Cofferdam – Types of Cofferdam

A cofferdam may be defined as a temporary structure that is constructed on a river or a

lake or any other water-bearing surface for excluding water from a given site to execute the
building operation to be performed on dry surface. The walls of the temporary structure
should be practically water tight or at least they should be able to exclude water to such an
extent that the quantity of water that leaks inside the enclosed area, can be easily pumped
out. Cofferdams are classified according to the type of construction. The type of construction
is dependent upon the depth, soil conditions,, fluctuations in the water level, availability of
material etc. Cofferdams are advantageously constructed where a large area of site is to be
enclosed and the hard bed is at reasonable depth.
Considering the material used in their construction, cofferdams may be divided into the
following categories.
(a) Earthen cofferdam
(b) Rock-fill cofferdam
(c) Single-walled cofferdam
(d) Double-walled cofferdam
(e) Crib cofferdam
(f) Cellular cofferdam (Circular or diaphragm type)
(a) Earthen cofferdam:
It essentially consists of an earthen embankment built around the area to be enclosed. It is
constructed in places where the depth of water is not much, say 13 to 18 in. and the velocity
of the current is very low. As a precautionary measure, the earth bank is carried about one
metre above the water level. The top width of the bank should not be less than 1 in. and the
side slopes in a vary from 1 : 1 to 1 : 2. The earth embankment should be built from a
mixture of clay and sand or clay and gravel. If the estimated quantity of clay is not easily
obtainable, the banks may be constructed with a central clay wall with slopes of sand on
either side. In order to prevent the embankment from scouring due to the action of water,
side slopes of the bank on water side should be pitched with rubble boulders. If the current
of water is such that there is a danger of the earthen embankment getting washed away,
canvas bags half filled with material of embankment (mixture of clay, sand or gravel) are
stacked one over the other to form the embankment. After the work of construction of
cofferdam is over, the water from the enclosed area is pumped out so as to leave a dry
surface inside. Excavations can then be performed to the required depth and the work of
construction of foundations carried out.

Section of an Earthen Cofferdam

(b) Rock-fill cofferdam:
If the depth of water to be retained by the embankment of cofferdam is of order of 18 to 3
in., stone or rubble is used for the embankment. This construction is adopted only if the
stone is easily available in the nearby areas. The stones are assembled in the required shape
of the embankment and the voids are partially filled with earth and stone-chips. The side
slope on the water side is protected by pitching.
 Section of Rock-fill Cofferdam
(c) Single-walled cofferdam:
This type of cofferdam is used in places where the area to be enclosed is very small and the
depth of water is more, say 4.5 to 6 m Timber piles known as guide piles are first driven
deep into the firm ground below the river bed. Depending upon the velocity of the current of
the water in the river, the centre to centre spacing of the piles may vary between 1.8 to 4 m.
Longitudinal runners called wales are then bolted to the guide piles at suitable distance
apart. Steel or wooden sheet piles are then driven into the river bed along the wales and are
secured to the wales by bolts. The sheets on the two faces arc braced by trussed arrangement
of struts. This helps in increasing the stability of walls against the water pressure. Half-filled
bags of sand stacked on the inside and the outside faces of the sheets help in increasing the
stability of cofferdam. After the cofferdam is constructed, the water in the enclosed area is
pumped out and the construction work is taken up.

Single Walled Cofferdam

(d) Double-walled cofferdam:
For cofferdams required to enclose larger areas in deep water, single wall type becomes
uneconomical as larger sections of trussed struts would be necessary to resist the water
pressure. Double-walled cofferdam is provided in such situations. Its construction is
essentially the same as that of a single-walled cofferdam except that in place of one wall, a
pair of walls with a gap in between is used all along the boundary of the space to be
enclosed. This type of cofferdam can be used in depth of water up to 12 m. As the depth of
water increases, the wall should be made wider in order to make it stable against
over4urning and sliding. The distance between the two walls depends upon the depth of
water. The thickness of wall should be equal to the depth of water up to 3 m. For greater
depths of water, the thickness of wall should be 3 m. plus ½ the depth of water in excess of
3 m. At their top, the two faces of the walls are connected by steel rods spaced at close
intervals. To prevent the leakage from the ground below, the sheet piles are driven to a good
depth in the bed.

Double Walled Cofferdam

(e) Crib cofferdam:
In deep waters where it is difficult to penetrate the guide piles or sheet piles into the hard
bed below, crib cofferdam is used. In this type of construction, the sheet piles are supported
by a series of wooden cribs. A crib is a framework of horizontal timbers installed in alternate
courses to form pockets which can be filled with earth or stones. The length and breadth of
each crib depend upon the depth of water and the current of flow. 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 bed rock. The
space inside the crib is then filled with stone or any other material, so as to make it stable
against sliding and overturning. Timber or steel sheet piles are then driven around the crib.

Crib cofferdam

(f ) Cellular cofferdam:
This type of cofferdam is mostly used for de-watering large areas in places where the depth
of water may be of the order of 18 to 21 m. Cellular cofferdams are mostly used during the
construction of marine structures like dams, locks, whares etc. Cellular cofferdam is made
by driving straight web steel sheet piles, arranged to from a series of inter-connected 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. The two common shapes of the cellular
cofferdam are,
(i) Circular type cellular cofferdam.
(ii) Diaphragm type cellular cofferdam.

(i) Circular type cellular cofferdam:

The circular type of cellular cofferdam has the advantage that each cell may be filled
completely to the top before starting the construction of the next cell without causing any
distortion to the shell of the cofferdam, Thus, when one cell is completely filled up it can be
used for placing crane or other equipment required for the construction of other cells. In
addition, each cell acts as a self-supporting independent unit and in case one of the cells
collapses due to scour or interlock damage or some other reason, it does not produce any
adverse effect on the neighbouring cells it is found that the interlock stresses reach their
maximum permissible value when the diameter of cell is about 21 meter. 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.

Circular Type Cellular Cofferdam

(ii) Diaphragm type cellular cofferdam:
This Consists of a series of diaphragm of steel sheet piles connected as shown in the image
below. The straight diaphragm wails are connected to each other by steel piles arranged in
the form of arches on either sides. The radius of the connecting arcs is generally made equal
to the distance between the straight diaphragm walls. With this arrangement, the tension in
the arcs and cross wails remain equal. After the cells are driven to the required depth, they
are filled with earth, sand, gravel or other filling material. In this type of cofferdam, as the
diaphragm which separates the two cells is a straight wall, it is necessary to fill adjacent cells
at approximately the same rate. If this is not done, the unbalanced pressure from the fill will
distort the diaphragm (cross-walls) which may result in the failure of the interlocks. In this
respect, the circular type cofferdam has the advantage over the diaphragm type cofferdam
because in the former, it is not necessary to fill the adjacent cells at the same time. This type
of cofferdam has the advantage that the effective width of the cofferdam can be increased to
desirable limits without increasing the interlock stresses.

Diaphragm type Cellular Cofferdam

Cofferdam
September 8, 2015 K.R. Arora Hydro 0
The word ‘coffer’ means a casket, chest or trunk. A cofferdam is a temporary structure built to enclose an area
for excavation of foundation. Coffer dams are designed & placed when the size of excavation is very large and
sheeting and bracing system becomes difficult or uneconomical. Coffer dams are generally required for
foundations of structures, such as bridge piers, docks, locks, and dams, which are built in open water. These
are also used for underlying foundations on open land where there is a high ground water table. A coffer dam
generally consists of a relatively impervious wall built around the periphery of the proposed excavation to
prevent the flow of water into the excavation to prevent the flow of water into the excavation so that the
foundation may be laid in dry condition.

Types of cofferdams

Following are the different types of cofferdams commonly used in practice:

Earth cofferdam

Earthen Cofferdam

These are the simplest type of cofferdams well-adapted to depths of water upto 3 m. Earth embankments are
constructed around the area to be dewatered. The earth coffer dams are built of local soils, preferably fine sand.
These usually have a clay core or a vertically driven sheet piling in the middle. The upstream slope of the bank
is covered with a rip rap. A successful coffer dam need not be completely watertight. For reason of economy, it
is not possible to make it watertight and hence some seepage of water into the excavation is usually tolerated.
The water collected is pumped out of the excavation. The embankment should be provided with a minimum
free board of 1 m to prevent overtopping by waves. Sand-bag coffer dams are used in an emergency.

Rockfill cofferdam

Rockfill cofferdam

Rockfill coffer dams made of rockfill are sometimes used to enclose the site to be dewatered. These are
permeable and are usually provided with an impervious membrane of soil to reduce seepage. The crest and the
upper part of the impervious membrane are provided with rip rap to provide protection against wave action.
Overtopping doesn’t cause serious damage in case of rockfill coffer dams. The slopes of a rockfill cofferdam
can be made as steep as 1 horizontal to 1.5 vertical.
Single sheet pile cofferdam

Single sheet Pile Cofferdam

These are generally used to enclose small foundation sites in water for bridges at a relatively shallow depth. In
this type of coffer dams, there is a single row of cantilever sheet piles. The piles are sometimes heavily braced.
Joints in the steet piles are properly sealed. This type of coffer dams are suitable for moderate-flow velocities
of water and for depth upto 4 m. The depth of penetration below ground surface is about 0.25h for coarse sand
and gravels, 0.5h for dine sand and 0.85h for silts, where h is the depth of water. Sometimes single-sheet coffer
dams are provided with earth fills on one or both sides to increase the lateral stability. The figure of single
sheet pile cofferdam is shown on the right.

Double-wall Sheet piling cofferdam

Double Wall Sheet Piling Cofferdam

These dam consists of two straight, parallel vertical walls of sheet piling, tied to each other and the space
between walls filled with soil. The width between the parallel piles is empirically set as (h/2 + 1.5m); where h
is height of water. Double-wall sheet piling coffer dams higher than 2.5m should be strutted. Sometimes, an
inside berm is provided to keep the phreatic line within the berm.
The fill material should have a high coefficient of friction and unit weight so that it performs as a massive
body to give the coffer dam stability against sliding and overturning. Suitable measures should be adopted to
reduce the uplift on the coffer dam. This is generally done by driving the sheet piling on the upstream as deep
as possible.
The double-wall sheet piling coffer dam has the advantage of having less leakage than that in a single-wall
coffer dam. These coffer dams are suitable upto a height of 10m.

Braced cofferdam

Braced Cofferdam

A braced coffer dam is formed by driving two rows of vertical sheeting and bracing with wale and struts.
These are similar to sheeting and bracing system with one basic difference that braced cuts are required for
excavations in dry areas whereas braced coffer dams are used to isolate a working area surrounded by water.
The braced coffer dams are susceptible to flood damage.
Braced cofferdams are sometimes used as land coffer dams to prevent ground from entering the foundation
pile pit on land and to support the soil so as to prevent cave in. After the pit is dewatered, the structure is
concreted. When concreting has been completed above the water level, the coffer dam is removed.

Cellular cofferdam

This is constructed by driving sheet piles of special shapes to form a series of cells. Te cells are interconnected
to form a watertight wall. These cells are filled with soil to provide stabilizing force against lateral pressure.
Basically, there are two types of cellular coffer dams that are commonly used:

1. Diaphragm type cellular cofferdam

 Diaphragm Type: 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 coffer dam is thus made
from inter-connected steel sheet piles. The cells are filled with coarse-grained soils which increase the
weight of the cofferdam and its stability. The leakage through the coffer dam is also reduced.
To avoid rupture of diaphragms due to unequal pressure on the two sides, it is essential to fill all the
cells at approximately the same rate. One advantage of the diaphragm type is that the effective length
of the cofferdam may be increased easily by lengthening the diaphragm.

2. Circular type Cellular cofferdam

Circular Type: 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.