Thermoplastic sheet pile design and methods of manufacture

Abstract

A method of pre-assembling two standard Z-Shaped thermoplastic sheet pile segments in a factory controlled environment where the sheets are fused or welded by a process using heat and pressure, added material or pressure without heat to create a monolithic structure that is stronger than the individual sheets used to make the final assembly. By using two existing profile extrusions that individually can be used as is or pre-assembled in the field, product quality is assured by redundant quality checks. The first, when the sheet is produced and the second, when they are assembled and fused into one.

1 . A method of making thermoplastic sheet pile comprising the steps of: forming at least two sections of Z-Shape thermoplastic pile; heating portions of both of said sections to a predetermined temperature to avoid damage to the materials; and joining said heated portions together.  
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said joining of said heated portions is done by crimping the heated portions with enough pressure to form a bond.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said joining of said heated portions is done by rolling, staking, pinching, bending crushing, or stapling and pinning using another material.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said joining of said heated portions is done by welding to cause the co-mingling of material from each portion.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said joining of said heated portions is done by fusing using one or more additional material to promote fusion.  
   
   
       6 . The method of making thermoplastic sheet pile comprising the steps of: forming at least two sections of Z-Shape thermoplastic pile; applying pressure to portions of both of said sections to avoid damage to the materials and to join said portions together.