Type of plastic suitable for temporary retaining wall 1

[e709]

Hi can anyone please help me?

I have little to no knowledge of plastics but need to specify a material suitable to be used for a temporary plastic retaining wall. Key criteria would be:

- UV resistant for us in extreme weather conditions (high and low).

- Abrasion resistant for use in areas subject to wind blown sand.

- Reasonably lightweight for easy deployment in third world countries by hand.

- Resistant to moisture, mildew, humidity.

- Non brittle, to resost damage during transportation and use.

- Some structural rigidity, to hold forces of fluids or earth. (400mm wide panel = 16 inches)

- Reasonably cheap.

Thats all i can think off for now. Off the top of my head, i like the look of the plastics used for wheelie bins (UK name, i believe they're called toters in the US)as these are cheap to buy, last years through a lot of rugged use and resist all the contamination they're exposod too.

Any response are greatly appreciated and I look forward to seeing them.

 

[desertfox]

hi e709

How about polycarbonate.

look at this site:-

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-polycarbonate.htm

desertfox

 

[e709]

Desertfox,

Thanks for the quick response. It looks good and thanks for bringing this material to my attention. Judging it on the key criterea that i mentioned it certainly covers a good few, but I also have concerns about one in partlicular.

These are:

Good - UV resistant for us in extreme weather conditions (high and low).

Likley to be good - Abrasion resistant for use in areas subject to wind blown sand.

Likley to be good based on the 1/3 weight of acrylic - Reasonably lightweight for easy deployment in third world countries by hand.

Likley to be good - Resistant to moisture, mildew, humidity.

Likley to be good - Non brittle, to resist damage during transportation and use.

Likley to be good - Some structural rigidity, to hold forces of fluids or earth. (400mm wide panel = 16 inches)

??? Unknown and as with everything a major factor, how does compare to toter/wheelie bin plastics? - Reasonably cheap.

Cheers,

 

[desertfox]

hi e709

Well it might be quite expensive and to be truthful I dont know how it compares with wheelie bin plastics, however you might want to look up perspex which is used for similiar things as polycarbonate and should be cheaper.

desertfox

 

[desertfox]

hi e709

http://www.gcip.co.uk/EP/perspex_sheet.htm#3

 

[Pud]

e709,

Why do you need a "temporary retaining wall" to be good with uv?

Perspex (ICI trade name for PMMA - Acrylic) is usually more expensive than PC.

My first thoughts would be why not Zn plated steel sheets? But if you need plastic, have a look at twin/triple wall extruded PC panels. e.g.

http://www.casupply.co.uk/acatalog/polycarbonate_sheeting.html

http://www.tynevalleyplastics.co.uk

 

[desertfox]

Hi e109

My mistake polycarbonate is cheaper than perspex, so if the cost is paramount then go with polycarbonate as stated in my original post.


desertfox

 

[Compositepro]

The solution to your problem was developed many decades ago. Worn-out car and truck tires meet all of your criteria.

 

[ornerynorsk]

Steel Sheet piling is what's commonly used for beach retention, retaining walls, sea walls, etc. Plastics may not be suitable, depending on the depth to which they need to be driven, or will this be a trench and back-fill application? What is the permanency of the application, all you mentioned was "temporary". I've seen temporary things stay in service for a looooooong time! Polycarbonate is not cheap, don't know if PVC would fit your requirements?

 

[e709]

Thanks for all the comments. just to clarify a few of the queries/suggestions:

Steel would be to heavy to construct and move around for the intended purpose.

Tyres etc are great if they're available, but are bulky to transport and therefore i'm looking at alternative solutions.

The UV is an issue as although ive said temporary, the reality is they become semi permanent and are likely to be stored outdoors between usage.

These wouldn't be sheet piles but another application.

Thanks again for the quick and varied resposes.

 

[e709]

The comments on piles got me thinking! so i looked for plastic pile manufacturers, they're using PVC. is this any good at the job proposed?

 

[e709]

The sheet pile idea got me thinking. So i looked at various manufacturers. They seem to be using PVC, is this a good material given the criterea i listed above?

 

[desertfox]

Hi e709

Have a look at this site:-

http://www.ppfahome.org/pvc/index.html

 

[ornerynorsk]

http://www.cmiwaterfront.com/Seawalls/article9.php

 

[patprimmer]

The correct grade of PVC could be OK. UV might be a problem.

PC has poor abrasion resistance.

Acrylic is brittle.

PET might be worth a look.

What is high and low weather.

Wheelie bins are HDPE with UV stabiliser added.

FRP might be worth a look.

A lot depends on how it is put together and support at joints.


Regards
Pat
See FAQ731-376 for tips on use of eng-tips by professional engineers &

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for site rules

 

[Demon3]

HDPE or PP with UV stabilizer and carbon black added are your best options and with really low cost too. An added advantage is low density.

If you foam them, they'll get even lighter and cheaper.

Chris DeArmitt PhD FRSC CChem

http://www.phantomplastics.com

Consultant to the plastics industry