UNDERWATER CONCRETE

SANTHINI K.P
S8, CE 28

GUIDED BY
MANASWI C.M

INTRODUCTION
Concrete

is the premier construction material across the

world and the most widely used in all types of civil
engineering works.

During

the construction of bridges , dams or any other

structure where the foundation part of the structure is lie
underwater, we have to opt for underwater construction

When

concrete is placed under water, it induces concrete

to deteriorate uniformity

Therefore

should be follow proper mix design, concrete

production and placement and quality control .

PRODUCTION OF UNDER WATER

CONCRETE
Proper

mix design
Proportioning underwater concrete are same
as conventional concrete
According to its performance there are two
classes of concrete mixture
standard mixture
high-performance mixture
Concrete placed underwater is susceptible to
cement washout
laitance
Segregation

CONT.

Mix design influence certain workability

characteristics such as
Flowability
Self-consolidation
Cohesion

Mix design also influence by rheology

o It describes flow and deformation of materials
o The behaviour of fresh concrete can be described
by two parameters-yield stress and plastic
viscosity

Cont.
o

water content is the important factor

affecting the rheology of concrete
water content in a mixture can be classified
into two categories
o water

absorbed in the aggregate

o free water

PLACEMENT METHODS

Tremie method.

Pump method

Toggle bags

Bags work.

TREMIE METHOD
A

Tremie is a watertight pipe

Generally

250mm in dia.

Funnel

shaped hopper at its upper end

and a loose plug at the bottom.

It

is supported on a working platform

above water level.

LAYING OF CONCRETE BY USING

TREMIE

Fig. 2.2 Tremie method

PUMP METHOD:

Pumping concrete directly into its final

position, involving both horizontal and
vertical delivery of concrete.

Pumping concrete has the advantage of

operational efficiency with potential savings
of time and labour.

For

massive

underwater

concrete

construction of navigation structures, the

pump method should be prohibited.

PUMP METHOD OF LAYING CONCRETE

CONT.

TOGGLE BAGS

Toggle bags are ideal for small amounts of concrete

placement.
The bag is filled in the dry with wet concrete
Used for repair work.
The concrete is squeezed out by a diver.

BAGWORK

Bags are made of open weave material.

Diver-handled bags are usually of 10 to 20 litres capacity
but 1cub.m bags can be placed using a crane.

Concrete production

The standard requirements of underwater concrete is

same as conventional concrete
Production and delivery system be capable of producing
concrete at the required placement rate
It is essential that the materials can be supplied to the
batch plant at the required rate
The logistical planning should include
Provision

for alternative supplies

Provision of all the accessory items

CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

Caissons
Watertight retaining structure .
Permanent in nature.
Used to work on foundation of bridge pier, construction
of concrete dam or for the repair of ships.
Constructed in such a manner so that the water can be
pumped out.
Keeps working environment dry.

CONT..

Box caisson
Pre fabricated concrete box, it is set down on the prepared
bases
Once in place it is filled with concrete as part of placement
work
Must be ballasted or anchored to prevent this phenomenon
the floating of hollow concrete structures

Open caisson
similar to a box caisson but does not have bottom face
Used in soft clays not having large obstructions
beneath
During sinking it may filled with water

CONT.
Compressed-air caisson

It has the advantage of providing dry working

conditions
Compressed air is used to keep the water and
mud out
Used to work on river bed

Monolithic caisson

It is more suitable for off shore construction

larger than the other types of caisson, but
similar to open caissons

COFFERDAM
Temporary enclosure
Built within or in piers across a body of water
Allows the enclosed space to be pumped out, creating a
dry work environment .
Cofferdams are usually welded steel structures
With components consisting of sheet piles, and
cross braces
For dam construction, two cofferdams are usually built,
one upstream and one downstream

Fig. 3.2 coffer dam

QUALITY CONTROL

Five critical items should be observed throughout

concrete placement
Rate of concrete placement
Depth of concrete at various locations
Volume of concrete produced versus volume of
in-place concrete measured by sounding
Concrete delivery system
Embedment depth of the tremie

CONT.

Specific recommendations for quality control

include
The workers should have been properly trained
Contractor should conduct frequent testing of
concrete
Continuous soundings should be taken
The concrete placement rate and sequence
should be carefully monitored and controlled
Compare vol.of concrete produced and fed into
the tremie
Periodic checking of concrete delivery and
placement equipment

DAMAGES AND MAINTANANCE

Damage and Problems

Rebar corrosion
Scaling and Cracks
Spallingconcrete
Scour

CONT.
Rebar corrosion

Rebar is steel reinforcement bars passively

embedded within the concrete before it sets
Occurs when chloride ions migrate to material
like steel bars
Type of corrosion that occurs in most highway
bridges

Spalling concrete

The concrete that has broken up, flaked, or

become pitted
It is occurred due to poor installation and
environmental factors
It can also result in structural damage

CONT..
Scour

Scour

is the removal of sediments from

aroundbridgeabutmentsorpiers
It caused by swiftly moving water, can scoop outscour
holes
It is one of the three main causes ofbridge failure

Scaling and Cracks

It

is very common forconcrete to have cracks, scaling,

crazing and pitting
Concrete expands and shrinks with changes in
moisture and temperature
Irregular cracks are unsightly and difficult to maintain
but generally do not affect the integrity of concrete.

MAINTENANCE

Maintenance procedure consists of initial

inspection, deterioration prediction, inspection,
evaluation, and remedial measures
During construction the engineering as well as
social and economical aspects should be required.
Adequate protection from corrosion can be achieved
by using anticorrosion or protective products
By placing concrete carefully spalling of concrete
can be avoid up to an extend

CONCLUSION
For in-the-wet construction of navigation
structures, underwater concrete construction is a
critical component
underwater concrete construction can be
accomplished with the same degree of reliability
as above water construction
it is not carried out properly, with the proper
concrete mixture and placement, it can result in
a major overrun in construction cost and
schedule.

CONT..
The essential difference between underwater
concrete and conventional concrete is in the
workability requirements
Underwater concrete must flow laterally and
compact itself under its own buoyant weight,
while conventional concrete is compacted with
mechanical vibration

REFERENCES
i.

ii.

iii.

iv.

v.

vi.

Yao, S.X., Berner, D.E., Gerwick, B.C., Assessment of Underwater

Concrete Technologies for In-the-Wet Construction of Navigation
Structures, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Publication, TR INP-SL-1,
1999.
Neeley, B. D, Netherlands Committee for Concrete Research, Underwater
Concrete, HERON, 1973 ACI 304R-00, "Guide for Measuring, Mixing,
Transporting, and Placing Concrete", Chapter 8 "Concrete Placed Under
Water", American Concrete Institute, 2000
Yao, S. X., and Gerwick, B. C., Underwater Concrete Part II: Proper
Mixture Proportioning and Underwater Concrete Part III: Construction
Issues, Concrete International, February and March 2004
Nagataki, S. (1992). "Use of antiwashout underwater concrete for marine
structures," Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan.
Saucier, K. L., and Neeley, B. D. (1987). "Antiwashout admixtures in
underwater concrete," Concrete International 9(7), 42-47.
Strange, C. (1970). "Submarine placing of concrete by the tremie method,"
Offshore Technology Conference 2(1311), 813-18.

THANK YOU