Mar. 30, 2023

Nippon Steel Corporation

Steel sheet piles manufactured by Nippon Steel Corporation (hereinafter "Nippon Steel") were adopted as the main structural material for the Sozokan (The Museum of Piling Machines) and the Research Building on the premises of RED HILL 1967, the base of GIKEN LTD. (hereinafter "GIKEN") for disseminating information on press-in technology. This is the first time in the world that steel sheet piles are used in an integrated manner as the main structure of a building, from the roof to the side walls.

Steel sheet piles are usually used for river revetments, road retaining walls, and reinforced soil retaining walls. The NS-SP-J steel sheet piles used in the Sozokan and the Research Building are a joint developed product that can be pressed in with zero gap with the existing structure, and is also used at space-restricted construction sites in urban areas and as a temporary soil fastener that utilizes its width to shorten the construction period.

Although there have been a limited number of cases where steel sheet piles have been used as components of major structures, this project takes advantage of the flexibility of the steel sheet piles and used a novel structure in which the roof to the side walls are integrally constructed of steel sheet piles. In addition, the Sozokan and the Research Building apply confined ground seismic damper technology, which prevents the foundation from deforming as a result of soft ground and liquefaction by enclosing and compacting the ground with steel sheet piles. This project utilizes the strengths of steel sheet piles throughout REDHILL1967.

Over many years, Nippon Steel and GIKEN have collaborated on the research and development of many steel sheet pile and steel pipe pile products, as well as construction methods using these products. For example, the Gyropress Method™ developed in collaboration between Nippon Steel and GIKEN is a method for constructing a wall structure by inserting steel pipe piles with special tips into the ground in rows using GYRO PILER™ to make it easier to excavate the ground. Since its launch in FY 2004, it has been used in many applications, mainly for river revetments and road retaining walls. Visitors can see these products and construction methods showcased on the premises of RED HILL 1967 which will open in May. Nippon Steel, in collaboration with GIKEN, will continue to promote the use of steel sheet piles and steel pipe piles, and propose new ways to use them.

Reference 1: Amount of steel sheet piles used (weight)
Sozokan (The Museum of Piling Machines): 1,157 sheets (997 tons)
Research Building: 532 sheets (501 tons)

Reference 2: ProStruct™
ProStruct™ is a brand of products and technologies for the construction industry that combines high-performance steel materials developed by Nippon Steel with advanced design and construction technologies. This is a packaged series for “Steel Materials & Utilization Technology”

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