All about King Post Walls

King Post Walls, also known as Soldier Piles, are some of the oldest forms of retaining systems used in deep excavations. They have successfully been used since the late 18th Century in metropolitan cities like New York, Berlin, and London.

King Posts are isolated steel columns that are installed along the line of the proposed retaining wall typically at centres between 1 and 3m. The space between the posts is filled, over the retained height, using a variety of different solutions but most commonly a precast concrete panel.

And its design?

King Post Walls can be designed to Eurocode 7 or British standards and can be analysed in the temporary or permanent conditions. The design life is generally 50 years or more depending on the requirements.

How is a King Post Wall installed?

The method involves drilling a hole with a high powered CFA, large diameter or mini piling rig and then filling it with concrete and installation an H beam. This allows concrete pre-stressed panels to be inserted between the webs of the H sections, which after excavation results in the finished embedded retaining wall.

King Post Wall Installation

The major advantages of King Post Walls are:

1. King Post Walls are fast to construct
2. They can be cheaper when compared to other retaining systems such as sheet piled and concreted piled walls
3. King Post Wall installation is versatile and adjustments can be made in the field easily to accommodate changes
4. They are a simple and quick installation making it a smooth transition on handing over to follow on trade
5. King Post Walls may be used for different retention applications and heights in different ground conditions, including rock.
6. Applications are numerous including basements, embankment retention and flood defence walls
7.  Relatively silent and vibration free installation
8. Procurement of locally sourced materials
9.  Corners can be fabricated off site so that no on site hot works are required on site. This reduces risk on site as well as saving time and money
10. Cost effective system for use in hard ground
11. Can be tied back with Ground Anchors
12. No spoil generated on site
13. Piling is unaffected by ground water

To download our Project Storyboard for one of Aarsleff’s King Post Wall projects in Sheffield, please click here 

For more information about Aarsleff Ground Engineering or to send in your enquiry, call 01636 611140 and speak to a member of our expert team today, or drop us an email