CEB605: CIVIL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

TUTORIAL FOUR: COFFERDAMS AND CASSIONS

Naadirah Edward – 2018000346

TYPES OF COFFERDAMS AND THEIR CONSTRUCTION DETAILS

EARTHEN COFFERDAM ROCKFILL COFFERDAM

- are constructed at the place where the - Rock-fill cofferdams are better than that of
height of the water is less than 3m and earthen dams. These dams are preferred
the current velocity is low. These dams when the rock is available easily at the
are built using the local available construction site. These dams are very
material such as clay, fine sand or even pervious, to prevent water from seeping an
soil. impervious membrane of soil is provided in
- The height of the dam is kept 1m more the dam.
than that of max water level. Freeboard - The height of the dam is can be up to 3m.
of the dam or the top of the dam is kept The slope can be maintained at 1:1.5 to
1m so that the water doesn’t enter the 1:125. The slope on the water side is pitched
other side even when waves arise. so as to protect dam from wave action.
- The slope is usually given but 1:1 or
1:2. The slope of the water side is
pitched with rubble stones so the water
action doesn’t score the embankment.
Even sheet piles are driven in the center
of the dam to resist water seepage. After
the construction of earthen cofferdam,
the water from the other site is pumped
out and construction is executed.

Fig: Cross-Section of an Rockfill Cofferdam

Fig: Cross-Section of an Earthen Cofferdam

SINGLE-WALLED COFFERDAM DOUBLE-WALLED COFFERDAM

- This type of cofferdam is preferred
when the depth of the water is more - Double-walled types of cofferdams are used
than 6m and area of construction is less. when the area of construction site is large
Usually this is used in construction of and depth of water is high. In this place use
 bridges.
- Wooden or timber sheets are driven into
the river bed on the perimeter of the
area of construction. On the inside steel
or iron sheets are driven into the river
bed. This inside sheet is placed at equal
distance with the help of wales which
are bolted to both sheets for either sides.
- To improve the stability of this types of -
dam, half-filled bags of sand are placed
on the both side of the walls. The water
from the inside is pumped out and the
construction process is undertaken.
of single walled cofferdam becomes
uneconomical as the supports are to be
increased. So double walled cofferdam is
used.
- The difference in one wall and double wall
dam is that her it has two walls instead of
walls for extra stability. This type of dams
can hold water up to 12m high.
Two piles are driven inside the water bed
with a space in between and attached each
other with wales with bolted connection. As
the water depth increases the space between
the walls increases.
- The space between the walls are filled with
soil. To prevent the leakage from the ground
below, the sheet piles are driven to a good
depth in the bed.
Fig: Construction Details of
Double Walled Cofferdam
CELLULAR COFFERDAM
- When the water layer is more than 20m,
common types of cofferdams are
uneconomical to use. In this situation
cellular cofferdams are used. This type of

Fig: Construction Details of
Single Walled Cofferdam
BRACED COFFERDAM
- When it’s difficult to drive piles inside
the bed in the water, then this type of
cofferdam is used. In braced cofferdam
two piles are driven into the bed and
they are laterally supported with the
help of wooden cribs installed in
alternate courses to form pockets.
- The empty pockets here are filled with
stone and earth. The framework of the
cofferdam (made from, logs of wood) is
prepared on ground and then floated to
the site where the cofferdam is to be
constructed.
- The layers of sand and the other loose
material overlying the impervious hard
bed is dredged out. Crib is then sunk to
the position; the bottom of each crib is
given a shape to fit in the variation in
the surface of bedrock. After the pit is
dewatered, the structure is concreted.
When concreting has been completed
above the water level, the cofferdam is
removed.
dam is used in construction of dams, locks,
weirs etc.
- Cellular cofferdam is made by driving
straight web steel sheet piles, arranged to
form a series of interconnected cells. The
cells are constructed in various shapes and
styles to suit the requirements of site.
- Finally, the cells are filled with clay, sand or
gravel to make them stable against the
various forces to which they are likely to be
subjected to.
1. Circular type cellular cofferdam.
- This type of cellular cofferdam consists of
circular arcs on the inner and outer sides
which are connected by straight diaphragm
walls. The connection between the curved
parts and the diaphragms are made by
means of a specially fabricated Y-element.
- The cofferdam is thus made from
interconnected steel sheet piles. The empty
spaces are filled with non pervious materials
like clay or sand. Due to the filling material
the self weight of the membrane increases
and leakage is reduced.
- One advantage of the diaphragm type is that
the effective length of the cofferdam may be
increased easily by lengthening the
diaphragm. Hence in case, from design
consideration it is necessary to have
effective width of the cofferdam more than
21-meter, diaphragm type of cofferdam
must be used.
 Fig: Plan and Section Details of
Circular Type Cellular Cofferdam

2. Diaphragm type cellular cofferdam.

- It consists of a set of large diameter main
circular cells interconnected by arcs of
smaller cells. The walls of the connecting
cells are perpendicular to the walls of the
main circular cells of large diameter.
- The segmental arcs are joined by special T-
piles to the main cells. The circular type
cellular cofferdams are self-sustaining, and
therefore independent of the adjacent
circular cells. Each cell can be filled
independently.
- The stability of such cells is much greater as
compared with that of the diaphragm type.
However, the circular cells are more
expensive than the diaphragm type, as these
require more sheet piles and greater skill in
setting and driving the piles.
- Because the diameter of circular cells is
limited by interlock tension, their ability to
resist lateral pressure due to high heads is
limited.

Fig: Plan and Section Details of Diaphragm

type Cellular Cofferdam
GRAVITY DAMS
  Gravity dams are massive structure dam which is constructed of concrete or stone
masonry. These dams are hold by the gravity to the ground.
 In gravity dams, stability is secured by making it of such a size and shape that it will
resist overturning sliding and crushing at the toe.
 The dam will not overturn provided that the moments around the turning point, caused by
the water pressure is smaller than the moment caused by the weight of the dam.

IMAGE OF GRAVITY DAM

COFFERDAM CONSTRUCTION SEQUENCE

For a typical cofferdam, such as for a bridge pier, the construction procedure generally is:
1. Pre-dredge to remove soil or soft sediments and level the area of the cofferdam
2. Drive temporary support piles for template
3. Temporarily erect bracing frame on the support piles for the template
4. Install steel sheet piles, starting at all four corners and meeting at the center of each side
5. Drive sheet piles to grade
6. Block between bracing frame and sheets, and provide ties for sheet piles at the top as
necessary.
7. Excavate inside the grade or slightly below grade, while leaving the cofferdam full of water.
Then lower the water inside and progressively install internal bracing as required by the design.
8. Drive piles within the cofferdam (if required).
9. Place rock fill as a levelling and support course.
10. Place tremie concrete seal
Cofferdams are commonly made of:
 Concrete
 Steel
 Wood
 Steel sheet piling

Contiguous piling
STRUCTURAL FRAMING

PLANTS AND MACHINARY USED

 Excavator
 Pile driving hammer
 Vibratory or impact
 Crane of sufficient size
 Steel sheet pile
 H-pile or wide-flange beams
 Barges
 CASSIONS
LAND MARINE

TYPES OF CAISSON FOUNDATIONS

 Box Caissons are watertight boxes that are constructed of heavy timbers and open at the
top. They are generally floated to the appropriate location and then sunk into place with a
masonry pier within it.

 Excavated caissons are just as the name suggests, caissons that are placed within an
excavated site. These are usually cylindrical in shape and then back filled with concrete.
 Floating caissons are also known as floating docks and are prefabricated boxes that have
cylindrical cavities.
 Open caissons are small cofferdams that are placed and then pumped dry and filled with
concrete. These are generally used in the formation of a pier.
  Pneumatic (Air-compressed) caissons are large watertight boxes or cylinders that are
mainly used for under water construction.

 Sheeted Caissons

STEPS IN CONCRETING:
Batching:
The process of measuring different concrete materials such as cement, coarse aggregate, sand,
water for the making of concrete is known as batching. Batching can be done in two different
ways.
1. Volume Batching
2. Weight Batching.
In volume batching the measurements of concrete materials are taken by volume & On the other
hand the measurements are taken by weight in weight batching.

Mixing:
In this process, all the materials are thoroughly mixed in required proportions until the paste
shows uniform colour and consistency. Hand mixing and machine mixing are the two different
methods of mixing.

Note: To achieve optimum quality the materials should be mixed first in dry condition and then
in wet condition.
Transportation:
When the mixing is done properly the freshly made concrete is then transported to the
construction site, this process is known as transportation. After that, the concrete is correctly
placed on the formworks. Concrete can be transported to the site location in two ways
1. Manual Transportation.
2. Mechanical Transportation.

Compaction:
Compaction is the process in which the air bubbles are eliminated from the freshly placed
concrete. It is required to increase the ultimate strength of concrete by enhancing the bond with
reinforcement.

Curing:
Curing is the process in which the concrete keeps its moisture for a certain time period to
complete the hydration process. Curing should be done properly to increase the strength of
concrete.
Required Curing days:
Ordinary Sulphate Resistant Cement – 8 Days.
Low Heat Cement – 14 Days.

TOLERANCE
The effective diameter of the caisson shaft and bell out shall not be less than those on the
drawings nor exceed the specified dimensions by more than 50mm.
The maximum permissible deviation at trimmed level of the center of each caisson from the
correct center point is 75mm in any direction. The maximum permissible deviation from the
vertical at any level of a caisson is 1 to 150.
The trimmed level of the caisson shall nowhere be higher than the designed cut-off level. The
trimmed level shall not be below the cut off level more than 25mm.
The setting out of each caisson should be checked immediately after the first section of lining is
cast.

CONTROL SEA WALLS BREAK

Floating breakwaters are commonly divided into four general categories:

1. Box
2. Pontoon
3. Mat
4. Tethered float.
For each category, some types of floating breakwaters are shown in Figures 1 - 5. The first three
types have been much widely investigated by means of physical models and prototype
experience, than the last one. Next subsections describes the use of the different types of
breakwaters in practice.

Figure 1 Example of floating breakwater (Fezzano,SP-Italy; courtesy of INGEMAR srl)

Box breakwaters
Box type breakwaters are used most frequently (see also Figure 1). Reinforced concrete modules
are either empty inside or, more frequently, have a core of light material (e.g. polystyrene). In the
former case the risk of sinking of the structure is not negligible. Usually dimensions are limited
to a width of a few meters.
Connections are either flexible, allowing preferably only the roll along the breakwater axis, or
pre or post tensioned, to make them act as a single unit. In the latter case the efficiency is higher,
but the forces between modules are also higher. The modular system as applied and the mooring
system are primary points of concern for this kind of structures.
Large breakwaters are frequently built with used barges, ballasted to the desired draft with sand
or rock.
Pontoon breakwaters
Pontoon types are effective since the overall width can be of the order of half the wavelength. In this
case the expected attenuation of the wave height is significant.
 Figure 3 Pontoon breakwaters

Mat breakwaters
Within the mat category, the most used are made with tires. Although less effective, they have a
low cost, they can be removed more easily, they can be constructed with unskilled labour and
minimal equipment, they are subjected to lower anchor loads, they reflect less and they dissipate
relatively more wave energy.

Figure 4 Mat breakwaters

Tethered float breakwaters
Tethered float types are seldom used.

Figure 5 Tethered float breakwaters

MONOLITHIC
UNDERWATER CONSTRUCTION

EXCAVATION FORMWORK