How bridges get built · Driven piles · Steel pipe piles (open- and closed-ended)
Also called: tubular steel pile, steel pipe pile, plugged pile
How it is done
- Drive with a hydraulic hammer, often from a barge with a template to hold position and rake; vibro-drive the upper part where permitted.
- Splice on the barge with a girth weld and inspect ultrasonically; continue to the bearing layer or the required embedment.
- Open-ended piles: monitor the plug; core out and fill with concrete or grout where the plug is unreliable; closed-ended piles: full displacement, higher driving resistance.
- Cut off and connect to the cap with a welded plate or an embedded reinforced concrete plug.
Where it fits
- River, estuary and sea piers; long piles through soft clay to a deep layer; pylon foundations in sand; sites with lateral load from ships, ice or earthquakes.
Where it does not
- Rock at the tip without a socket (use PRD or bored piles), highly corrosive ground without protection.
Plant, pace and money
PlantBarge with template, hydraulic hammer 15-40 t, welding crews, ultrasonic testing.
Productivity2-6 piles of 40-60 m per barge per shift including splices.
CostUSD 250-600 per metre for 1,000-1,200 mm including driving; steel price dominates.
Risks and controls
What goes wrong
- Buckling or tearing of the tip on boulders, running in soft layers, corrosion (allow 2-4 mm sacrificial thickness or coatings and cathodic protection in the splash zone).
Quality assurance
Weld inspection, driving records and PDA, verticality survey by template, plug measurement.
Examples
Tokyo Bay Aqualine, Incheon Bridge approaches, Gulf sea viaducts; the reference uses open-ended pipes for water piers over sand.
Related methods
Percussion rotary drilled (PRD) steel pipe pilesPHC spun concrete pilesVibratory drivingCorrosion protection of steel piles
Further reading
API RP 2A · JIS A 5525 · Eurocode 3-5