Can I extend the piles below the sheet piles when using combined sheet pile walls in DeepEX?
- May 19
- 1 min read
Combined sheet pile wall systems — consisting of king piles (H-beams, double H-beams, pipes, or reinforced concrete piles) paired with sheet piles — are typically used when higher bending capacity and deeper penetration are needed. They’re common in deep excavations, marine works, and other projects requiring strong retaining structures.
In DeepEX, combined systems are considered continuous walls by default, meaning the sheet piles extend all the way down to the pile tip. All earth and water pressures are calculated based on the pile spacing for the full wall depth.
However, there is an option to model situations where the main piles extend deeper than the sheet piles:
1. Adjust calculation widths below the sheet pile tip
Active pressures & Water pressures = Equal to the pile flange width or pile diameter (depending on the pile type).
Passive pressures = 2 to 3 × the pile flange width or pile diameter (to account for pressure arching on the resisting side).
2. Set the custom sheet pile depth
In the Edit Walls dialog, check Use custom passive elevation.
Enter the elevation where the sheet piles actually stop.
DeepEX will then treat the wall as continuous down to that point, and non-continuous below, using the adjusted widths above for pressure calculations.
This approach lets you more accurately simulate the behavior of real-world combined wall designs where piles extend below the sheet piles for added embedment and stability.
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