Bill,
It might depend on what you are using the sheet piles for. I am use to sheet piles being used temporarily during construction where after they pour the concrete and backfill the hole the sheet piles are removed. In this case the sheet piles have no coating. In cases where we let the contractor leave the sheet piles in the ground (i.e. use the sheet pile as formwork to actually pour concrete against) again we do not specify any coating. If your sheet piles are going to be used as a permanent exposed wall then you may need a coating but I would think any coating would get scratched and dinged during the pounding/vibration of installation. With this in mind I would probably use hot dip galvanizing. Of course all will depend on the soil conditions for chlorides, electrical resistivity, pH, water table, etc.
Thomas Hunt, S.E.
Fluor
From: "bill@polhemus.cc" <bill@polhemus.cc>
To: "<seaint@seaint.org>" <seaint@seaint.org>
Date: 01/05/2012 07:47 AM
Subject: Sheet Pile Coatings - Preferred Methods
I had a little tete-a-tete with a Contractor not long ago, who insisted that the the old tried-and-true painted-on coal-tar epoxy method was the best and cheapest way to go, over "newfangled" methods such as "fusion" epoxy coating (c.f. ASTM A950), which as I understand it, is a "baked-on" powder coating technology.
Being a bit easily impressed as I am with "the newest thing," I had assumed that the powder-coating would be superior, not least in its durability.
He claims that "everyone knows" that the ASTM A950 method was "a failure". He specifically said "if you 'jeep' it, it goes of like a geiger counter," meaning I presume, that there is a problem with lots and lots and lots of "Holidays" with the ASTM A950 method.
Obviously this is not something I can speak to from experience, but I'm sure someone here certainly can. What if anything do you know of the various methods for coating sheet piles, pipe piles, etc.? Is this guy's information correct, that one should NEVER specify ASTM A950?
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