Where there’s a need to retain materials such as soil, aggregate or ballast, king post retaining walls are often the most cost-effective and convenient choice. They are commonly used for permanent retaining structures, temporary retaining walls and deep excavations.
As there’s little required in the way of onsite equipment and operations, king post retaining walls are an attractive option when space is tight and disruption needs to be kept to a minimum.
Versatile and Efficient
The king post is an H-section steel column inserted into the ground. Once in position, the space between the posts is filled with precast concrete or timber panels. Sometimes ground anchors are used to provide additional stability.
The king posts can be installed using a variety of piling methods including rotary bored, Continuous or Sectional Flight Auger (CFA or SFA), or driven. The location and exact nature of the site ground conditions will normally influence the chosen piling method.
When bored or augered piles are used, king post retaining walls cause little in the way of vibration and noise during construction – certainly compared to other retaining wall methods such as sheet piles. The king post is carefully inserted into the concrete-filled bore hole to form a secure fixing point.
Some Examples
A few examples of previously delivered projects illustrate the wide range of situations where king post retaining walls offer an effective and efficient solution.
At Alumhurst Road Hospital in Dorset we installed a bored king post retaining wall with timber sleeper infills, along with hard and soft landscaping. This transformed a little used area into a welcoming space for patients and staff.
Timber infills were selected to enhance the overall appearance, while the low-noise, low-emission equipment and auger-bored techniques made sure we caused as little disturbance as possible for staff and residents.
The Sevington Depot near Ashford was a rather different project. The depot serves as Network Rail’s high-output operating base, receiving ballast trains and supplying aggregates for rail maintenance across the region.
Suttle Piling was commissioned to construct a series of king post retaining walls to expand the secure ballast storage capacity. Over 240 king posts were installed and the new retaining walls were completed with minimal impact on depot operations.
See more projects here: King Post – Suttle Piling
To find out whether kingpost retaining walls would be right for your next project – contact Suttle Piling.