King post walls are a simple and quick installation method. They comprise drilling a hole with a high powered, continuous flight auger (CFA) piling rig, filling it with concrete, then installing an H beam. This allows concrete pre-stressed panels or sleepers to be inserted between the webs of the H sections.
A king post (or king-post or kingpost) is a central vertical post used in architectural or bridge designs, working in tension to support a beam below from a truss apex above (whereas a crown post, though visually similar, supports items above from the beam below).
What is a King Post Wall? King Posts are isolated steel columns that are installed along the line of the proposed retaining wall typically at centres between 1 and 3m. The space between the posts is filled, over the retained height, using a variety of different solutions but most commonly a precast concrete panel.
King Post Walls, also known as Soldier Piles, are some of the oldest forms of retaining systems used in deep excavations. They have successfully been used since the late 18th Century in metropolitan cities like New York, Berlin, and London.
It is the king pile that makes up the vast bulk of the wall, with sheets used to ensure that the wall is one continuous structure. The shape of the steel combi wall is a great benefit for installation: it is approximately 3:1 sheet to beam, meaning that only a quarter of the wall has to be driven.
Where a King post uses one central supporting post, the Queen post truss uses two. A Queen post truss carries all the load from its rafters and passes it to the vertical posts.
(iii) King Post Truss - Span length is in the range of 5 to 8 meters. (iv) Queen Post Truss - Span length is in between 8 to 12 meters. (v) Pratt Truss - Span length is in between 6 to 10 meters. (vi) Howe Truss - Span length is in between 6 to 30 meters.
The economical height of this type of wall is generally limited to a maximum height of 18 feet. Figure 6-2 shows a typical soldier pile retaining wall.
Caisson walls are considered a watertight and structural earth retention solution. Caisson walls consist of drilling down to specified depth and filling the shafts with low strength concrete. Holes are drilled on a schedule to allow curing overnight and to interlock each shaft with the others.
King Post Infill Panels
They are reinforced with steel columns to provide maximum structural durability and stability. The panel sizes vary from 1-3m in length, 1-1.5 m in height, and 100-250mm (100mm, 150mm, 200mm, 250mm) in thickness. The changes depend on the design and height of the king post wall.
Each type is designed to suit the specific needs of a project according to the site conditions. The four main types of retaining walls are gravity retaining walls, cantilever retaining walls, embedded retaining walls, and reinforced soil retaining walls.
With the permission of both property owners, a retaining wall can be built on property lines. But it's worth noting that the two parties still have responsibility for any of their actions that destabilises the wall's structural integrity.
King post trusses are advantageous because they are cost-effective, straightforward to construct, and versatile for different building types. However, their main disadvantage is that they are suitable for shorter spans compared to other truss types due to the limit in structural efficiency over larger distances.
The King Post Truss is configurable in a range of sizes with typical spans between 16'-26' (4.9-7.9 m) and overall heights of 2'8”-13' (. 81-3.96 m). The thickness of wood trusses is commonly 1.5”, 3”, or 4.5” (3.8, 7.6, 11.4 cm).
When properly constructed with tight-fitting, precisely cut joints, the through-tenon King Post Truss provides a sturdy roof structure. The forces follow a clear load path - down the rafters, into the king post, through the tenon, and into the tie beam.
Soil nail walls are installed more quickly and cost effectively than other shoring systems. Soldier pile walls or sheet pile walls require large equipment to drill in place or drive the piles or sheets. Soil nails avoid the time and cost of installing these vertical elements.
A brick wall normally go up to 2.6 - 3 m (8.7 - 10 ft) without reinforcement.
Soldier Pile and Lagging Design Requirements. Lagging for soldier pile walls, with and without permanent ground anchors, shall be designed as either temporary or permanent, based on the conditions described below.
A ridge beam is a structural member used to support the ends of the roof joists at the ridge, transferring it's loads to posts or gable end walls.
Purlin is a horizontal beam or bar used for structural support in structures, most often below the roof. Purlins are supported either by the building's rafters or its walls. These are most commonly used in metal buildings, but in wood-frame structures, these also replace closely packed rafters.
A queen post is a tension member in a truss that can span longer openings than a king post truss. A king post uses one central supporting post, whereas the queen post truss uses two. Even though it is a tension member, rather than a compression member, they are commonly still called a post.
Pole barn construction spaces the trusses 8 feet apart - or even up to 12 feet apart depending on the building design. With traditional stick-frame construction, the trusses are usually spaced 2 feet apart.
The king post truss with struts & queen posts is based on the popular king post truss design, but with the addition of two queen posts (pictured above). This timber truss is also very strong, and adaptable with regard to desired span and roof pitch.
A king post truss, or turkey track truss, is built with two principal rafters, a tie beam, a central vertical post, and two struts. The central vertical post is what gives the king post truss its triangle shape. For added support, one strut is placed at a 45° angle on each side.