731 1 Design and Construction of A Submarine Sea Outfall at Hastings

7311 Design and construction of a
submarine sea outfall at Hastings
The Paper describes the design and construction of a submarine pipeline laid as a
sewage outfall for the western areaof Hastings. It also outlines the marine investiga-
tions and modelteststhatwerecarried out. Reference is made to thepumping
station and the preliminary treatment givento the sewage.
Introduction
Hastings is a popular seaside resort on the Sussex coast and attracts large
numbers ofvisitors during the holiday season. In the 1950s the Council
were greatly concerned to find that their beaches at West St Leonards in the
western part of the area were being increasingly polluted as a result of the
existing drainage systembecomingseverely overloaded.The schemede-
scribed in the Paper was carried out to remedy these conditions and is illus-
trated in Fig. 1.
2. The drainage of West St Leonards is on the partially combined system,
and prior to the carrying out of this scheme the sewage was discharged after
storage through two outfalls, 36 in. and 24 in. in diameter, laid down to low
water mark.The outfalls were constructedabout 90 years agoand were
designed so that discharge of sewage should take place only at favourable
states of thetide. Since then theflows have greatly increasedand it eventually
became necessary to discharge sewage continuously at all states of the tide.
Severe pollution of the beaches was, therefore, being caused, particularly dur-
ing low tide conditions. The pipes had also become severely corroded, and in
spite of having been repaired on numerous occasions they continued to dis-
charge sewage on to the beaches at various points along their length.
3. A report was prepared in 1960 to consider different methods of sewage
disposal fromthe western area. Twopossible methods were investigated;
first, the construction of an inland sewage disposal works with the discharge
of a fully treated effluent to the sea through an outfall terminating a short
distance beyond low water mark, and second, the construction of a long sea
outfall to discharge sewage after preliminary treatment at a point far enough
from the coast to prevent any possible pollution of the recreational waters and
the foreshore.
4. It was evident from the estimates that the capital cost of a full sewage
treatment works would be closelycomparable to the cost of a long sea outfall
Ordinary meeting at the Institution Tuesday, 1 December, 1970. Also Southern Association
meeting,Thursday,12November,1970.Writtendiscussioncloses 31 January,1971,for
publication after April, 1971.
Partner, D. Balfour & Sons.
t Associate, D. Balfour & Sons.
# Project Engineer, William Press & Son Ltd.
121
Downloaded by [ University of Sussex] on [17/09/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
CRISP,STEWART A N D FLETCHER
but that the latter method of disposal showed substantial savings in running
costs. The Council decided, therefore, to proceed with detailed investigations
as to thefeasibility of a long sea outfall scheme.
Investigations
5. It was decided that the outfall should be constructed by the bottom tow
method, and the choice of location was, therefore, influenced by the need for
an assembly and launching area suitable for the purpose. Preferablysuch
an area shouldbe flatand shouldextend inland for a distance of several hundred
yards from the coast.
6. On the west side of Hastings there was a low-lying area of open land,
the level of which had been raised over the years by controlled tipping. This
land was, however, separated from the coast by the main Bexhill Road with
houses on either side, and also by the main coast railway line. The land was
eminently suitable for assembly and launching, provided a means could be
devised for crossing the road and railway. This appearedpossible at thewest-
ern extremity of the tip, and the marine investigations were, therefore, con-
centrated opposite this area.
Float tests
7. The investigations covered an area of 19 sq. miles of sea, and included
making about 1250 positional fixes in order to record some 180 float tracks.
The float experiments were carried out at different states of the tide and in
different weather conditions, at various positions up to about 1 5 2 miles
offshore. About 100 floats werereleased in groups of four in the area off
West St Leonards, and their positions were recorded at half-hourly intervals.
The floats were released at hourly intervals round the whole tidal cycle and
were left in the sea for periods of up to 13 h after being released.
8. Generally, the floats released at about 10 500 ft seaward of high water
mark moved NE on the flood-tide and SW on the ebb,sometimes returning to
the point of release some 12-13 h later. During this period the floats became
scattered over an area about 2000 ft square in calm conditions and 5000 ft
square when stronger winds were blowing. Only inconditions of highonshore
winds did a small number of light surface floats drift on to theshore.
9. The floats released at points 5000-9000 ft seaward of high water mark
showed a tendency to drift ashore on theflood-tide, this tendency being more
pronounced among those floats released at the 5000 and 6000 ft marks, and
noticeably less so for floats released near the 10 000 ft mark.
10. The wind records for the areashow that for 20% of the time thewinds
blow from the west, for 20% from the SW,and for10% from eachof the other
six points of the compass. During the period of the float tests the wind blew
from the SW for 62% of the time, and it was considered that the tests were
carried out under worse than normal conditions inso far as there was a much
greater than average proportion of winds tending to force the floats on to the
beaches.
11. As a result of the tests it was concluded that a sea outfall extending to
10 000 ft seaward of high water mark would not cause pollution of the fore-
shore andrecreational waters, no matter at what time the sewage was released.
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C O N S T R U C T I O N OF A S U B M A R I N E S E A O U T F A L L A T H A S T I N G S
(abandoned)
26 in. dia. long sea outfall
Channel
Scale of miles
0 I
Fig. 1. Plan
Sea bed examination

12. Havingconcluded that a satisfactory point of disposal could be
achieved, a survey was then made of the sea bed and the strata below it on
several lines radiating from the proposed launching area.
13. Marine investigations were carried out in 1962 and 1963, the scope of
the investigations being to provide profiles of the sea bed, details of the sea
bed strata and the direction and velocitiesof currents encountered. Echo-
sounding runs were made over the area, profiles were produced, and a suitable
line avoiding rock outcrops wasselected. Bad weather at the end of 1962
prevented the completionofthis programme and work wasrestartedin
April 1963.
14. Probings were carried out along the selected line by a diver using an air
probe. This was later supplemented by a high pressure water probe, which
was able to penetrate deeper into the sea bed and confirmed that, although
rock was outcropping onthe foreshore, none existed along the proposed
outfall alignment.
15. Current readings were taken by a Kelvin Hughes direct reading current
meter over a 5 month period in 1963. The readings were taken at 5 ft below
sea level, and the maximum velocity recorded during spring tides was 0.79
knots.
16. An inspection of the AdmiraltySurvey Charts dating back to 1878
revealed only small changes of seabed level consistent withthe varying effects
of different storm conditions, and showed no evidence of long-term or large-
scale sea bed movement.
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C R I S P , S T E W A R TA N DF L E T C H E R
Model tests
17. Further information was required on the effect that waves would have
on a pipeline laid on the sea bed, and model tests to this end were carried out
by the Hydraulics Research Station at Wallingford. The tests were carried
out in a wave flume 75 ft long, 2 ft 6 in. wide and with a depth of water of up
to 2 ft 6 in. Two types of test were carried out. In the first a section of the
model pipe was placed on an erodible bed and subjected to wave action, the
final amount that it settled into the bed being recorded. In the second, the
pipe was heldat a fixed level relativeto thebed, and the chances of accidentally
formed scour holes under the pipebeing either filledin or enlarged were
investigated. This represented apipe supported at two points along its length
in relatively resistant ground with an erodible sandy area between. Granu-
lated coal was used as the sea bed material and the pipe was represented in the
tests by copper tube 33 in. 0.d. filled with wet coal.
18. The worst scouring took place with the waves acting at right angles to
the pipeline. This is a condition unlikely to occur in practice, since the actual
waves will tend to be refracted towards the coastline and hence will generally
act on the pipeline at an angle of up to about 45". The tests indicated that if
a relatively flexible pipeline were laid on an erodible bed it had a natural
tendency to bury itself up to about a diameter in unbroken waves, and up to
0.4 of a diameter in breaking waves. For a pipe held at a fixed level relative
to the sea bed the tests also showed that if scour around the pipe was to be
prevented frombeing exploited to undesirable proportions,the pipe should be
buried in the sea bed for about 0.75 of a diameter for unbroken waves and
1.5 diameters (i.e., half a diameter of cover) for breaking waves.
Outfall design
19. The Council decided to proceed with the preparation of a scheme hav-
ing regard to the favourable outcome of the various investigations and tests
that had been carried out.
20. An alignmentona bearing of 160" fromtruenorth was selected,
terminating in 60 ft ofwater at 10 000 ft seaward of highwater. It was
specified that the pipe shouldbe assembled in several strings on the assembly
area opposite the line chosen for the outfall, the number of strings being left
to thediscretion of the Contractor. It was decided that the pipeline should be
pulled over the Bexhill main road and underneath the railway. This involved
pulling the pipeline through a narrowaccess whichfortunately existed between
houses fronting on both sides of the road. It was not possible to close the
road to traffic, there being no alternative route, and it was therefore necessary
to provide means for traffic to cross over the pipeline during the period of
launching. In order to cross the railway a reinforced concrete culvert was
originally designedthrough which the outfall would be launched withoutinter-
ference with railway traffic. In the event, however, this idea was abandoned
in favour of a 5 ft dia. steel pipe, which was installed by the pipe jacking
method. This was carried out with 5 ft 6 in. of cover and with the precaution
of temporary track strengthening undertakenby British Rail.
Pipes and protective coatings
21. The steel pipe for the outfall was specified to be 28 in. 0.d. with 4 in.
wall thickness to the American Petroleum Institute Standard 5L. The pipe
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C O N S T R U C T I O N OF A S U B M A R I N E S E A O U T F A L L A T H A S T I N G S
Prefrbrlcatedspecial pipe ends
Fig. 2. String joint
was pickled and phosphated, and then primed with bitumen externally before
beinggiven threecoats of coal tar enamel.Parallelreinforcedglassfibre
tissue was drawn into each of the first two coats, and with the third a spiral
wrap of glass fibre impregnated with coal tar pitch was applied, followed by
a heat-reflecting coat of lime wash. All the coatings were tested with a high
voltage holiday detector at the manufacturer's works before the pipes were
delivered to site.
22. It was specified that the welding of the pipes should be by the stove-
pipe method in accordance with API Standard 1104, and that all the welds
were to be radiographed. The bitumen and coal tar enamelcoatingswere
subsequently to be made good around theweld by hand. The pipeline wassur-
rounded with 3 in. of reinforced concrete for weighting and for the physical
protection of the pipe and its coatings. The reinforcement was a 3 in. X 16 in.
mesh, pre-bent to shape and galvanized after bending. As a protection against
internal corrosion of the pipe, it was specified that it should be lined with
cement mortar 3 in. thick,mechanicallyapplied. This in turn was treated
with two coats of bituminous emulsion.
23. In its final position the outfall was required to be lower by the amount
indicated by the model tests than thelowest level recorded ofthe sea bed at all
points along the outfall. This resulted in a minimum cover of 2 ft, increasing
to 11 ft in places where the sea bed was locally raised. In addition to these
requirements the outfall was required to maintain a falling gradient seaward
for the whole of its length.
24. The pipelinewasdesigned to have cathodic protection by means of
sacrificial zinc anodes weighing 50 Ib eachand spaced at 90 ft centres along the
pipe. The anodes were castaround mild steel brackets, which were then welded
to the steel pipe, the top surface of the anode being flush with the outside
concrete surface.
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C R I S P , STEWART A N D FLETCHER
Precut concrete dome
28" 0.d. steel plpe
LONGITUDINAL SECTION
Steal shuttar
Relnkrced concretesurround
Scale of feet CROSS SECTION

0 1 2 3 4 5
t l B ' ' h
Fig. 3. Diffusers
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CONSTRUCTION O F A SUBMARINESEAOUTFALLATHASTINGS
22"l.d. WC pipe
Precast concrete dome
22' to 12' PVC
\
Towing skld (hatched area filled wlth
concrete before start of pull)
Fig. 4. Terminal block
25. Special attention wasgiven to the design of the joints between the
strings of the pipeline. It was envisaged that the strings would need to be con-
nected rapidly, perhaps betweentwoconsecutivehightides. It was also
considered undesirable for anybody to enter the pipeline in order to complete
the internal lining after the connexion had been made. Details of the joint
are shown in Fig. 2.
26. The mortar lining and sealing coat were finished flush with the end of
the pipe string. A sealing strip of mastic was then placed around the joint
face of one string and the two strings were brought together. Asbestos string
was then placed in the annular space in order to protect the mortar lining and
the sealing strip from the direct heat produced when welding the two strings
together. After welding, the annular space was grouted up solid with cement
mortar, and then the coatings of coal tar enamel wereapplied by hand. Finally
a 3 in. thickness of epoxy resin was placed to form a coating continuouswith
the already existing concrete surround to the pipestrings.
Diflusers
27. The seaward end of the outfall was designed to disperse the sewage in
the sea water through a terminal 12 in. outlet and fifteen 6 in. outlets spaced
over the final 750ft length of outfall. Each outlet was sealed by a blank
flange during the launching operation, and when this was complete the blank
flanges were replaced by diffuser upstand pipes arranged to discharge hori-
zontally at sea bed level. These were manufactured in unplasticized PVC in
order to avoid difficulties with the cathodic protection and for the ease with
which each diffuser pipe could beadjusted for length onsite to suit the varying
depths of each diffuser outlet below the sea bed. Details of the diffusers are
shown in Fig. 3.
28. The diffusers are protected against damage such as might arise from
trawling gear, and this is achieved by reinforced concrete domes. Each dome
127
CRISP,STEWART A N D FLETCHER
=-I
0 1
128
CONSTRUCTION O F A SUBMARINE SEA OUTFALL AT HASTINGS
129
C R I S P , S T E W A R T A N D FLETCHER
is supported on rockfill which was placed around the pipe at each diffuser
point. Sand was also placed to cushion the pipe from any contact with the
rock, and thus all direct contact between the diffuser domes and the pipe was
avoided.
Terminal block
29. The terminal block was designed to provide means of pulling the out-
fall into position by transmitting the pulling cable tensionto the steel pipeline,
and also to provide a suitable final outlet to the outfall. Details of the ter-
minal block are shown in Fig. 4.
30. Duringlaunchingtheterminal blockwas provided with a special
flooding valve, the purpose of which was to enable the pipeline to be flooded
rapidly in the event of adverse weather or any other emergency and thus gain
the advantage of the added weight. Means were also required to expel the
sea water again before launching couldbe resumed. On completion of launch-
ing, the flooding valve was replaced with a uPVC upstand pipe in a similar
manner to the diffuser pipes, and the completion of the concreting of the
terminal block was required to provide at least 6 in. of cover to all steelwork
remaining after dismantling the pulling head arrangements.
Combe Haven pumping station

31. The scheme also included theconstruction of apumping station
alongside the Combe Haven watercourse near its point of discharge into the
sea. Thepumping station wasdesigned to receivesewagediverted from
various existing sewersand todischarge flowsof up to 6 times dry weatherflow
through nearly a mile of pumping main, connecting to the landward end of
the sea outfall.
32. The general layout of the Combe Haven pumping station is shown in
Figs 5 and 6.
33. The substructure is of reinforced concrete construction, divided into a
pump chamber containing five pumps and a chamber where the sewage receives
preliminarytreatment beforebeingdischarged to the pump suctions. The
foundation of the structure is 37 ft below original ground level on a layer of
soft silty clay and the excavation was carried out in a sheet piled cofferdam.
The superstructure is a steel framed buildingwith brickwork infilling and
precast concrete roof with a suspended ceiling.
34. On arrival into the pumping station the sewage flows into the spiral
flow grit tank. The grit which settles out is pumped into a grit hopper situ-
ated in the superstructure, where it is cleaned by high pressure water and air
in readiness for carting to tip.
35. After flowing through the grit tankthe sewagepasses througha
comminutor and then throughthe weir chamber and alongthe sewage channel
tothe sewage sump.The design dry weatherflowis 1.25 mgd froma
population of 31 500 and an automatically controlled penstock ensures that
no more than 6 dwf or 7.5 mgd pass forward for pumping through the long
sea outfall. For flows greater than 7.5 mgd, therefore, the excess is discharged
over the weirs of the weir chamber into the stormwater sump. When flows
exceed 12 dwf, or 15 mgd, a second comminutor and its isolating penstocks
automatically come into operation. The motors of all the plant in this part
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CONSTRUCTION OF A SUBMARINE SEA OUTFALL AT HASTINGS
of the station are situated above an operating floor level of 11.75 ft OD and
are thus above flood level should any mishap render the station inoperative.
36. The Combe Haven stream discharges,to the sea through twin culverts
fitted with tide flaps at the head of the beach, and agreement was reached with
the Sussex River Authority for the stormwater sump of the Combe Haven
pumping station to be connected into one of them at a point downstream of
the tide flaps. A stormwater culvertwas constructed for this purpose and
thus the stormwater sump has direct connexion to the sea. Stormwater will
discharge by gravity for sea levels lower than about midtide, but for levels
higher than this one of the two stormwater pumps will automatically come
into operation.
37. There are three sewage pumps, each with an output of 2700 gal/min,
the maximum pumped flow of 7.5 mgd being dealt with by any two, the third
being a standby. Each of the stormwater pumps has an output of 25 000gal/
min and they operate as one working, one standby. The motor room is pro-
vided withan overhead gantry craneto facilitate the maintenance of machinery
and there is also a small workshop area.
38. The sewageispumped intoa 24 in. dia. spun iron pumping main
crossing under the Combe Haven and rising to the highest point of the main
on the west bank. From this point the pumping main is laid westwards as a
30 in. spun iron pipe for about4000 ft to connect with the landward endof the
long sea outfall. It crosses the railway twice, and these crossings werecarried
out by the pipe jacking method,using an oversize thick walled concrete sleeve
pipe with the annular space grouted up with fly ash and cement.
Construction
39. The Hastingsoutfall is somewhat longer thanany other outfall hitherto
constructed in the United Kingdom by the bottom tow method, and it was
anticipated that one of the principal difficulties would bethe rapid filling in of
the dredged trench. It was, therefore, imperative that, once having started,
the pulling operationshould becompleted as soon as possible to avoid
material accumulating around the pipe and making pulling difficult, if not
impossible. All the main equipment such as winch, launch rollers, pipe string
transfer trolleys and pipe buoyancy bags was,therefore, subjected to thorough
tests beforehand. The pulling anchor system for the winch barge was care-
fully designed, and the critical ‘tie in’ jointbetween the strings of the pipeline
was rehearsed in advance. In order to avoid delays during the actual pulling
operation, it wasdecided to utilize a two-drum capstan winch,because a
winch of this type (unlike the conventional drumwinch with its limited cable
capacity) is able to pull in one length as much rope as can be stored on the
accompanying reel, in this case 11 500 ft of 2$ in. dia. cable.
Fabrication of the pipe

40. The constructionof the outfall started in January 1968. It was decided
to fabricate the pipeline in six strings of 1500 ft each, together with a leading
string of 450 ft. The diffuser ports were included in the first two strings.
41. After the pipes had been fabricated in strings each length was pigged
and air-tested to 100 lb/sq. in. The reinforced concrete external coating was
131
CRISP.STEWARTANDFLETCHER
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132
CONSTRUCTION O F A SUBMARINESEAOUTFALLATHASTINGS
Fig. 9. Launchway rollers and transfer trolleys
applied in alternate lengths using glass fibre shutters with clamped-on electric
vibrators, as shown in Fig. 7. The internal mortar lining was mechanically
applied and the succeeding bitumen emulsion was brushed on afterwards.
Launchway
42. The position of the steelpipe under the railway embankment could
affect the final alignment of the launchway and the dredged trench, and work
on the pipe jacking was, therefore, carried out early in the Contract. Pipe
jacking was from a pad onthe landward side through to areception pit on the
seaward side. Fig. 8 shows the completed pipe crossing ready for the outfall
to be launched through it. The level of the steel pipe on the seaward side of
the railwaywas about 12 ft belowbeachlevel and sheet piling was driven
around the seaward end of the steel pipe to ensure the stability of the sea
defences and to facilitate the placing of the last two rollers. A bulkhead was
incorporated as a precaution against flooding the land north of the railway
through the steel pipe.
43. The rollers installed along thelaunchway were fitted withpolyurethane
tyres (Fig. 9), and were spaced at 55 ft centres on heavy timber grillage bases.
Because of the uncertain bearing characteristics of the ground these were test-
loaded to double their working load. These roller assemblies can also be seen
in Fig. 8.
44. Once the first of the pipe strings had been pulled forward on the rollers
it was necessary to move the adjoining string laterally so as to carry out a
‘tie in’ weld with the first string, the other strings having to be completed in a
similar manner. In order to achieve this, a systemofwheeledtrolleys on
tracks was installed (Fig. 9), each to be pulled by a small hand winch. The
trolleys were equipped with hydraulic jacks for lifting the pipe clearof the sup-
porting grillage before being transferred laterally to the new position.
45. In order to assist in the construction of the ‘tie in’ joints a 25 ton winch
was installed. This was connected through a system of sheaves to purpose-
made clamps over the concrete surround.
133
CRISP,STEWARTANDFLETCHER
134
CONSTRUCTIONOF A SUBMARINESEAOUTFALLATHASTINGS
Dredging operations
46. At the startof the Contract further information about thesea bed along
the line of the outfall was obtained by echo soundings and taking samples of
the bed. This work was carried out from the Press Surveyor, a vessel built for
marine surveying. The surveyrevealedslightchangesin the seabedlevels
since the initial investigations, and inconsequence the pipeprofilewas
modified.
47. Dredging for the pipeline began in March 1968, and was carried out
by a dredger of the grab bucket type with a 5 cu. yd capacity machine fitted
with round nosed and whole-tine grabs. The excavated material was dumped
into a bottom opening 500 cu. yd hopper barge, which was towed clear by a
350 hp tug for emptying as shown in Fig. 10. It was necessary to resort to
blasting for about 400 ft of the trench.
48. The dredger moved and aligned itself by the use of powered mooring
winches and a spread of anchors which the tug moved when necessary. The
trench took 16 weeks to excavate. This included clearing out sand and silt
which had accumulated within the trench during that period.
49. The alignment of the dredger was achieved by sighting on to lighted
transit towers which had been erected on shore. Two towers were constructed
near the foreshore and a single tower beyond the back of the site. The dis-
tance along the trench was fixed by equal double-angled sextant readings onto
illuminatedstations, and computed anglereadings forany distancewere
tabulated in book formfor easy reference. In bad visibility and for thelonger
distances, navigation was by Hydrodist master receivers on the dredger or on
( a ) Locate grab on centre line of trench by sighting on transit towers

( b ) Dredger fixed at right angles to centre line of trench by compass reading
(c) Distance established from Hydrodist readings
(d) Actual point of dredging fixed by using Perspex overlay of dredger on circle chart
Fig. 11, Positionfixing by Hydrodist

135
C R I S P , S T E W A R TA N DF L E T C H E R
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CONSTRUCTIONOF A SUBMARINE SEA OUTFALL AT HASTINGS
Fig. 13. Firstpipestring

at beginning of launching 1
the PressSurveyor, whichpicked up signals from battery powered remote
reflectors on land, the readings being plotted on circle charts. The procedure
is demonstrated in Fig. 11.
50. As work on the excavation of the trench proceeded it became apparent
that it would be impossible to keep the trench open to the correct level for the
length of time necessary for the launching operation. This was particularly
true of the deeper sections of the trench, some partsof which were up to 14 ft
deep, and also of the section within the surf zone. Suction dredging equip-
ment was therefore installed in the pull barge, the Wiliiarn Ailpress (Fig. 12),
and was designed to lower the pipeline to the correct depth.
Preparations for launching

51. A control tower was erected near therailway, and this gave a clear view
along the whole length of the launchway and out to the pull barge.
52. Two Bailey bridges were erected to carry the main Bexhill Road traffic
over the launchway. The Bailey bridge sections for one carriageway were
assembled by the side of the road and then lifted into position during one
night. The bridge for the other carriageway was constructed similarly and
erected a few nights later. The decking of the bridges was surfaced with ply-
wood in order to overcome the rattling noise which the deck planking would
otherwise have made.
137
CRISP.STEWARTANDFLETCHER
c.
Fig. 14. Pipe crossing over Bexhill Road

,~
.
l
Fig. 15. Pulling head and flooding valve on foreshore

CONSTRUCTIONOF A SUBMARINESEAOUTFALLATHASTINGS
Pulling head on nose
SINGLE PART LINE

2000 approx. !OOOO ft
start
approx.
at
- 2 ton Mm anchor
210 ton 300 ton

safe working loaa Safe working load 3 ton AM I2 anchor 2 ton Meon
anchor
linkplate and open sheave 36 in. dia
strand socket connexion
Fig. 16. Details of anchors and rope rigging
53. Immediately after the Bailey bridges had been erected, the first pipe
string was transferred to the rollers and pulleddown the launchway and .
through the thrust bore by means of the 25 ton winch.Fig. 13 shows the
first pipe string approachingthe gapbetween the houses on the Bexhill
Road. A further indication of the restrictions imposed can beseeninFig.
14, which also shows the traffic negotiating the Bailey bridges. It was neces-
sary forthefrontend of the pipeline to be onthe seaward end of the
thrust bore before the special pulling head could be jointed and the remote
controlled floodingvalve installed. This assemblyis illustrated inFig. 15.
54. Inflatable buoyancy bags to reduce the weight of the pipeline in water
were shackled to steel straps located at fixed centres along the pipe on all the
strings, and were in readiness for inflation once they were clear of the thrust
bore.
55. Just before pulling was due to begin, some sheet piling in front of the
thrust bore was extracted and the beach was excavated to the levelof the
launch line in wideopen cut by wheeled loading shovels working between tides.
56. The initial rope rigging arrangementfor pulling comprisedastatic
double rope fromthe pulling head to a sheave block barge,a single rope to the
winch, and two ropes, each of which led to a splay of heavy anchors, as shown
in Fig. 16. An equalizing sheave ensured that any uneven drag of the two
splays did not pull the barge off line. The static double ropes were laid by
rigging them aroundthe sheave on the block barge when it was grounded on the
foreshore, and as the rope waspaid out from the beach the blockbarge
was towed out to sea on line, dragging the rope with it.
57. After it was attached to the block barge, the single pulling rope was
spooled off the winch as the Williarn Allpress used its moorings to move out
exactly on line towards the anchor system, where the last connexion to make
139
C R I S P ,S T E W A R T A N D FLETCHER
ready for pulling was made. It was important that all the ropes were laid free
of loops and wholly within the trench. Had they been laid outside the trench
the tendency would have been for the pipe to follow the line of the ropes as
laid, rather than the trench itself,with obvious consequences. The anchor
system had been laid to Hydrodist fixings by the Williarn Allpress some days
previously, and had been checked by divers to ensure that there was no twist
in the ropes.
Launching
58. The pull was timed to take place around high water, in order that the
pipeline should have maximum buoyancy to assist in pulling over the beach.
Immediately before pulling, the dredger moved to a position corresponding to
the end of the pipe at the end of the first pull, ready to operate the flooding valve
if necessary. The tug released the temporary moorings to the block barge
and lay by, while the Press Surveyor and another small craft with frogmen
aboard remained close inshore to check on theinflation of the buoyancy bags.
Engineers were aboard the winch barge, ready to record pulling loads and to
determine whether the anchor system was holding.
59. On the beach a team stood by to inflate the buoyancy bags as they
cleared the thrust bore. Along the launchway a unit was in position to signal
‘stop pulling’ when the endof the pulled pipe string was in the ‘tie in’ position.
All sections were co-ordinated by radio from the control tower.
60. The first string waspulled into position without difficulty, and all
rollers, buoyancy bags, capstan winch and anchors functioned properly. The
second string was transferred in line with the first string and a ‘tie in’ weld
wasaccomplished readyfora secondpull 24 h later. This pull also was
carried out without difficulty.
61. Although there had been some initial troubles with the capstan winch
during trials these were cured by improved lubrication and all appeared to be
working well. However, midway through the third pull, without warning, the
winch broke down. An inspection showed that repairs were not possible at
sea. The pulling rope was, therefore, recovered andthe winchbargewas
towed back to port.
62. The repairs to the winch took several weeks to complete and mean-
while the trench became silted up. The pipeline had, however, been pulled
far enough for thepulling rope to be re-laid as atwo-part line when the winch
barge returned.
63. The first attempt to resumepullingwas a failure, becauseof the
excessive accumulation of materialaroundand over the pipeline and the
deteriorated condition of the buoyancy bags. Several major tasks were then
undertaken.Divers removed all buoyancybags, and suction dredging of
material from round the pipelinewas carried out by the Williarn Allpress.
These operations tookseveral weeks, as problems with the suction equipment
had to be overcome. Eventually, the pipeline was cleared and divers working
from the dredger and winch barge refixed all the buoyancy bags. In the mean-
time the 25 ton winch had been rigged to provide an assisting push should
this be required.
64. Another pull was then attempted, but it required a high winch load in
addition to an assisting push in order to start thepipe moving. About 1000 ft
140
CONSTRUCTION O F A SUBMARINE SEAOUTFALL AT HASTINGS
Fig. 17. The long sea outfall on its way into the channel
of pipe were pulled,and another‘tie in’ jointwas constructed before the winch
failed once again. By nowitwasDecember, and itwas apparent that the
winch required not merely repairs but substantial modifications. A decision
was therefore taken to cease further pulling during that season, and toresume
work the following summer.
Remedial measures
65. An immediate analysis of the winchdesignwas put in hand, and
laboratory tests on the suspect parts were carried out. As a result, modifica-
tions to the mechanism and the strengthening of certain shafts and bearings
were carried out. In addition another winch of new design was constructed
and installed on the Williurn Allpress with a view to this being used in the
event of a further breakdown of the capstan. It was anticipated that, by the
following year, the trench would be completely filled in and the pipe buried.
During the winter the efficiencyof the suction dredging equipment on the
Willianr Allpress was therefore improved and a similar system was installed
on the dredger.
66. When the dredger returned to site the following spring a systematic
check for damage and corrosion was made of all ropes left in the sea. Some
ropes to the pulling anchors needed replacing and more anchors were laid as
an added precaution. This accomplished, the filled-in trench in front of the
pipeline was re-excavated by grab to the required level.
Completion of launching
67. Suction dredging of the buried pipeline then began and the operation
provedsuccessful.Once again preparations for pullingweremade. This
time the capstan performed well and the remaining pipe, incorporating a ‘tie
in’, was pulled without recourse to the standby winch, the operation taking
about two days. Fig. 17 shows the pipe with buoyancy bags inflated entering
141
C R I S P , STEWARTANDFLETCHER
the sea. It was found that the pulling loads were higher than before and an
assisting push was required to start the pipe moving. The explanation was
that not all the water had been expelled from the pipeline, the outfall having
been filled through the flooding valve for safety during the preceding winter.
68. It wasrealized that certain sections of the outfall were not at their
correct level and once the pipeline had been pulled into its final position the
WiIIiarn Allpress began the task of lowering the pipeline by means of the suc-
tion dredging equipment. Progress was good and beyond the low water mark
the pipeline was soon lowered, the echo-sounding equipment being used to
check thatthe pipelinewas laid throughout to the required level.Where
necessary, lowering was carried out in stages in order to avoid the possibility
of overstressing the pipeline.
Foreshore construction
69. The tail of the pulled pipe lying across the foreshore above low water
mark had to be moved laterally and lowered by several feet. Hydraulic back-
hoe machines on tracks, working between tides, were used to excavate along
each side of the pipeline until it had settled to the correct level.
70. The continuation of the outfall in spun iron was laid up the beach,
pipe by pipe, the 7in. of concrete protection having been pneumaticallyapplied
before laying. The land line was finally cleared of any debris and a final test
was applied to the outfall before the tie-in was made.
Difiser and terminal block

71. Prior to the resumedpulling operations all the diffuser domeshad
been transported by barge and unloaded onto the sea bed. As soon as the
relevant length of pipe had been passed for level, the construction of diffusers
started, using the dredger, a team of divers, and the hopper barge loaded with
materials for the dome foundations.
72. At each diffuser position, skips which had been hand-loaded with rock
were lowered and tipped on each side of a shutter over the pipe previously
filled with sand. The rock was roughly levelled, and then concrete filled bags
wereplaced to level thefoundations. Placingof thedome followed, and
although calm seaconditions werenecessarythe operation proved to be straight-
forward.The plastic extensionpipe was cut to length beforefixing, and
finally the dome was filled with sand by using an underwater concretingskip.
The terminal block construction involved similar operations, and in addition
some concrete was placed using the skip.
73. During construction of the diffusers the WiIIiam Allpress had recovered
all ropes and anchors, andafter building the terminalblock and assisting with
filling thedomes with sand, it leftsite. The dredgercompletedtheback-
aling of the trench round the diffusers and along the pipe, although not
withoutsome further tribulation from the autumn galeswhichcaused the
dredger to break free from the moorings and to suffer considerable damage.
costs
74. The tender submitted for the long sea outfall amounted to E480 000
and the tender forthe pumping station and pumping main was L320 000.
142
CONSTRUCTION OF A SUBMARINE SEA OUTFALL AT HASTINGS
Acknowledgements
75. The Authors wish to acknowledge the assistancetheyhavereceived
from the many engineers and others during the development of this scheme,
both in their offices and on site, as well as from other organizations. Their
thanks are also due to Mr C. R. Cowlin, Borough Surveyor of Hastings, for
permission to publish the Paper.
76. Those principally concerned with the scheme were:
Consulting Engineers D. Balfour and Sons
Long sea outfall
Main Contractors : Wm Press & Son Ltd
Dredging sub-contractors: M. B. Dredging Co. Ltd
Combe Haven pumping station
and pumping main
Main Contractors : Marples Ridgway Ltd
Pumping plant sub-contractors : Allen Gwynnes Pumps Ltd
Appendix 1. Schemedata
Design population 31 500
Dry weather flow 1-25 mgd
Maximum flow 35.0 mgd
Pipeline: i.d. 26 in.
0.d. 343 in.
Weight in air 520 Ib/ft run
Submerged weight 90 lb/ft/run
Dredged trench 8 ft bottom width
5 ft minimum depth
14 ft maximum depth
Survey craft Press Surveyor, 36 ft long, 11 ftbeam, 3 ft 6 in. draft,
95 hp
Winch barge D. B. William Allpress, 150 ft long, 50 ft beam, 10 ft side.
Moored by six 1 ton Meon anchors on6 ton winches
Winch 150 ton line pull 2 drum capstan winch
Pulling loads 100 tons to start when using single line(80tons running);
260 tons to start whenusingtwo-partline (150 tons
running)
Buoyancy bags 5000 lband 2500 lbdisplacementbags,inflatableneo-
prene/Hypalon synthetic rubber with 10 lb/sq. in. relief
valve
Bailey bridges Twinbridges,eachwith 10 ftcarriageway,centrespan
20 ft, 7 ft above ground level, approach ramps 1 :14
Conversion table
Imperial SI
1 in. 25.4 mm
1 yd 0.9144 m
1 cu. ft 0.028 m3
1 lb 0,454 kg
1 lb/sq.in. 6.894 kN/ma
1 Ib/ft 1.4882 kg/m
1 hp 0.7457 kW
143

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7311 Design and construction of a

submarine sea outfall at Hastings

26 in. dia. long sea outfall

Sea bed examination

Prefrbrlcatedspecial pipe ends

Fig. 2. String joint

Precut concrete dome

28" 0.d. steel plpe

Scale of feet CROSS SECTION

Fig. 4. Terminal block

Combe Haven pumping station

Fabrication of the pipe

Fig. 9. Launchway rollers and transfer trolleys

( a ) Locate grab on centre line of trench by sighting on transit towers

Fig. 11, Positionfixing by Hydrodist

Fig. 13. Firstpipestring

Preparations for launching

Fig. 14. Pipe crossing over Bexhill Road

Fig. 15. Pulling head and flooding valve on foreshore

SINGLE PART LINE

210 ton 300 ton

Fig. 16. Details of anchors and rope rigging

Difiser and terminal block

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