Construction work carried out below ground level requires additional reinforcement to protect it from water or other mechanical interference. This is especially true for loose lands, which are unstable in themselves.
Construction of the building begins with a pit. To prevent the destruction of nearby buildings, the relief of the surface of the soil and the landscape, additional strengthening of the pit with the help of the Larsen tongue is used.
Definition
A tongue and groove is a box-shaped metal construction with linear locks at the edges. When immersed in the ground, the elements are fixed to each other using grooves on the structure. As a result, a continuous inextricable web is formed.
The Larsen sheet pile L5 is made of high-strength steel in order to easily transfer immersion into solid soil. Depending on the load on the structure, tongues from 15 to 23 mm in thickness are used. When properly installed, the structure restrains the movement of soil and groundwater, which gives an advantage in construction.
Dowels made of polymers
For the manufacture of sheet piles, not only steel is used, but also high-strength polymers - polyvinyl chloride and fiberglass. Despite the increased degree of brittleness in comparison with classical sheet piles made of metal, polymer ones have a lower budget cost.
The advantage of polymers is corrosion resistance. Due to this, they are often used to strengthen terraces, coastlines, slopes. Used for the construction of small structures.
Application area
A tongue is a structure that has several varieties, of which metal and polymer are most often used. Depending on the characteristics of the material and the soil, such elements are used in such cases:
- strengthening the coastline of water bodies;
- the construction of bridge supports and other hydraulic structures;
- strengthening pits during the construction of large buildings;
- foundation protection against groundwater;
- fencing of a specific site of soil from landslides.
The tongue creates an airtight space that inhibits the natural movement of soil and groundwater. In the water zone it is possible to create a ring from which water is completely pumped out for construction work.
Installation technique
A sheet pile is a kind of pile, which is immersed in the ground with the help of special construction equipment. Clogging of such elements is carried out into the ground by mechanical action on the upper part of the structure.
Construction machinery creates vibrations or shocks that gently hammer the pile into the soil. At the same time, for small structures, there are manual devices for hammering sheet piles. The choice of installation method is determined by the characteristics of the soil. So, in the soil, which contains a large number of stones or other solid inclusions, extremely strong metal structures are installed.
Since the tongue is a pile, the installation begins by fixing the element in a vertical position. To facilitate installation and movement of piles in the soil, the grooves for fasteners are treated with a thick layer of grease. When installing the tongues in places with an elevated level of groundwater, the joints between the structural elements are additionally sealed with silicone-based compounds. For polymer sheet piles, additional lubrication is not required in most cases.
To limit the impact on the surrounding buildings, the following measures are taken:
- reduction in hammer impact force;
- well drilling for each individual structural element;
- reduction in the number of dowels clogged at the same time;
- the use of lubricants for immersion.
This takes into account the condition of all buildings within a radius of 20 m from the construction site.