What types of sheet pile sections can I design with DeepEX?
- May 19
- 3 min read
The DeepEX wall type library offers a comprehensive and well-organised selection of sheet pile wall systems, thoughtfully categorised into two main groups: regular sheet pile walls and combined sheet pile walls. This classification helps streamline the modelling process by guiding users toward the most suitable structural system based on project-specific requirements such as excavation depth, soil conditions, structural loading, and construction constraints.
These wall types are visually presented within the software interface and can be accessed from the option to edit the section data of the wall (Figure 1). The graphical layout allows engineers to easily browse through the available options, compare structural configurations, and select the most appropriate wall system for each section of their excavation model. This user-friendly catalogue not only enhances design efficiency but also improves decision-making by providing immediate visual cues related to geometry, material type, and application.
Each wall type is depicted with relevant structural profiles and spacing notations, giving users a clear understanding of the configuration and its potential performance characteristics. Whether the project calls for lightweight vinyl or timber sheets for shallow, temporary works, or heavy-duty combined walls with pipe piles and concrete fill for deep or heavily loaded excavations, the DeepEX library supports a wide range of real-world geotechnical and structural design scenarios.
By categorising these systems and presenting them graphically, DeepEX simplifies the otherwise complex task of retaining wall selection and ensures that engineers can quickly identify and implement optimal wall solutions tailored to their excavation design challenges.
The regular sheet pile wall options, shown in Figure 2, include a diverse range of materials and profiles:
Steel sheet piles, offering high strength and versatility, are ideal for both temporary and permanent retaining structures.
Wooden sheet piles, suitable for shallow or low-cost excavations, are often used in temporary or environmentally sensitive applications.
Vinyl sheet piles, valued for their corrosion resistance, are commonly used in marine and water-retaining structures.
Steel plates, which can be used as lagging panels or custom-facing elements in retaining walls. These standard wall types provide effective solutions for a variety of excavation scenarios, from utility trenches to waterfront walls.
Figure 3 displays the combined sheet pile wall systems. These systems are designed to meet higher structural demands and offer greater bending resistance and load-bearing capacity than standard sheet piles. DeepEX supports several configurations of combined walls, each suited for different performance and constructability requirements:
H-beam with sheet pile infill: A widely used configuration where steel H-piles serve as primary load-bearing elements, with sheet piles acting as infill panels to retain soil.
Double H-beam with infill: Enhances stiffness and capacity by using two closely spaced Hbeams per vertical support, increasing moment resistance.
Pipe pile with sheet pile infill: Employs circular hollow steel sections as king piles, providing high resistance to lateral and vertical loads. This type is often used in port and harbour structures.
Pipe–sheet pile wall filled with concrete: An advanced system in which the pipe piles are concrete-filled to significantly boost their stiffness and axial load capacity, making them suitable for deep excavations and permanent works in soft soils or high-load conditions.
Each configuration is shown with a spacing parameter (S), indicating the distance between the main structural members (e.g., H-beams or pipes). This modular layout allows engineers to optimise the system for bending moments, structural efficiency, and cost.
By offering such an extensive range of sheet pile wall options—both standard and combined— DeepEX equips engineers with the flexibility to design excavation support systems tailored to specific geotechnical conditions, loading scenarios, and construction constraints. These capabilities make the software an essential tool for designing retaining structures in urban, marine, and infrastructure projects where a one-size-fits-all solution is rarely sufficient.
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