Soldier pile shoring

Soldier pile walls are the most cost-effective option for vertical construction pit shoring. Different design variants are available for this form of temporary construction pit system.

The best known system is called Berlin shoring. The name derives from when it was first used during the construction of the Berlin underground in the 1930s. The term Berlin shoring is often used as a synonym for soldier pile wall.

Soldier pile walls are used as precisely fitting construction pit shoring.

Applications include:

• Construction pits above groundwater level
• Plug-beam shoring above bored piling or diaphragm walls
• Securing breaks in the terrain
• Construction pits with simultaneous groundwater lowering

They are used wherever deformation requirements are low.

• One of the main advantages of soldier pile shoring is its excellent ability to adapt to local conditions. It is relatively easy to cut out recesses for pipes, etc.
• It is produced quietly and without vibrations and is therefore acceptable to local residents.
• Shoring can be constructed very close to existing buildings.
• New buildings can be constructed immediately adjacent to Berlin shoring without leaving additional working space.
• The shoring soldiers and the upper infill are usually withdrawn and reused. The soldiers are processed and placed in interim storage. Berlin shoring is thus both resource-friendly and sustainable.
   

Standards and regulations

Soldier pile walls are designed and manufactured in accordance with DIN EN 1997-1, DIN 1054, and the recommendations of the “Construction Pits” Working Group (Empfehlungen des Arbeitskreises ”Baugrube, EAB).

Production

The first step involves vibro-compacting the steel soldiers into the ground or inserting them into pre-drilled holes and concreting them in at the base. The soldiers are vertical steel girders (e.g. HEB girders, IPB girders or double U-profiles) placed at intervals of around 1m to 3m. The concrete grouting at the base increases the rigidity of the shoring and thus reduces deformations.

The second step is to excavate the soil step by step and to infill the exposed adjacent soil between the steel profile girders with timber (planks or squared timbers). The soil can also be infilled with jetcrete.

Anchored soldier pile walls

Berlin shoring systems at greater excavation depths must be anchored. The anchors for the anchored soldier pile wall can be manufactured to remain permanently in the ground or to be removed, either partially or completely.  As a leading supplier of pressure-grouted anchoring, our company offers different anchor systems from a single source and can thus always provide the technically and economically optimal solution for the client’s construction project. Soldier pile walls at great depths are economically dimensioned by using anchors, chording or bracing. If the construction pit is especially deep, the soldier pile walls are secured with several layers of anchoring.

Where there are high live loads, some sections are designed as bored pile walls. The bored pile wall can also be anchored.

We ensure high execution quality with:

• Individually coordinated instructions
• Compliance with the requirements of DIN EN 1997-1
• Inclinometer measurements to check for deformation
• Clear processes via our quality management system in accordance with DIN EN 9001:2015
   

There are several different types of soldier pile shoring:

Berlin shoring

Berlin shoring is the most common type. After the excavation has been completed, the wooden planks are placed between the IPB beams and held in place with wooden wedges. At greater excavation depths, a horizontal chording of U-profiles is placed in front of the shoring soldiers for support and secured with grouted anchors.

Hamburg shoring

Hamburg shoring involves lining up wooden planks in front of the shoring soldiers and attaching them to the soldiers with hook plates. This variant is rarely used anymore.

Essen shoring

Essen shoring uses two parallel U-profiles connected with lugs as shoring supports. The surrounding soil is infilled in the same way as with Berlin shoring. If the shoring is anchored, the pressure-grout anchors are drilled between the U-profiles, thus eliminating the need for chording. This saves space in the construction pit, which is then available for building construction.