one would drill a “hardwood”. Just as with cutting operations, this should
be done at a steady, light (but firm) evenly applied pressure.

Important Drilling Notes:

1. When drilling “tie-rod holes” (large diameter holes), a backup plate of wood or
similar material will aid in preventing the hole from having a “splintered hole” on
the reverse side. Many pultruders refer to this unwanted result as a “breakout”.

2. Drill slowly. Especially when drilling with higher speeds. Drilling speeds should
take hole size and thickness into consideration. The thicker the profile the slower
the drilling process.

3. When drilling holes for the riveting of lightweight components, always use the
rivet manufacturers recommended hole size.

4. Holes in pultruded shapes are generally always “oversized”. Holes drilled in

composite structurals are generally .002” to .005” undersize. For example, a 1/8”
(3.175 mm) drill will not produce a hole large enough to allow a 1/8” bolt nor
rivet to enter. As a result, a larger No. 30 bit will be required. This should be
noted when drilling bolt holes for wale and/or tie rod hardware placement as well
as any lightweight lighting or signage components to be riveted.

5. Just as in cutting operations “water cooling” will aid in any drilling operation by
both cooling the bit, drill and profile being cut. In addition, dust is kept at a
minimum.

6. Too much force will dull a drill bit, increase heat and hinder the drilling
operation.

7. Excessive heat created during drilling operations can burn the resin and glass in
the profile.

Sanding and Grinding Operations

Grinding is generally not recommended on composite shapes however may be necessary
in certain situations. These may be to correct an inaccuracy in a cut, notching, recessing
a “high area” or simply touching up an edge. When grinding, the dust created has a
tendency to clog the grinding wheel and as a result, impede the process. In addition,
heavy pressure may heat up and soften the resin. If grinding is required, use a medium
coarse grit wheel as opposed to a finer wheel. Also, water as coolant is recommended.

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Important Grinding Notes:
1. Grinding should be performed at relatively high speeds.
2. A medium coarse grinding wheel is best.
3. Use carbide grinding wheels applied at a light, (non heat generating pressure).
4. Remember to clean the grinding wheel regularly. It will become clogged very
quickly.
5. If using sand paper, an open grit sandpaper on a high speed sanding wheel gives
best results.

6. Water will help eliminate dust as well as heat build-up.

BOLTS, HARDWARE, ETC.

Composite ZTM Sheet Piling and composite cap and wale components may be joined by
using standard industry bolts, nuts, and OGEE washers. In seawall and marine
applications these are generally galvanized or stainless. Remember, it is imperative that
the use of properly fitting bolts as well as a larger diameter washer or plate (to help
distribute the load) be utilized in any pultruded profile connection. This is extremely
important particularly with regard to the wale and tie-rod installation.
Important Hardware Notes:
1. The most important note when bolting a profile wale section is to always use a
larger diameter washer or plate. This will aid in distributing the bolt or tie-rod
load.
*THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT WITH REGARD TO THE BOLTING
OF A TIE-ROD ON A WALE SECTION!
2. Bolts, nuts, and washers may be stainless, galvanized, steel (in non-corrosive
environments) as well as nylon, and other composites, bolts/rods.
3. Nails can generally be driven through 1/4” pultruded profiles, however will not
hold when driven into a pultruded shape. Only wood. e.g. A pultruded shape can
be nailed into wood however wood cannot be nailed into a pultruded shape as it
will not hold.
4. Tapping is not recommended.
5. Consider carefully the use and design of fastening devices for mechanical
connections of any composite structure.
6. Riveting of lightweight dock and seawall components such as conduit, lighting
and signage is generally permitted. Obviously weight dictates suitable
applications. Acceptable rivets are a) Nylon, b) “T”, c) Drive (Nylon), d) Drive
(Aluminum)

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Marine and/or Saltwater Exposed Connections
Bolts, nuts, ogee washers, tie-rods, and other fasteners and/or connections should be hot
dipped galvanized per ASTM A153 with 20 ounces of zinc per square foot. In lieu of
galvanized hardware, if stainless steel fasteners are utilized they shall be of 300 series
alloy stainless steel or have an equivalent protective coating such as a bitumastic. Any
nailed connections should be stainless.

CORNER CONFIGURATION

90° Corner

Composite Z corners are generally installed with the last “Z” sheet to be driven. e.g. The
corner is hand threaded into the “Z” shape prior to setting the last “Z” shape in a wall

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prior to making a 90° turn or return wall. After setting this final shape combined with the
90° corner, the corner and the “Z” are driven simultaneously.

WALES, TIEBACKS AND CAPS

Caps
All permanent sheet pile walls need to be capped when installation is complete.
Although this can be done with wood or concrete caps, we normally recommend the use
of a pultruded channel cap. This piece is 8" x 2 3/16" x 1/4" and is customized to fit the
sheeting profile. A drawing for this is shown below.

Wales
Virtually any installation of Pultruded sheet piling will include some kind of additional
support for the wall. Although this support usually includes a tieback system, it always

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will include wales. Proper waling is extremely important in the design of a well
engineered pultruded sheet pile wall. Lower walls can be strengthened with single
waling but taller walls require multiple waling.
The most suitable waling for this application is Pultruded H-beams. These avoid the
deterioration and environmental concerns of CCA treated wood wales. Composite H-
beam walers are available in 6", 8", 10" and 12" sizes and are configured according to the
design requirements and specifications shown below:

WALE (H-PILE) SPECIFICATIONS

SIZE A, in. B, in. C, in. Ixx, in4 Iyy, in4
12” x 1/2” 12 1/2 1/2 452.45 144.11
10” x 1/2” 10 1/2 1/2 256.20 83.42
10” x 3/8” 10 3/8 3/8 198.53 62.54
8” x 1/2” 8 1/2 1/2 126.96 42.74
8” x 3/8” 8 3/8 3/8 99.19 32.03
6” x 3/8” 6 3/8 3/8 40.17 13.52

Although single wales are sometimes acceptable, in many cases due to the excessive
height of a retaining wall double waling – or more -- is required.

Tiebacks
Tiebacks are essential to resist wall overturning when the wall is sufficiently tall for this
to be a problem. Tiebacks consist of three basic components:
There are three recommended options to tie back Pultruded sheet pile walls:
• Conventional galvanized or stainless steel tie-rod, washer and bolt systems
anchored into a properly engineered “deadmen”, tieback wall, pile or other
anchored device when properly engineered will be suitable. These consist of
three basic components;
o Tieback rod, which is generally a threaded, galvanized stainless steel rod
cut to suitable length. For maximum corrosion resistance, an 18-8
stainless steel (300 series) should be used for these rods. Remember that
these are completely buried so they are subject to deterioration due to
groundwater, soil pH and other environmental agents.
o Washers, bolts and other spacers to connect the tiebacks to the wales and
thus the wall. These are threaded onto the tieback rods and tightened after
suitable holes are drilled in the wall and wales.
o Anchor for the tiebacks. This can be an anchor plate, pile or other type of
anchor, depending upon the soil conditions and tieback pull loads. The tie
rods are connected to the anchors.

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(5) TYPICAL SHEET PILING BULKHEAD ANCHORING METHODS UTILIZING A
CONVENTIONAL GALVANIZED TIE-ROD.

ADDITIONAL TIEBACK/ANCHORING
• Manta Ray Anchor system – Manufactured by Foresight Products, LLC has an
excellent anchoring system (similar to a “toggle bolt”) as well as a 14 page guide
to installing Manta Ray anchors in retaining and seawall applications. A
“hydraulic/load locker” device can give an immediate proof test of the installed
anchor. Contact Composite Components, Inc. for the name of the nearest Manta
Ray Anchor distributor.

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 MANTA RAY TIE BACK ANCHOR ASSEMBLY
• A.B. Chance Company - A Hubbell Company, the A.B. Chance helical tieback
anchor (screw anchor) for tieback applications has widely been used throughout
the industry in retaining wall, seawall, and bulkhead applications. It is an
excellent anchoring system with a long history of successful applications. Like
the Manta Ray system, it also can provide an immediate true load test of the
anchor once installed. Contact Composite Components, Inc. for the location of
the nearest A.B. Chance Company distributor.
A.B. CHANCE HELICAL TIEBACK ANCHOR ASSEMBLY

The design and spacing of the tiebacks depends upon the loading requirements. Spacing
of the tiebacks is also influenced by the rigidity of the wales or top cap. If tiebacks are
spaced too far apart, the wales and thus the wall will excessively deflect.
Note: Any of the above three options should provide for a structurally sound tied back
anchoring system when properly engineered.

REMEMBER: A RETAINING WALL, SEAWALL, OR

BULKHEAD IS ONLY AS STRONG AS ITS
PROPERLY ENGINEERED WALE AND TIEBACK
SYSTEM. ATTEMPTING TO ELIMINATE AN
ADDITIONAL WALE OR INCREASING THE
SPACING OF ANY TIE-ROD/ANCHORING DEVICE IN
AN ATTEMPT TO SAVE MONEY WILL ONLY IN THE
LONG RUN JEOPARDIZE THE STRUCTURAL
INTEGRITY OF THE WALL AND IN THE END,
RESULT IN FAILURE.
The results from SPW 911 v. 2.01 or any other conventional method of sheet pile analysis
will include the tieback loads in units of force per unit length of wall. The more tiebacks
included in a system, the lower the load on each tieback.

INSTALLATION OF PULTRUDED SHEET PILE WALLS

Installation of pultruded sheet piling is similar to that of other types of sheet piling.
Complete details concerning this can be found in The Complete Book of Pile Driving,
available from Pile Buck. The following notes are some specific guidelines for Pultruded
sheeting.
Pultruded sheet piling can be installed using a variety of equipment types, which include:
Vibratory hammers, either excavator or crane mounted are the ideal tool for driving
composite sheet piling. Vibratory plate compactors are also used, but these are
exclusively excavator mounted and can damage sheeting tops if not properly operated.

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 • A portable air-compressor or hydraulic
jackhammer with a sheet shoe.
• A drop impact hammer, either land-based or
barge-mounted.
• A water jet driven by a high output pump, either
manually held or suspended from a crane.

As with other types of sheet piling, pultruded sheet piling

is best set before being driven. Because it is lightweight,
when safety conditions permit it can be set in place by
hand. It can also be installed with a crane or excavator if
conditions require it.
The selection of an installation method is a matter of both jobsite conditions and
contractor preference. However, as with any driven pile, the preparation before driving is
frequently as important as the driving itself.
After the sheeting is driven, the wales, tiebacks, caps, etc. are to be installed. Make sure
all recommendations in this guide concerning cutting, drilling, or any mechanical
connections are followed during any or all of these operations.

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