Full scale field tests of the SuperLock hybrid sheet piles
Full scale field tests of the SuperLock hybrid sheet piles
In mid-2021, the Pietrucha Group completed full-scale field tests of the SuperLock hybrid profiles. The tests were carried out under supervision of academic team from the Łodz University of Technology. In field conditions, the innovative hybrid profiles have proved to have higher strength than the one calculated using geotechnical software.
The field tests were part of the R&D work aimed to develop technology that would increase PVC durability without loss of its advantages (weight, resistance to corrosions and chemical factors and price), broaden the scope of application and optimize the manufacturing processes.
For the purpose of conducting the test, a 16 meter retaining wall was constructed at the Szczakowa sand-mine in Southern Poland, which in the initial phase was fully immersed. The wall was then gradually unearthed and at the final stage the surcharge was loaded with concrete slabs with dimensions of 3m x 1.5m x 0.2m and weight of 2100 KG each.
The objective of the tests was to:
- Check the performance of a retaining wall made of the SuperLock hybrid sheet piles under the pressure of soil and surcharge (slabs of concrete).
- Improve the profile installation method in heavy soil conditions.
- Compare the monitoring results obtained from optical fibers, strain gauge and inclinometers
The tests have proved that the strength of the SuperLock hybrid profiles is higher in field conditions than the one indicated by the geotechnical calculation software.
Quality, expertise and contribution to the market development
Manufacturing of PVC sheet piling is a process requiring utmost care. Application of the ISO 9001:2008 standard has enabled us to provide and maintain high quality products. An advanced machine park coupled with over 25 years’ experience in plastics processing guarantee the highest quality of the products manufactured by the Pietrucha Group.
The patented technology of profiles manufacturing of sealing thermo-plastic material with fiber-glass stains resulted in the creation of new hybrid material with higher technical parameters but competitive price and all advantages of PVC sheet piles.
Sheet piles made by the Pietrucha group are a cutting-edge, lightweight and economic alternative to traditional materials such as steel, concrete or wood. The solution is becoming more and more popular in civil engineering because of its excellent parameters and the opportunity to cut the costs of investment. Thanks to low carbon footprint and using recycled PVC which may be further recycled, vinyl and hybrid sheet piles are environmentally friendly. – comments Jerzy Pietrucha, CEO
Competitively priced technology to face the current market challenges.
The SuperLock profiles have technical parameters which historically could only be obtained using the traditional technology of steel sheet piling. The cutting edge hybrid solution is an absolute Europe’s and the World’s innovation, since there is no alternative product on the market that would combine the advantages of PVC sheet piles and steel profiles.
The field tests confirmed that the SuperLock hybrid technology may efficiently compete on the global market in the sector that had been so far reserved to the manufacturers of steel profiles, including more demanding projects connected with the construction of retaining walls exceeding 3 meters in height, which have traditionally been made of steel or concrete profiles.