Noise barriers

Steel sheet pile walls have been used in Europe for decades as sound barriers along roads and motorways. They often combine two functions: retaining wall and noise barrier, with the advantage that it requires a very small footprint along the roads.

The efficiency of the noise barrier can be improved by installing the sheet piles with a small batter angle.

Steel sheet piles reflect the sound waves, but due to their geometry, the result of the reflections is quite different compared to a pure smooth flat surface. In some cases, additional panels have been fixed on the sheets to absorb part of the sound.

In case steel sheet piles act only as a sound barrier, then some of the piles can be shorter than the others, and are designed in a similar way to a combined wall system.

Owners do also appreciate the corroded surface of steel sheet piles for its anti-graffiti properties, but quite often architects prefer a coating for aesthetic reasons.