Sheet piling panels with elongated voids

1. An elongated sheet piling panel having a length and width, and opposed side edges, the panel comprising:

a first flange wall segment:

a second flange wall segment; and

a middle wall segment between said first and second wall segments, said first and second flange wall segments and said middle wall segment defining a substantially Z-shaped cross section:

wherein at least the middle wall segment has elongated voids positioned within an interior of the panel, said voids being oriented in the direction of the length of the panel, and wherein said middle wall segment is comprised of spaced apart front and rear surfaces, and wherein said middle wall segment has material between adjacent voids, with the material between adjacent voids linking said front and rear surfaces, thereby forming an I-beam configuration, and wherein said middle wall segment has a width greater than a width of one of said first flange wall segment and said second flange wall segment;

and wherein said side edges of the panel are configured to be connected to the edges of additional similar panels.

2. The elongated panel of claim 1 , wherein the voids have a quadrilateral cross-sectional shape.

3. The elongated panel of claim 2 , wherein the voids have a rectangular cross-sectional shape.

4. The elongated panel of claim 1 , wherein said middle wall segment includes:

a first edge portion adjacent the intersection of said middle wall segment and said first flange wall segment, said first edge portion containing no voids:

a second edge portion adjacent the intersection of said middle wall segment and said second flange wall segment, said second edge portion containing no voids; and

a middle portion between said first and second edge portions, said middle portion containing said voids, the proportion of a width of said middle portion to the entire width of said middle wall segment being within the range of from about 50 percent to about 80 percent.

5. The elongated panel of claim 1 , wherein said elongated voids are positioned within the interior of said middle wall segment, said first and second flange wall segments have no voids therein.

6. The elongated panel of claim 1 , wherein said voids are configured to receive an alignment protrusion.

7. The elongated panel of claim 1 , wherein the first and second wall segments have elongated voids positioned within an interior of the panel, said voids being oriented in the direction of the length of the panel.

8. The elongated panel of claim 1 in which the panel includes an external reinforcement material.

9. The elongated panel of claim 1 including a sensor in one of the voids for monitoring conditions of the panel.

10. The elongated panel of claim 9 in which the sensor is a sensor for measuring the structural characteristics of the panel.

11. A plurality of elongated sheet piling panels connected into a sheet piling wall, where the sheet piling panels are of the type defined in claim 1 , and wherein at least some of the voids of some of the sheet piling panels are provided with a reinforcement material.

12. The plurality of elongated sheet piling panels of claim 11 including a sensor in one of the voids for monitoring conditions of the panels.

13. An elongated sheet piling panel having a length and width, and opposed side edges, the panel comprising:

a first flange wall segment;

a second flange wall segment; and

a middle wall segment between said first and second wall segments, said first and second flange wall segments and said middle wall segment defining a non-linear shaped cross section, said middle wall segment having a width greater than a width of one of said first flange wall segment and said second flange wall segment;

wherein at least the middle wall segment has elongated voids positioned within an interior of the panel, said voids being oriented in the direction of the length of the panel, and wherein said middle wall segment is comprised of spaced apart front and rear surfaces, and wherein said middle wall segment has material between adjacent voids, with the material between adjacent voids linking said front and rear surfaces, thereby forming an I-beam configuration;

and wherein said side edges of the panel are configured to be connected to the edges of additional similar panels.

14. The elongated panel of claim 13 , wherein the voids have a quadrilateral cross-sectional shape.

15. The elongated panel of claim 13 , wherein the voids have a rectangular cross-sectional shape.

16. The elongated panel of claim 13 , wherein said middle wall segment includes:

a first edge portion adjacent the intersection of said middle wall segment and said first flange wall segment, said first edge portion containing no voids;

a second edge portion adjacent the intersection of said middle wall segment and said second flange wall segment, said second edge portion containing no voids; and

a middle portion between said first and second edge portions, said middle portion containing said voids, the proportion of a width of said middle portion to the entire width of said middle wall segment being within the range of from about 50 percent to about 80 percent.

17. The elongated panel of claim 13 , wherein said elongated voids are positioned within the interior of said middle wall segment, said first and second flange wall segments have no voids therein.

18. The elongated panel of claim 13 , wherein said voids are configured to receive an alignment protrusion.

19. The elongated panel of claim 13 wherein the first and second wall segments have elongated voids positioned within an interior of the panel, said voids being oriented in the direction of the length of the panel.

20. The elongated panel of claim 13 in which the panel includes an external reinforcement material.

21. The elongated panel of claim 13 including a sensor in one of the voids for monitoring conditions of the panel.

22. The elongated panel of claim 21 in which the sensor is a sensor for measuring the structural characteristics of the panel.

23. A plurality of elongated sheet piling panels connected into a sheet piling wall, where the sheet piling panels are of the type defined in claim 13 , and wherein at least some of the voids of some of the sheet piling panels are provided with a reinforcement material.

24. The plurality of elongated sheet piling panels of claim 23 including a sensor in one of the voids for monitoring conditions of the panels.

25. An elongated sheet piling panel having a length and width, and opposed side edges, the panel comprising:

a first flange wall segment;

a second flange wall segment; and

a middle wall segment between said first and second wall segments, said first and second flange wall segments and said middle wall segment defining a substantially Z-shaped cross section;

wherein at least ,the middle wall segment has elongated voids positioned within ,an interior of the panel, said voids being oriented in the direction of the length of the panel, and wherein said middle wall segment is comprised of spaced apart front and rear surfaces, and wherein said middle wall segment has material between adjacent voids, with the material between adjacent voids linking said front and rear surfaces, thereby forming an I-beam configuration; and

wherein said middle wall segment includes:

a first edge portion adjacent the intersection of said middle wall segment and said first flange wall segment, said first edge portion containing no voids;

a second edge portion adjacent the intersection of said middle wall segment and said second flange wall segment, said second edge portion containing no voids; and

a middle portion between said first and second edge portions, said middle portion containing said voids, the proportion of a width of said middle portion to the entire width of said middle wall segment being within the range of from about 50 percent to about 80 percent; and

wherein said side edges of the panel are configured to be connected to the edges of additional similar panels.