~,~_E,_\

400

600 400
j_

' l

IMINI

400
600

500

, If I ,.

500
_ Corner Steel Sheet,Piles .

Hot-rolled corner steel sheet piles

Steel sheet piles made by hot rolling for 90° corners have less deformation
than processed corner sheet piles. These piles have the added advantage
that they can be piled up for easy transport and storage.
They can also be driven in the same way as general steel sheet piles.

■ Cross-sectional performance

Dimensions Cross section Weight Geometrical moment Section modulus

of inertia
Type
w h t Per each pile Per each pile Per each Per each pile
meter of wall X 10-8 (m4)
Per each
Per each pile
meter of wall X 10-s (m3)
Pereach
meter of wall
(mm) (mm) (mm) X 10-4 (m2) (kg/m) 2 4
(kg/m ) x 10-s(m /m) x 10-s (m3/m)
• > C,

JFESP-C3 , 400 125 13.0 76.42 60.0 150 2,220 16,800 223 1,340

"
JFES8-C4 400 170 15.5 96.99 76.1 190 4,670 38,600 362 2,270
,l

The material used in the production of hot-rolled corner steel sheet piles is
the same as that used in general steel sheet piles.

Driving procedure
Wall closing is easy when the central dimension of the steel sheet pile wall
is a multiple of the effective width of the steel sheet piles.
 COFFERDAM : DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND INSTALLATION
FORTH REPLACEMENT CROSSING . EDINBURGH

1. Abstract

The execution of foundations in maritime environments often involves important temporary works,
in order to provide a safe workplace, comply with environmental requirements and achieve high
quality standards.

This paper presents the design, construction and installation of the steel cofferdams used for the
execution of the Nl and S4 piers at the Forth Replacement Crossing (Edinburgh, Scotland), currently
under construction.

The cofferdams consist on manufactured steel corrugated plates welded to each other and
strengthened with two waling levels. The bottom part of the cofferdam would be embedded up to
.• i •- I ' •

one meter into 'Burdiehouse Limestone' which according to boreholes would be expected twelve
meters below water level. The overall height.of the structure was almost 15 metres.
)I' i_ ' i

The cofferdam was manufactured in a steel mill in Seville (Spain) and transported to site by means of
a towed ponto'on. The loading-out manoeuvres were a challenging part of the works due to the
dimensions of the structure itself.

Key words: Volcanic Tuff, cofferdam, welding, foundation, trench

2. Introduction

Nl Pier is the one located 'just adjacent to the northern tower being part of the cable-stayed section
of the Firth of Forth new bridge main crossing. It is located close to the northern shoreline and consists
of a masshie reinforted _conctete 'direct foundation, 26m x 29m and 5.Sm deep, and is founded on
Volcanic Tuff bedrock of the Sandy Craig Formation.

This foundation is to be built in the dry: For· making this possible, atemporary works structure had to
be built in order to resist the hydrostatic thrust forces.

PIERN1 ·

\ EXISTING
NEW BRIDGE "" . , RAILWAY
.• ' BRIDGE
'•
.'· EXISTING
' ROAD BRIDGE
•.
·•t\•.
~~-v'\.
· r r
,._j~
r,v~.• ' , .- '

;__ _ ,:.'.i' ~

Figure 1: Bridge location (left). Current view from North Tower (right)
n __ _ 1 ,...f11
 Given the relatively shallow water depth and
depth to the rockhead underneath,
prefabricated cofferdams were decided to be
· i·nstalled.

Prefabrication of the cofferdam as opposed

to the more conventional form of cofferdam
construction by driving sheet piles has the
' f, benefit of avoiding the creation of airborne
and underwater noise. The method of pre-
f: ; <t·;; r> excavation also removes the risk of
encountering obstructions.
~ ~'1 '"
Figure 2: Structural elements of the cofferdam

The temporary works structure consisted of a number of corrugated plates welded side-by-side,
arranged so the pier foundation could be fit inside. The overall plan dimensions were 30m by 27m
(transverse x longitudinal). Two levels of frames provide the required stiffness to withstand the
horizontal thrust forces.

The cofferdam rest on four bearing plates located at each corner at a level below the foundation
bottom level. For achieving this, a trench was excavated along the sides of the cofferdam prior to the
cofferdam installation, which were. filled with concrete later on. This was required to provide the
foundation of the cofferdam with the corresponding water tightness, once it was dewatered.

The uplift forces were counterweight by a concrete plug beneath the foundation bottom level. De-
stressing wells were also installed to minimize those forces.

Both cofferdams were constructed in Seville (Spain) and transported to site by means of a towed
pontoon. Once there, they were installed'at their final position by means of a barge crane.

3. Design

Although Pier Nl cofferdam was initially conceived as driven sheet piles in the tender design, it was
decided to use a prefabricated structure instead. The reasons were, among others, the relatively
shallowness of the foundation, as the pier was dose to the shoreline, .and the reduced risk
associated to this solution, given the excavation took place before placing the structure. There
would also have benefits from the environmental perspective, as airborne an'd underwater noise
would be prevented during the cofferdam in·stallation.

The following figure shows a sketch of the SHEET PILE

SHEET PILE
adopted solution. ~~ ~
•<>?V, • .. •;':,. ~J.rl
. '<.~:..:,~·· ... .x

The cofferdam had to be designed to i

: FOUND~ TION
withstand a pressure corresponding to a ~'l "" ..
h:•. ~,,~ J

I
15m water column . The corrugated plates ,... +- ··· --·--- .......:.,. _____ -·,

would be embedded in a concrete trench·

along the contour of the cofferdam. This plug
would act as sealant in the joint to prevent
PlUG
leaking. COf·FERDAM SUPPORT

Figure 3: Cofferdam cross-section as shown in design drawings

J
1 he
StrlJqlJ
re had t
1. B o be check
efore f 0 ed for t
t rench und at,on ,
.
Wo dlff
erent
b 'as Well e><ecuuon • scc n;ir1 0 \
Y tw 0 I as In tw · corru
evels o o lrue anted pl.,tr-,
f fral'l'les a l'tl'\~late 1101 . .., wouI <1 h.iv,,
2. After fou
Odar
nd Struts nts loca trd .it lr•v(•I , .t;t ,•
,LJ pprmr•rJ cm thr, U)nc.r r:tr,
" CJ t n ,JncJ } 'H
the f IOn e)(e . \ · , Jrrt , rn;itr!r1.;i i,,,,,J
oundar cution •
W ion its If . corrusat d •
outd be rel'l'I e , as Well as th e Pl ate!'. would b
ihe following t· OVed during construect~PPer strut level It,: :;:~~orted on th ,~ concr r: t(! DIJJP. and
W II '&ur ton noted that th · 1 '
e as the s es show the I '. • r.: owr.:r ~t ru t h.-vr:f
tructurat l'l'I two structural
Odel used to h schemes adopted f
II{~ c eek the top frame . or th e corrugated plates de-,1gn, a~
Ar'ltJI

.... ..:::~~~-":t:-- .--

"'~~ ·
,..~,
....
"

,_.,,,,..
.,....
---
►
t

I
,,,,,,,,...~ ,., ____ _
..,_.. ...-- .

I
I
I • •• ~ "'--~ - · I+ ,....,.
Figure 4 : Models used during design
Reactions of each d
mo e1would be used to design the . .
the lower part of the cofferdam . propping system (frames) and concrete plug at

Accordingly, bending moments and shear forces in each

corrugated plates . Also pressure on bearing plat II c~s~ would be used for checking the
be checked. es as we as lifting lugs were important elements to

4. Construction

Both cofferdams were manufactured in Seville (Spain) by two important steel mills MEGUSA and
TECADE. Once constructed, they would be shipped to Edinburgh and installed at their final position.
\

Given the size of the structures, they were built in smaller sizes and assembled at the Port of Seville
where they ~ould be load-out on a pontoqn. . ·

The manufacturing process followed was :

1. Plate reception : Quality Control compliance

2. Plate preparation : plates were then cut to their final dimensions and edges prepared for welding
3. Plate bending: geometry control was very Important In this phase: if bends were not perfectly
parallel, It would have impacted the total cofferdam geometry
4. Welding of
plates: all welds were executed using Submerged Arch welding (SAW) process
s. Frame assembly: frames were typically compound sections connected with intermediate plates.
Sections were whether standard sections or welded beams

Page 3 of 11
 All welds in th
A e steel mill w
rch Welding (SMAW ere Performed Using SA
transportable to th ) Process Was us d W. Whenever this was not possible, Shielded Metal
6 e assembly Yard e · Plates and beams were welded so elements were
. Cofferdam Wall
Whereas the I s assembly: the coff
7 C anger Walls were 5 l't . erd am's shorter walls were welded to form one piece,
8. offerdarn assembly· b thph, in four and connected to the shorter to for a half cofferdam
. . Coff d . o alves had t b
9.
er am finishes· 1
Load-out onto
°
e turned and welded together
. we d of rest of plates, props, etc.
us d Pontoon . to lo d th
e · The ntJniber of .1
th ax es Was· ,chos a emh out, Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMT)· were
e Wharf allow a bl e bearing
. pr en sot e total weight of the cofferdam was spread according to
prevent the .. · essure. Also, the cofferdams themselves needed to be strengthened to
10 corrugated plates from buckle
. Once on the P t .
du nng· t he haulage on oon, the cofferdam needed to be secured to prevent it from sliding/falling
11. Shipping

It was essenti~I to accomplish the construction of the cofferdams on time, given the overall
programme depended on it. Along with the construction itself, it was essential to assure a quality level
for the cofferdam. As it was classified as Execution Class 2, this required a minimum number of
inspections to be performed on the welds, including visual inspection as well as NDT's.
The following photos show each of the steps described above .

Figure S: Plate bending machine (left). Inspection after bending to guarantee the l,ack,of cracks on the outer face

(right) - • JJ.IJ I
,H

Figure 6: Automated process to weld the sheet plates

Page 4 of 11 ____ _
)
 Figure 8: Sheet pile assembly in assembly yard

Figure 9: Cofferdam turn for assembly _

Figure 10: Load-out manoeuvre onto pontoon

Prige ~ 9f 11
- ---
- --- -- - - --- ----
- · - ---
-
- ·- .
r

' I :·1"·• ., .
Figure 11· c '· ·
. offerdarn 'faste . .' . . .
,,. ning to fix it on the Pontoon deck
. ,

Figure 12: Cofferdam during transport to Edinburgh

r 1 1 ~ . , , 1

5. Installation

Once on site, the cofferdam were to be installed. The general sequence of construction was:
:1 . , ·• I·_.,· 11 1 { '. •.•;·

1. Form a perimeter trench cut into the bedrock with a raised plinth area in the centre

This required excavating the foundation pocket

underwater through the superficial deposits
down to formation level. Deeper trenches were
'locally exca~ated around the perimeter oft-he
foundation to allow the cofferdam box to be
placed . The figure on the right shows
schematically the foundation. The photo
besides it sh,ow.s ,the fir;ial !:ratbvn;t_etric s~.r1~ev.
which ·shows th~ as-built perimeter trench and
raised plinth areas.

.._, :fig~re(p -: ~.xcav~tion of foundat!on pocket "!ith long

reach excavator
11
i,·.

Page 6 of 11
f

·2.
lnsta'llation of the bea-ring pi ates

Once the excavation was

~~mpleted, it was ready for the
st
in aHati0n ' of the corner bearing
plates on which the cofferdam
would temporarily ·be supporfed•.-It
was important to make sure this
plates were correctly installed and
levelled so the cofferdam would be
properly placed.

3. · Lower the cofferdam into the perimeter trench and onto the bearing plates. ,

Figure 16: Installation of Pier N1 Cofferdam

Page 7 of 11
fi'- :&.V\71 -"'-"'
V The next step w
location of Pi as to lift the cofferd
type of
t he coff d
addition to the
e~ Nl, The liftin
operations It
· Was one f
. . er am (567 ton
a~ off the supp/ b
g 0 Perat,ons We
°
Y arge and transfer it from the quayside to the
re carried t .
the largest lifts
nes approx.) "our t
ou using the crane barge made up for this
.
on the project by floating plant. Given the weight of
crane I·t ' '' ugs w . .
Th self. ere required as well as two multicat work vessels in
e crane th
en requ·
down into th . ired to be Winched int ..
O
the w t e Perimeter trench d Position, so the cofferdam could be carefully lowered
th
a er. 'an e four corners would rest in the bearing plates located under
It took 24 h
ours to place the coffer
dam on the corner bearing supports.
4
. The next step was to
cofferdam, and a seal b pour th e concrete into the trench to provide a bearing support to the
etween the cofferdam and the bedrock.
Once the temporary ace
concret 't . ess platforms have been installed and prior to pouring the underwater
e, 1 was required t O I h · '
trench Was c ean t e trench both inside and outside the cofferdam, as the internal
th th
benea part of the foundation formation. Following cleaning and inspection by divers,
e trench was filled with underwater concrete to create a seal.

•. )1
Figure 17 Temporary platforms installation (left). Trench cleaning (right)

This was done fol/owing the next steps: iristail MINIMUM EXTENT 0 ~ COFFERDAM POSITION
FOUNDATION \ ,.., TOLERANCE
temporary formwork in positions 1 and 4 (in the ~ / SHEET PILES
form of one tone bags with smaller sand bags r·-··•- . --~---- (-· __,____ ........ . . ._______. . .
used to fill the gaps) to control the placement of i
1 SHUTTERING ABOVE
underwater concrete and to provide tempora'ry -9.0mOD
lateral support to the cofferdam.

Place under water concrete in area 2, remove

the formwork from position 1 and place the
underwater concrete in areas 3 and 5 to form a
water tight seal between the steel cofferdam
and the bedrock. I
Figure 18: Sequence of trench filling with concrete
The following figure shows the sequence how the
trench was filled with concrete.

Page 8 of 11
~ ~ - - -- - - - -page1T5fTr -
 Figure 19: Concrete . ,
pouring of internal trench usin .
S g und erwater concrete (left) . Divers support during operation (right)
. Internal de-stressing wells are h .
pressures below coff d t en in st alled into the bedrock to lower the groundwater
er am and the formation area.

The foundation formation lev I . .

cofferdam to b d e is approximately 12m below sea level. Therefore, to allow the
e ewatered a de-str · h .
rock format'10 b ' essing system ad to be installed to prevent any damage to the
stres . n Y rel ieving the water uplift pressure beneath the formation. A total of 12 de-
sing we 11 sand four pi t · .
t . . ezome ers were installed deep into the roe~ formation and a series of de-
s ressing trials/tests were undertaken.

- i; -._,__
;---,-...._.....
\ t
,.
...
~

'"°"
'

Figure 20: De-stressing system within Pier Nl cofferdam

6. Finally the cofferdam is dewatered to allow formation inspection and foundation construction
in the dry. ·,

The cofferdam was then dewatered using a large submersible pump. This allowed the volcanic tuff
formation to be exposed for the first time.

Figure 21: Cofferdam dewatering. De-stressing system Installed

Page 9 of 11
-•-o---- ,r-. - -.
Page l1 of 11
7. Clean ing of the formation

:he_rock fo~mation_ was then cleaned and inspected to ensure compliance with the geotechnical
esign._During th e inspection works there was a steady flow of water coming up through th e roc_k .
formation on the south side of the cofferdam . The cause of the water was found to be a crack within
th e perimeter trench concrete which was then appropriately sealed which stopped th e flow of
water.

Figure 22 : Formation cleaning prior to concrete blinding

Figure 23 : Geotechnical inspection (left) . Exposed volcanic Tuff (right)

The rock formation was blinded in a number of pours in order to allow an area of the formation to
be clean and inspected and then immediately concreted to prevent the tuff for being disturbed and
deteriorating. The bed was then ready for the execution of the reinforced concrete foundation .

Figure 24: Progressive blinding operation at-Pi~r Nl

 l
6. Conclusions

The construction of some pier fou d t' f · d

i · . "" f .,· f,i•h... · -. i ••.. ,... ·"'' n a ions or the Forth Replacement Crossing in Edinburgh, reqwre
r tne ;Use ·Q pre 841 JCa't'ed c0 ff d ~-: 1"1' -r~ • • .
' . : · ,. . •. •·•. :
position with marine means.
: . ~~- a,~,_
· ·
•·
s, i--tse stnJ~tiur.es were tb b'e· built·· off •site and installed
-, ' .
·
. ..
·
into
• ,. '

Twoofthem N1and54w t • . . f I
j ;' •. ,· ;. t r~.!~~ns ructed 1n S~vlll~.a_nd shipped to site. They consisted O rectangu ar
1

structur~s made of ~qrrugate·d ip1~1tes l elde~ to~:e~d~~other . an~ stfffeh~d by frames and props. The
total weight was 550 and 240 tones respedively. · - · ··

Tw~ major challenges needed to be addressed during the design phase. These were th e huge
horizontal t'lt1:J~tfot ces dLteiio th~)Va'f~npr~ssure ora:'"the;oµt~;rside of th~ cpfferdam and the bottom
seal required l long the p:erimefer·ot'th~ ·to~ rdam tbavo·,tJ the w~ter to leak through it.

They were m~nufactured i1\ev.iH~- ~e:i~gret.i;l!j?~f lKsin;i,Q!r~tl ~-f tures, t~eir overall si~e made it difficult
to handle during construction. A_lso, t he1Joa.Y~out,triani ~.t1v~r was specially challenging because of the
size and weight of both structures.

The installation of the cofferdam required the excavation of a trench below the existing seabed
reaching the Sand Craig Formation laying underneath. After placing the cofferdam, the trench was
filled with concrete to create a seal that would prevent the water from entering the dry side of the
cofferdam, once dewatered. Also, some de-stressing wells were installed to relieve the rock from the
pressure that would be built up inside the cofferdam. Despite this, water leaked through various cracks
that had to be re~7a,1Mta '10~.f:l\7.f .i:';) l ~; • , •'? l : :.,-, ~; ;!, ,:"•", .F fa ·, J', '

Once the cofferdam was dewatered, and the formation inspected, the rock was blinded to prevent it
from further deterioration. The execution ~H-fiii totfndation could then commence.

Page 11 of 11