Steel H-Piles

Advantages

• High individual load capacity when driven to practical refusal.
• Readily available.
• Easily shortened or extended.
• Can be installed with conventional driving equipment.
• Minimal disturbance to adjacent piles or structures.
• Easily driven through dense granular soil or very stiff clays.
• Reduced soil heave and ground vibrations.
• Excellent penetrating capability.
• High lateral capacity.
• High uplift capacity.

Disadvantages

• Higher cost if lightly loaded.
• Tend to drive deeper in loose sands and silty sand.
• Post driving visual inspection not possible.
• Maintaining fixed web orientation for lateral loading.

General

• Common splices involve full penetration butt weld.
• Most efficient when driven through deep soft to medium stiff clays to refusal on rock.
• Propriety splicers available.
• Toe reinforcing may be required in areas of dense soil, soil containing boulders or rock, or when driven to sloping rock.
• Cathodic or other protection may be required.