Metric sheeting, the cross section of which is shown in Fig. 8.20, has a corrugationlike conformation with locking side edges. It has a laying width of 500 mm or 0.5 m (192â„3 in), and is available in thicknesses of 5, 7, 8, 10, and 12 ga. Sheets are installed vertically in soil with edges of successive units interlocking. For additional corrosion protection, metric sheeting may be ordered galvanized after continuous cold forming in lengths of 4 to 40 ft.
Applications include checkdams, core walls, wingwalls, trench walls, excavations, low retaining walls, ditch checks, jetties and lagoon baffles. The sheeting often can be put into soft ground with the aid of a backhoe, although for harder subgrades, conventional drop, vibratory, or diesel hammers applied to a light driving head make emplacement easier. The tight metal-to-metal interlock at the edges of metric sheeting contains soil and controls water movement. Table 8.15 lists its structural properties.
Metric sheeting should not be confused with steel sheetpiling, which is a heavier hot-rolled steel product used for major construction projects, including breakwaters, bulkheads, cofferdams, and docks. Metric sheeting is nevertheless an economical??product suitable for many less-demanding applications for both temporary and permanent uses. An advantage for contractors is that it can be withdrawn and reused on another job.
More information on lightweight steel construction is available from CONTECH Construction Products, 1001 Grove Street, Middletown, OH 45044
