ENGINEERING CONSIDERATIONS

MARCH 2002

STRENGTH RATING
For long-term performance under heavy loads, intense ultra-violet light exposure, and crashing waves, you must
have a vinyl sheet piling with a proven strength rating. Twelve years ago, Materials International, Inc. introduced
ShoreGuard as the low cost, long life alternative to steel, aluminum, concrete, and wood sheeting. Today, we
are the largest manufacturer of vinyl sheet piling in the world, supplying millions of square feet to customers
around the globe. After a decade of Research & Development, extensive in-house and third party testing, we
have a proven, reliable Strength Rating for our patented sheet piling designs.

The Strength Rating describes the force, measured in long-term allowable moment, at which ShoreGuard sheet
piling will perform for 50 years. The rating is conservative and simple to use. Determine the amount of force
associated with your design and specify the ShoreGuard sheet piling that has a Strength Rating that meets or
exceeds that force. We suggest using this rating as your principal design value when writing specifications or
designing structures, and by doing so, you can rest easy knowing that ShoreGuard will perform.

Words of caution, some companies rate their products differently and may have published strength ratings that
do not meet these important engineering considerations. Don’t be fooled by impersonators, we strongly
recommend a thorough analysis when comparing products!

ENGINEERING CONSIDERATION – MATERIAL PROPERTIES

ShoreGuard is made of polyvinyl chloride. Typically referred to as PVC or vinyl, this plastic is the second largest
volume plastic produced in the world with a 1998 North America vinyl resin production total in excess of 14.7
billion pounds. The Vinyl Institute @ www.vinylinstitute.com is great source for extensive technical information
on vinyl materials, processes, and applications.

While vinyl offers superior performance in corrosive marine environments, there is a critical difference between
plastics and structural materials such as wood or steel in the mechanisms by which they respond to load.
From a technical aspect, vinyl may not rupture in bending or compression tests, but will always rupture in tensile
tests. As a result, the
strength capacity of 16,000 46,667 Strength Rating 50,000
ShoreGuard is based on ShoreGuard 700 45,000

Strength Rating (Ft-Lbs/Ft)

the tensile strength of the 14,000
Design Stress of 3,200 psi
vinyl, as it is a consistent 40,000
12,000
and reliable indicator of 35,000
what is occurring to vinyl
Stress (Psi)

10,000
sheet piling under load. 30,000
Equally as important, our 8,000 25,000
21,000
sheet piling is designed to 14,000
20,000
keep stress levels below 6,000
the level that induces 13,333 15,000
10,667
creep failure. Creep 4,000
6,300 10,000
failure is the deformation
2,000 4,000
or plastic flow of the vinyl 3,200 5,000
when subjected to 0 0
constant loading over time Flexural Tensile Creep Design
and can be precluded if
the stresses are
maintained below a 5% strain. A 75-year tensile strain on the order of 2.5% is predicted for creep limit loads of
4,000 psi. Finally, a Factor of Safety is applied to account for localized loading of the sheet piling.

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 ENGINEERING CONSIDERATIONS
MARCH 2002

ENGINEERING CONSIDERATION – SHEET PILING DESIGN

What is the limiting factor or weak link in the chain when designing the geometry of sheet piling? To answer this
important question, let’s evaluate the proven “Z” shaped steel sheet piling design that has been around for
hundreds of years. The basic “Z” design is simple and effective. When subjected to bending forces, the sheet
piling experiences tension in the outer flat sections of the sheet piling. Therefore, when additional load carrying
capability is required, either a heavier sheet piling
is used, or additional steel is welded onto the Outer Flat Section
front flat sections of the steel sheet piling.
Strong
The same rules of physics apply to vinyl sheet Back I-Beam
piling. As the bending load is increased, the Ribs Back Fill Lock
tensile stresses in the outer flat sections of the Or
sheet piling increase making the load carrying Loaded Side
capability of the outer flat section of the sheet
piling the limiting factor.

ShoreGuard designs take advantage of this by maximizing the thickness of the front flat sections to enable the
sheet piling to safely carry the greatest amount of load. Furthermore, similar to steel sheet piling, the interlocks
are positioned in the outer flat portions to maximize the amount of material in this critical portion of the sheet. In
addition, our newest sheet piling designs incorporate strengthening ribs that, like welding additional steel to the
front flat of steel sheet piling, increase the load carrying capability. Notice in the following chart how the
thickness of the outer flat is increased to accommodate higher loading conditions.

ShoreGuard Outer Flat Thickness Strength Rating

250 0.200 + Strong Back Ribs 2,240 Ft-Lbs
300 0.250 2,889 Ft-Lbs
400 0.290 3,778 Ft-Lbs
425 0.280 + Strong Back Ribs 4,133 Ft-Lbs
550 0.400 + Strong Back Ribs 6,000 Ft-Lbs
700 0.450 + Strong Back Ribs 10,667 Ft-Lbs
950 0.650 + Strong Back Ribs 13,179 Ft-Lbs

The ShoreGuard designs

maximize strength by
optimizing the web
thickness in proportion to
the depth of cross section.
This geometry is critical in
preventing the web section
from yielding under load,
known as web crippling.
Web crippling failure
occurs when the wall
thickness of the web
section is too thin in
proportion to the cross section depth. Example A above shows web failure due to inadequate web thickness in
relation to cross section depth.

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 ENGINEERING CONSIDERATIONS
MARCH 2002

The following table shows how the web thickness is increased as the sheet piling cross section depth increases.

ShoreGuard Web Thickness Depth

250 0.200 inches 6 inches
300 0.250 inches 7 inches
400 0.290 inches 8 inches
425 0.280 inches 8 inches
550 0.400 inches 8 inches
700 0.450 inches 10 inches
950 0.650 inches 11.75 inches

ENGINEERING CONSIDERATION – LONG TERM WEATHERABILITY

Extensive outdoor studies show that weathering may affect the physical properties of vinyl. This occurs when
ultra-violet (UV) radiation excites the molecular bonds in the plastic. The results include discoloration, surface
erosion, and a reduction in molecular weight and impact strength. Knowledge of these phenomena mandates the
manufacture of ShoreGuard from high performance, UV-inhibited vinyl to achieve maximum life.

As the largest recycler of vinyl for the sheet piling industry, we have developed several proprietary processes to
ensure the long-term weatherability of our raw materials. In addition, we encase our sheet piling in an ultra-high
performance (UV) stabilized vinyl specifically designed for maximum outdoor weathering.

ENGINEERING CONSIDERATION – INSTALLATION SPEED

Our patented sheet piling is designed to install faster. Since installation speed is a function of sheet stiffness, we
manufacture ShoreGuard with extra heavy wall thickness, large I-Beam locks and Strong Back Ribs.

SAMPLE STRENGTH RATING CALCULATIONS

ShoreGuard Series 700 has a section modulus (Z) of 40 in3, and a design stress (σallow) of 3,200psi. Therefore,
the Strength Rating (Mallow) is 10,667 Foot-Pounds per foot.

Mallow = Z x σallow
= 40 in3 / Foot x 3,200 psi
= 128,000 Inch-Pounds / Foot
= 128,000 / 12 to convert to Foot-Pounds
= 10,667 Foot-Pounds / Foot

Materials International, Inc.

4501 Circle 75 Parkway, Suite E-5370
Atlanta, GA 30339
(800) 256-8857 www.materialsintl.com

Physical properties are defined by ASTM Test Standards for Plastic Building Products. The values shown are nominal and may vary.
The information found in this document is believed to be true and accurate. No warranties of any kind are made as to the suitability of
ShoreGuard for particular applications or the results obtained therefrom. ShoreGuard® is a registered trademark of Materials
International, Inc. United States Patent Numbers 5,145,287; 5,881,508; 6,000,883; 6,033,155; 6,053,666; D420,154. Other patents
pending. © 2002 Materials International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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