Topics Name: Deep Foundation (Cofferdam &

Caisson)

Presented BY:
Md. Mohshin Ali
Lecturer
Dept. of Civil Engineering
BAUET
 Cofferdams
Cofferdam may be defined as the temporary structure constructed in a
river or a lake or other water bearing surface for excluding water
from a given to enable the building operation to be performed on dry
surface.
Classification of Cofferdam:
Considering the material used in their construction,
cofferdam may be divided into the following categories:
1. Cellular Cofferdam
2. Earthen Cofferdam
3. Rock-bill Cofferdam
4. Single wall Cofferdam
5. Double wall Cofferdam
6. Crib cofferdam
 Cellular cofferdam
These are mostly used for dewatering large areas in places where
the depth of water may be of the order of 18 to 21m. It is mostly
used during the construction of Dams, locks etc.

It may be classified in two types-

1.Circular type cellular cofferdam
2.Diaphragm type cellular cofferdam
 Embankment cofferdam
It consists of an earthen embankment built around the area to be
encloses. It is used where depth of water is not much (1.3m to 1.8m)
and the velocity of water is very low, side slopes may be varied from
1:1 to 1:2.
 Rock
Rock fill
fill cofferdam
cofferdam
If the water depth is between 1.8m to 3m stone or rubble is used for
the embankment. This construction is adopted only if the stone is
easily available in the nearby areas. The side slope on the water side
is protected by pitching.
 Single- Walled Cofferdam

This type of cofferdam is used in place where the area to be

enclosed is very small and the depth of water is more say 4.5m
to 6m. Depending upon the velocity of the current of the water in
the river , the center to center spacing of the piles may very
between 1.8 to 4m.
 Double - Walled Cofferdam

It is used where the enclosed area is very large & the depth of
area is very high with high pressure. 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 overturning and sliding. The distance between the
two walls depends upon the depth of water.
 Crib Cofferdam

It is used in deep water where it is difficult to penetrate the guide

piles or sheet piles into the hard bed below. In this type of
construction the sheet piles are supported by a series of wooden
cribs.
 Caisson

A caisson may be defined as water straight structure made

up of wood, steel or reinforced concrete constructed in
connection with excavation for foundations of bridges,
piers, abutments in river and lakes etc.

Classification of Caissons:
1. Open caisson
2. Box caisson
3. Pneumatic Caisson
 Open Caissons

It may be classified as cylindrical open caissons and single wall open

caisson etc.

Cylindrical open caisson may be defined as a cylindrical sheet made

up of timber, masonry, steel or reinforced concrete with a cutting
edge and which is sunk by excavating the soil within the shell.
Fig: Open Caisson
 Box Caisson
This types of caisson is similar to open caisson except that it is
closed at bottom. The caisson is cast & cured on land & when
required, it is launched in water and lowed to the site for
sinking.
 Pneumatic Caissons
These are enclosed at top & open
at the bottom. The water is
excluded from the caissons
chamber by means of compressed
air. These are suitable for depth of
water ranging from 25 to 40m.
Thanks to All

Any question ??