Objectives:

Definition Of Cofferdam
Types Of Cofferdam
General Design Considerations Of
Cofferdams
Advantages And Disadvantages Of
Cofferdam
Typical Items Needed For Constructions Of
Cofferdam
Overview Of Steel Sheet Piling
Pictures Of Basic Construction Procedures
For a Braced-Cofferdam
Pictorial Presentation Of Olmsted Lock
Project
What is a Cofferdam??
A cofferdam is a temporary structure
designed to keep water and/or soil out
of the excavation in which a bridge
pier or other structure is built.

-Standard Handbook of
Heavy Construction

Types of Cofferdams
Braced

Earth-Type

Timber Crib

Double Walled Sheet Pile

Cellular
Braced Cofferdams
Formed from a single wall of sheet piling
Driven into the ground to form a box
around the excavation site
The box is then braced on the inside
Interior is dewatered
Primarily used for bridge piers in shallow
water (30 - 35 ft depth)
Earth-Type Cofferdams
Simplest Type of Cofferdam
Consists of an earth bank w/ a
clay core or vertical sheet
piling enclosing the excavation
Used for low-level waters with
low velocity
Easily scoured by water rising
over the top

Timber Crib Cofferdam
Cellular-Type Cofferdam
Constructed on land and floated into place
Lower portion of each cell matched with
contour of river bed
Uses rock ballast and soil to decrease
seepage and and sink into place
Also known as Gravity Dam

Timber Crib Cofferdam (cont.)
Usually consists of 12 x 12 cells
Used in rapid currents or on rocky river
beds
Must be properly designed to resist lateral
forces such as:
-Tiping/Overturning
-Sliding
Double-Walled Cofferdam
*Two-parallel rows of steel sheet piles
driven into the ground
*Tied together with anchors and wales,
then filled with soil
*Three principle types:
Box: Consists of straight flush walls
Semicircular cells connected by
diaphragms
Circular cells connected with tie-rods or
diaphragms

Cellular Cofferdams
Two main types are circular and segmental
Can be used on temporary or permanent basis
Forces are resisted by the mass of the cofferdam
Cofferdam Design Considerations
Scouring or undermining by rapidly flowing
water
Stability against overturning or tilting
Upward forces on outside edge due to tilting
Stability against vertical shear
Effects of forces resulting from:
Ice, Wave, Water, Active Earth and Passive
Earth Pressures

Advantages of Cofferdams
Allow excavation and construction of
structures in otherwise poor environment
Provides safe environment to work
Contractors typically have design
responsibility
Steel sheet piles are easily installed and
removed
Materials can typically be reused on other
projects

Disadvantages of Cofferdams
Special equipment required
Relatively expensive
Typically very time consuming & tedious
If rushed, sheets can be driven out of
locks
or out of plumb
When in flowing water log jams may
occur creating added stress on structure

Items needed for installation
Pile driving hammer
Vibratory or Impact
Crane of sufficient size
Steel sheet piles are typically used
H-piles and/or wide-flange beams for
wales
and stringers
Barges may be required

Pictures of Pile Hammers
Impact hammer
Vibratory Pile Driver
Steel Sheet Piling Properties
Moderately watertight
High shear and bending strength
High interlock strength
Easy to install/remove
Reusable
Can be cantilevered but typically require
additional structural member (i.e. wales
and
cross bracing)

Traditional Sheet Pile Shapes
Z-Type (Z)
Used for
intermediate to
deep wall construction
Larson / U Type (U)
Used for applications
Similar to Z-Type
Arch shaped & lightweight
Used for shallower wall construction
Flat / Straight Type (SA),(S)
Used for filled cell construction
Steel Sheet Pile Interlocks
No industry Standard

Interlocks Should:
provide relative water or earth-tight
connections
permit reasonable free sliding to to
connect
sheets during installation
provide minimum guaranteed pull strength
allow minimum swing between locks in
order
to form a circle
Typical Types of Interlocks
Ball & Socket (BS)
Single Jaw (SJ)
Double Jaw (DJ)
Hook & Grip (HG)
Double Hook (DH)
Thumb & Finger
One Point Contact (TFX)
Thumb & Finger
Three Point Contact (TF)
Braced Cofferdam Construction
Install Wale and Strut System for Framework /
Template

Braced Cofferdam Construction
Install Wale and Strut System for Framework/Template
Braced Cofferdam Construction
Install Sheet piles using the Framework as Template
Braced Cofferdam Construction
Install Sheet piles using the Framework as Template
Braced Cofferdam Construction
Tips for installing sheet piles:
-Always set up a template system
-Rule of thumb:Crane Boom length should be twice that of the sheets
-Drive the sheets with the male interlock leading in order to avoid soil plugs
-If the female interlock must lead,place a bolt or other object at the bottom to
avoid debris filling the slot
-Align the plumb the first two sheets and drive carefully and accurately
-Drive sheet in pairs when possible placing the hammer in the center of the
pair
-Some contractors recommend not driving a sheet more than 1/3 its length
before driving the adjacent pile
-letting the sheets freefall and drop in order to aid in penetration will generally
cause the sheet to fall out of plumb
-Cellular cofferdam require that all sheets are set and closed before any
driving is done
-Finallynever rush the pile Foreman!!
Olmstead Lock & Dam Project

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Project required massive cofferdam for Lock construction

Rendering of completed project
Olmsted Cofferdam Project
Overview of Cofferdam Construction
U-shaped cellular cofferdam
Consisted of 50 round cells and 49 peanut shaped
connecting arcs
Cells have 63 diameter and place 81 on center
Round cells consist of 120 sheets and arcs consist
of 50 sheets (25 inside & out)
Sheet piling ranged from 50 to 109 in length
All cells filled with approx. 675,000 CY of sand

Olmsted Cofferdam Project
-Pictorial Presentation of Cofferdam Construction

Site before construction
Olmsted Cofferdam Project
First six months of construction. Excavation of terrain performed to avoid
sliding While lock foundation was being excavated.
1 Nov 1993
Olmsted Cofferdam Project
Several high water events during the fall of1993 and spring of 1994
Slowed the river work
4,Mar,1994
Olmsted Cofferdam Project
Deflector and cell being constructed simultaneously
cells
Deflectors
11,July,1994
Olmsted Cofferdam Project
Typical Cell Framework and Construction
Olmsted Cofferdam Project
Typical Pile driving operation
Using a vibratory hammer.
Impact hammer were also used.
Olmsted Cofferdam Project
Construction status improved significantly due during
Summer and fall of 1994 due to extremely good river
conditions
1,Nov,1994
Olmsted Cofferdam Project
Typical Cell Filling Operation
Olmsted Cofferdam Project
Typical Round Cell Construction
Location of connecting arc
Olmsted Cofferdam Project
2,May,1995
Olmsted Cofferdam Project
Dewatering of cofferdam was delayed due to a flood,in this photo
The water is within 1 foot of the top of cofferdam
28,May,1995
Olmsted Cofferdam Project
Dewatering of cofferdam took approx. 40 days,beginning in
July of 1995
8,Aug,1995
Olmsted Cofferdam Project
Completed Cofferdam , turned over to lock contractor
28,Dec,1995
Olmsted Lock Project
Typical day of operations within the Cofferdam
Sept,1998
Olmsted Lock Project
Overview shot of project as of Dec,9,1998