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I
p re vented wall cracking during the
born, Michigan, needed to build to excavate the site. sinking process (Figure 2). The sink-
a 122x46-foot holding pit for its One alternative involved building ing caisson also provided for unob-
mill scale. Un f o rt u n a t e l y, the a cofferdam with internally braced structed excavation and wall con-
soil at the site was found to be ex- steel sheet piles, but it would have struction because of the minimal
tremely soft and silty clay. Since the been expensive and time consum- internal bracing as compared to a
soil wasnt stable, an unbraced ex- ing. Using a sinking caisson (Figure heavily braced cofferdam.
cavation would be dangerous. An 1), howe ve r, saved 9 weeks of con- The soil within the center of the
Figure 1.
A) Excavating in soft soils is dangerous because of the possibility of a slope failure or a floor heave.
B) Use sheet piles to prevent soil failures that occur in unbraced excavations. Drive the sheet piles, excavate, and brace in
increments until reaching the desired depth. The structure can now be placed within the confines of the braced
excavation.
C) The sinking caisson method avoids the difficulty of construction inside a braced excavation by acting as both temporary
bracing and final structure. Controlled excavation reduces the drag force on the interior walls, allowing the caisson to
sink under its own weight. After each sinking operation, a new wall is poured. Excavation, sinking and concrete pouring
continue until the caisson reaches the desired depth.