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Drilled Piers
 Drilled piers or drilled caissons are deep foundations
FOUNDATION ENGINEERING II constructed by placing concrete in an excavated (drilled)
CENG 4142 well for the purpose of transferring loads from the
superstructure to load -bearing strata in the ground.
 They may be with or without steel reinforcements or with

CH-2 CAISSONS AND COFFERDAMS or without enlarged bases.

 The excavation may be done by hand or by machines.

Advantage and Disadvantage of Drilled Piers

Advantage
 Pier of any length and size can be constructed at the site
 Construction equipment is normally mobile and
construction can proceed rapidly
 Inspection of drilled holes is possible because of the larger
diameter of the shafts
 Very large loads can be carried by a single drilled pier
foundation thus eliminating the necessity of a pile cap
 It is applicable to a wide variety of soil conditions
 Ground vibration due to driven piles is absent
 Bearing capacity can be increased by under-reaming the
bottom.
Disadvantage
 Installation of drilled piers needs a careful supervision
and quality control of all the materials
 The method is cumbersome. It needs sufficient storage
space for all the materials used in the construction
 The advantage of increased bearing capacity due to
compaction in granular soil that could be obtained in
driven piles is not there in drilled pier construction
 Construction of drilled piers at places where there is a
heavy current of ground water flow due to artesian
pressure is very difficult.

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Types of Drilled Pier

 The three main types of Piers are (Teferra A.)
 Floating piers in homogeneous soils
 End-bearing piers in soil
 End-bearing piers in rock.
 The materials of the pier may be of concrete, concrete in
steel shell, or concrete plus steel core in steel shell.
 For small jobs, plain concrete may be used. Depending on
the soil and loading conditions, the piers may be reinforced
either partly (upper portion) or entirely (whole length).

CAISSONS CAISSONS
 Caissons are simply larger piles. Instead of a pile group, one  Caissons are box-type structural elements of a foundation,
large caisson can be utilized. consisting of many cells built either of timber, steel,
concrete or a combination of them, which are wholly or
partly constructed at higher level and sunk to their final
position.
 They are used to transmit large loads through water and
poor material to firm strata.
 Major areas in which caissons are deployed are in bridge
piers, quay walls, shore protection structures, water-front
structures, etc.

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CAISSONS
 Because of their construction costs, caissons are
advantageously used over other types of foundations when
any or all of the following conditions exist:
a. The soil contains large boulders which obstruct penetration of
piles.
b. A massive substructure is required to extend to or below a river
bed to provide resistance against destructive forces due to floating
objects, scour, etc.
c. The foundation is subjected to large lateral forces.
Uses of Caissons
 Caissons are more suitable for the deep foundation under
water where the foundation should be extended up to or
below the river bed so as to obtain the proper stability.
 Caisson are used as foundation for bridges piers, and
abutments in rivers, seas, lakes, break waters and other
shore construction works.
 It is also used for pump house which are subjected to
huge vertical as well as horizontal forces.
 It is also occasionally used for large and multi-story
building and other structures.

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Construction Material Shapes of Caissons

 Caisson are constructed into two basic shapes and
The Material used for the construction of caisson are combination of basic shape.
as follows: Shapes of Caissons:
Wood i. Basic Shape (Circular ,Rectangular ,Square ,Octagonal)
Steel ii. Combination of Basic Shape
Reinforced Concrete

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Types of Caissons 1. Open Caissons

 Caissons may be divided into three categories according to  It is a box type of structure which is open at the top and at
their methods of construction. These are: the bottom.
1. Open Caisson  Open Caissons are normally used on sandy soils or soft
2. Box Caisson bearing stratum and where no firm bed is available at a
3. Pneumatic Caisson higher depth.
 According to the shape of caissons, open caissons can be
further classified into three types as:
 Single Wall Open Caisson
 Cylindrical Open Caisson
 Open Caissons with dredging wells.

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… Open Caissons … Open Caissons

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Construction of Open Caissons Advantages and Disadvantages of Open Caissons

Advantages of Open Caissons:
 The sinking process of open caisson can be done in  This type of Caisson can be extended up to large depths.
the following conditions:  Cost of Construction is relatively less on bed level
 Dry
Disadvantages of Open Caissons:
 Dewatered Construction
 Artificial Island  Since the placing of concrete is done for concrete seal under
water, it may not be satisfactory.
 If any obstruction of boulders or logs are encountered, then
progress of work becomes slow.
 Through cleaning and inspection at the bottom of caisson is
very difficult.

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2. Box Caissons … Box Caissons

 Box caisson is similar to open caisson, only difference is  The ground must be leveled or excavated so as to
that it is closed at the bottom. acquire a level surface. It must also be protected against
 Box caisson is cast and cured properly on ground and
scouring.
then it is launched in water by filling sand or gravel or  In addition, box caissons shall be checked for floating
concrete in the empty spaces. stability since they are commonly towed on sites.
 Box caissons are used where the construction of an open
caisson is costly or not feasible.
 They are advantageously used in a site where the bearing
stratum is near the ground surface.

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3. Pneumatic Caissons … Pneumatic Caissons

 This type of caisson is open at the bottom and close at
the top.
 It is suitable for the depth of water more than 12m.
 In the construction of Pneumatic Caisson, the
compressed air is used to remove water from the
working chamber and the foundation work is carried out in
dry condition.
 This type of caisson can be made of timber, concrete or
steel.

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Loads on Caissons
Caisson is a well acted upon by the following loads: Cofferdams
 Dead load of super-structure
 “A cofferdam is a temporary structure designed to keep
 Load of bearing pier
 Various horizontal forces
water and/or soil out of the excavation in which a bridge
 Wind force pier or other structure is built.”
 Earth Pressure  Cofferdams are temporary enclosures to keep out
 Seismic load water and soil so as to permit dewatering and
 Centrifugal forces
construction of the permanent facility (structure) in
 Water current forces
 Braking and tractive efforts of the moving vehicles
the dry

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… Cofferdams
… Cofferdams
 A cofferdam involves the interaction of the structure, soil,  In cofferdam construction, safety is a paramount concern,
and water. The loads imposed include the hydrostatic forces since workers will be exposed to the hazard of flooding
of the water, as well as the dynamic forces due to currents and collapse.
and waves.
 Safety requires:
 The loads imposed on the cofferdam structure by good design
construction equipment and operations must be considered, proper construction
both during installation of the cofferdam and during
monitoring the behavior of the cofferdam and
construction of the structure itself.
surrounding area
 Removal of the cofferdam must be planned and executed provision of adequate access
with the same degree of care as its installation. light and ventilation, and
attention to safe practices on the part of all workers and
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… Cofferdams
Cofferdam Design Considerations
 Scouring or undermining by rapidly flowing water
 Stability against overturning or tilting
 Stability against vertical shear
 Effects of forces resulting from:
 Ice, Wave, Water, Active Earth and Passive Earth
Pressures
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Types of Imposed Loads
 Hydrostatic pressure the maximum probable height
outside the cofferdam during construction and the water
height inside the cofferdam during various stages of
construction need to be considered.
 Forces due to Soil Loads the soils impose forces, both
locally on the wall of the cofferdam and globally upon the
structure as a whole.
 Current Forces on Structure
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Advantages of Cofferdam
 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
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 Wave forces waves acting on a cofferdam are usually the
result of local winds or passing boats and ships.
 Seismic Loads this is considered in the design of very
large, important, and deep cofferdams in highly
seismically active areas,.
 Accidental loads these are the loads usually caused by
construction equipment working alongside the
cofferdam
 Scour
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Cofferdam Components
 Sheet piling
 Bracing frame
 Concrete seal
 Bearing piles

Cofferdam
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 Braced Cofferdam Construction

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