Steel Z-Shaped Sheet Pile Profile

This page demonstrates how to create and visualize Z-shaped sheet pile profiles using the Blueprints library. Z-shaped sheet piles are interlocking structural elements used in retaining walls and cofferdams. The AZ and PAZ series are standardized families of Z-shaped sheet piles available in Blueprints.

We will:

Create, plot and inspect the section properties of a standard AZ profile
Combine several interlocking sheets into a wall
Apply a corrosion allowance
Use a standard PAZ combined double sheet pile
Define a fully custom Z-shaped sheet pile from raw coordinates

1. Create a Standard AZ Profile

The standard AZ sheet pile profiles are available from the standard_profiles module. Access one of the predefined profiles as a class attribute, for example AZ18. This returns a SheetpileZProfile instance representing a single sheet.

from blueprints.structural_sections.steel.standard_profiles import AZ

az_profile = AZ.AZ18
print(f"Profile name: {az_profile.name}")
print(f"Web thickness: {az_profile.web_thickness} mm")
print(f"Flange thickness: {az_profile.flange_thickness} mm")
print(f"Interlocking distance (center-to-center): {az_profile.interlocking_ctc} mm")

Profile name: AZ 18
Web thickness: 9.5 mm
Flange thickness: 9.5 mm
Interlocking distance (center-to-center): 630 mm

2. Plot the Single Sheet

Generate a plot of the profile using the plot() method to verify its geometry.

fig = az_profile.plot(show=False)  # use show=True locally to open the plot directly

3. Access the Section Properties

Retrieve the section properties (area, perimeter, moments of inertia, section moduli, etc.) of the single sheet using the section_properties() method.

properties = az_profile.section_properties()
print(f"Area: {properties.area:.1f} mm²")
print(f"Perimeter: {properties.perimeter:.1f} mm")
print(f"Second moment of area about x-axis (ixx_c): {properties.ixx_c:.0f} mm⁴")
print(f"Section modulus (zxx_plus): {properties.zxx_plus:.0f} mm³")

Area: 9480.0 mm²
Perimeter: 1924.0 mm
Second moment of area about x-axis (ixx_c): 215425729 mm⁴
Section modulus (zxx_plus): 1133862 mm³

4. Build a Wall from Multiple Interlocking Sheets

Sheet piles are installed side by side to form a continuous wall. Use the multiple_sheets() method to create a new profile made up of several interlocking sheets. Every second sheet is automatically mirrored and connected at the interlock, matching how the sheets snap together on site. At each interlock a small connector element is drawn between adjacent sheets to represent the clutch where the two sheets lock together, alternating between the top and bottom of the wall.

az_wall = az_profile.multiple_sheets(number_of_sheets=4)
fig = az_wall.plot(show=False)

5. Apply a Corrosion Allowance (optional)

Sheet piles in aggressive environments lose material over their design life. Use with_corrosion() to reduce the wall thickness on both faces by the given amount. The web and flange thicknesses are each reduced by twice the corrosion value (corrosion acts on both sides).

az_corroded = az_profile.with_corrosion(corrosion=1.0)
fig = az_corroded.plot(show=False)

6. Use a Standard PAZ Combined Sheet Pile (optional)

The PAZ series ("Pile and AZ") is another standardized family of Z-shaped sheet piles. Access them just like the AZ profiles from the standard_profiles module. Each PAZ profile is a SheetpileZProfile and supports the same plot(), section_properties(), multiple_sheets() and with_corrosion() methods shown above.

from blueprints.structural_sections.steel.standard_profiles import PAZ

paz_profile = PAZ.PAZ4370
print(f"Profile name: {paz_profile.name}")
print(f"Interlocking distance (center-to-center): {paz_profile.interlocking_ctc} mm")

Profile name: PAZ 43-70
Interlocking distance (center-to-center): 770 mm

fig = paz_profile.plot(show=False)

7. Define a Custom Z-Shaped Sheet Pile (optional)

When a profile is not part of the standard database, you can build one directly from its outline coordinates using SheetpileZProfile. Provide the (x, y) coordinates of the single-sheet outline together with the web thickness, flange thickness and the center-to-center interlocking distance. The custom profile supports the same plot(), section_properties(), multiple_sheets() and with_corrosion() methods as the standard profiles.

from blueprints.structural_sections.steel.profile_definitions.sheetpile_z_profile import SheetpileZProfile

custom_z_profile = SheetpileZProfile(
    coordinates=list(AZ.AZ18.coordinates),  # replace with your own outline
    web_thickness=9.5,  # mm
    flange_thickness=9.5,  # mm
    interlocking_ctc=630,  # mm (center-to-center distance between sheets)
    name="Custom Z-Profile",
)
fig = custom_z_profile.plot(show=False)