Soldier pile walls are the most common piled walls for basements where ground conditions are generally cohesive soils and/or rock. Piles are typically drilled at intervals of 1.2-3.0m with the infilling or lagging provided by shotcrete panels or timber sleepers/precast planks.
If the soldier pile is cast in situ it may be constructed with conventional open hole bored piling techniques or CFA methodology. Soldier piles may also be pre-formed, typically steel H-sections or precast piles placed in bored holes.
In basement construction, cast in situ soldier piles may be designed to accommodate point loads from the structure in the final condition, resulting in significantly longer piles beneath perimeter columns or band beams. Following construction of a capping or header beam, the excavation proceeds with shotcrete infill panels constructed to provide the lagging between the piles transferring lateral loads into the soldier system. Where the basement is two levels or deeper, the soldier piles would typically be temporarily anchored or propped.
In civil applications such as landscaping walls, steel H-sections are common with timber sleeper or precast plank lagging. Where these walls are permanent, the steel sections are galvanised.