COFFERDAM

COFFERDAM
LEARNING
LEARNINGOUTCOMES:
OUTCOMES:
At
Atthe
theend
endofofthis
thistopic,
topic,the
thestudents
studentsshould
shouldbe
beable
ableto:
to:
1.1. Describe
Describedifferent
differenttypes
typesofofcofferdam
cofferdam

2.2. Explain
Explaindesign
designprinciples
principlesofofcofferdam
cofferdam
 COFFERDAM is a series of connecting soil-filled cells
around the perimeter of a work area.

Water side

Smaller Basin side

connecting Land, inside or dry side
partial
cells

Not intended to be completely impervious but rather to provide sufficient resistance to

water flow that the quantity of water that seeps through can be readily pumped.
 3 TYPES OF CELLULAR COFFERDAM

Circular cells Diaphragm cells

Cloverleaf cells
 DETERMINATION OF EFFECTIVE WIDTH, B

Cell intersection
angle,  , is usually
30 or 45.
90 degrees Tee
30 and 120 degrees wyes
 STABILITY AND DESIGN OF CELLULAR COFFERDAMS

Terzaghi’s (1945) method or Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA method)

Design principles of cofferdam

Stability Reinforced earth Cofferdam

factor retaining wall

     
Forces Lateral soil Lateral water pressure
  pressure
 
Internal Safe against ; Safe against:
stability Tensile failure, Interlocking stress
  bond failure Bursting force
     
External Safe against: Safe against:
stability Sliding failure Sliding failure
Overturning failure Overturning failure
Bearing failure Vertical shear
Bearing failure
 SLIDING STABILITY

Pp  Pf  Pw'
FOS   1.25
Pd

Note : Pa on the water

 side is neglected
 OVERTURNING STABILITY

• Consider soil cannot take tension force.

• Resultant weight W must lie within the
middle one-third of the base.

1 Pd y Pd y B
e  
HB W 6
Then, determine the average cell width, B.
Note : Larger cell heights, H require wider B.
 hp 
W  e  Pp  
FOS   3   1.25
H 
Pd  d 
2  3 
• Consider the cell tends to tip over and the soil will pour out at the heel.
• The tipping movement must overcome the friction resistance between the cell fill and the
water-side sheet-pilling. The friction force is considered to developed from water force, P w.
• Summing moment about toe, A, gives; Pw tan   B  Pw y
y
Required average width, B is B 
tan  Pw tan   B
FOS   1.25
Pw y
 SHEAR ALONG PLANE THROUGH CENTRELINE

Shearing resistance along the centre line

plane is contributed by:
1. Soil shear resistance, Vs and
2. Friction, Ril in the interlock joints.
The sum, Vr must equal or greater than the
shear, V due to overturning effects, Mo.
2 3M o
Mo  BV V  Interlock friction
3 2B coefficient usually taken
Vr  Vs  Ril  V as 0.3.

Ril  Pt f i
Vs  Ps tan  '
Ps = area of abcd Pt = area of abcd

Calculated
Calculated using Ka.
using K’
Vr
FOS   1.25
V