Real-time monitoring of large-diameter caissons

Conference item

Large-diameter open caissons are a widely-adopted solution for deep foundations, underground storage and attenuation tanks, pumping stations, and launch and reception shafts for tunnel boring machines. The sinking process presents a number of challenges including maintaining verticality of the caisson, controlling the rate of sinking, and minimizing soil-structure frictional stresses through the use of lubricating fluids. A bespoke monitoring system has been developed at University of Oxford to provide early warning of adverse responses during the sinking phase (e.g. excessive soil-structure interface friction). The monitoring system was trialled on a recent pilot project in the UK involving the construction of a 32 m internal diameter, 20 m deep reinforced concrete caisson. This paper describes the monitoring system that was developed and its impact on the construction process of the pilot project. Early indications are that real-time feedback of live construction data has a major impact on the efficiency and safety of the construction process.

Authors: Sheil, B; Royston, R; Byrne, B

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Springer
• Host title: Proceedings of China-Europe Conference on Geotechnical Engineering
• Journal: Proceedings of China-Europe Conference on Geotechnical Engineering
• Issue: 216849
• Pages: 725-729
• Series: Springer Series in Geomechanics and Geoengineering
• Publication date: 2018-08-03
• Acceptance date: 2018-03-17
• DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-97112-4_162
• ISBN: 9783319971117
• Keywords: FFR