Proceedings of the 4th Asian Regional Conference on Geosynthetics 591 June 17 - 20, 2008 Shanghai, China

GEOTEXTILE TUBE APPLICATION AS THE COFFERDAM AT THE FORESHORE WITH LARGE TIDAL RANGE FOR INCHEON BRIDGE PROJECT
S.M. Cho1, B.S. Jeon2, S.I. Park3 and H.C. Yoon4

ABSTRACT: Design details and construction procedures of the large-scale geotextile tube works as the cofferdam of the temporary access road for Incheon Bridge constructions are introduced. 18.25 km long sea-crossing Incheon Bridge connects Incheon International Airport with the international free economic zone at New Songdo City in Incehon. Construction site is a foreshore which the tidal range is up to 9.27 m and the subsurface consists of soft silty clayey soil. There were so many difficulties in installation of the geotextile tube on the soft tidal flat due to huge differences in the water level between ebb and flow. The diameter of polyethylene tube is 4 m, or 5 m and the length of each tube is 50 m. Sands were used as a filling material instead of dredges soils which was originally planed to fill the tube. Hydraulic pumping of sand mixed water to the tube through multiple injection ports gave advantages to reduce the construction time and to maximize the tube size after the injection completion. Two sets of the 4 m diameter tubes were installed on the ground surface and 3 tubes of 5 m diameter were stacked on these tubes in sequence. Special featured sand filled fabric forms were spread at each stacked layer to increase the friction between the tube surfaces. Polyester geotextile mat was used as a scour protection apron and post piles fixed the mat to the ground. Various kinds of offshore equipment including flat barges were used and working schedule was planned according to the information of tidal range. Instrumentations have been also performed to monitor the behavior of the geotextile tube. KEYWORDS: geotextile tube, cofferdam, Incheon Bridge, ebb and flow, instrumentation

INTRODUCTION Geotextile tube method was introduced into Korea in the late 1990s. Submersed breakwaters to protect the waterfront against erosions were the first applications of this method in 2001 (Fig. 1). Temporary road made of geotextile tubes was used for bridge constructions on the river in the suburbs of Seoul in 2003 (Fig. 2). Fig. 2 Cross-section of temporary access road made of geotextile tube for Ilsan Bridge constructions Geotextile tube is a kind of geotextile containers and it is filled with grain materials by hydraulic pumping. Hydration and cementation of the volume after the filling make the tube have the stability and help it resist external loads as a retaining structure in and out of the water. Sand, dredged soil, or, sludge has been commonly used as a filling material. Civil engineers have used increasingly in recent years geotextile tubes filled with sand for the retention and erosion protection of dredged material in the sea and the river.

Fig. 1 Geotextile tube breakwater at Yeongjin Port

1 2

Director of TA Team, Ph.D., Incheon Bridge Construction Office, Korea Expressway Corporation, KOREA. chosmin@ex.co.kr Director of Construction Team, Incheon Bridge Construction Office, Korea Expressway Corporation, KOREA 3 Head, Incheon Bridge Construction Office, Korea Expressway Corporation, KOREA 4 Senior Manager, Incheon Bridge Site, DAELIM Industrial Co., Ltd., KOREA

592 Incheon Bridge has been constructed on the Yellow Sea to connect New Songdo City with the Incheon International Airport in Yeongjong Island. This 18.25 km long bridge will be the longest bridge of Korea in 2009 and will be also ranked as the 5th longest cable-stayedbridge which has a main span of 800 m. Fig. 3 shows the birds-eye-view of the bridge. DESIGN OF GEOTEXTILE TUBE COFFERDAM 1,560 m long temporary road with geotextile tube cofferdams were planned to offer the dry work conditions for bridge constructions as shown in Fig. 5 (Korea Expressway Corporation 2007). This road is connected with the reclaimed area by the access bridge. Fig. 6 shows the cross section of the cofferdam.

Fig. 3 Incheon Bridge Both sides of this huge sea-crossing bridge located on the foreshore which difference of the sea level between the ebb and the flow is up to 9.27 m. Designer of the bridge determined to construct the left access side of the bridge to the island by the trestle and offshore equipment (Fig. 4). However, for the construction of the right side of the bridge, designers selected cofferdam for dry works (Fig. 5).

Fig. 6 Geotextile tube layers for the cofferdam Material characteristics of the polyester geotextile for the tube are shown in Table. 1and 2 indicates the required properties of the geotextile for the tube suggested by US Army Corps of Engineers (Geosynthetic Research Institute 2001). Table 1 Properties of the geotextile Weight 900 g/m2 Thickness 3 mm Tensile Strength > 200 kN/m Elongation 1314 % Puncture Strength 20 kN Permeability 10-210-4 cm/sec

Fig. 4 Bridge construction using the trestle on the sea

Fig. 5 Temporary road with the cofferdam for dry works

Table 2 Specification for geotextile tube (US Army) Properties Testing Method Value Tensile Strength (Wide) ASTM D4595 > 100 lb/in Tensile Strain (Wide) ASTM D4595 < 15 % Bursting Strength ASTM D3786 > 1,200 psi Tearing Strength ASTM D4533 > 400 lb Puncture Strength ASTM D4833 > 350 lb Seam Strength ASTM D4844 > 600 lb/in Permeability ASTM D4491 > 0.1 l/sec App. Opening Size ASTM D4751 100 sieve UV Resistance ENV 12224 > 90%

593 Current velocity of the ebb and the flow is up to 0.9 m/sec and the ebb exposes the seabed (foreshore). Height of the road ridge was determined to prevent the overtopping of the wave according to the Korean design specification for the port. And internal crest of the road embankment was designed to exceed the approximate highest high water (A.HHW) level. A.HHW elevation is 4.635 m. Fig. 6 indicates the elevation of the embankment crest is set to 5.0 m and the elevation of the top of the tube is set to 6.2 m. So, the tube cofferdam is 1.2 m higher than the internal embankment. Width of the temporary road is variable according to the zone. A-A, B-B, C-C are 34.0 m wide and E-E section has a width of 84.5 m. Tubes were stacked up to 4 layers. Diameters of the tube are 3.0m, 4.0m, and 5.0 m. Prefabricated sandpacked mats were used between the upper tube and the lower tube to increase the friction at the interface of tubes. Sand was selected as filler materials. Table 3 shows the preliminary test results to determine the filler material. Sand had the advantage of the reducing the filling time and the stabilization of the shape. Fig. 7 shows the tube height variation according to the elapsed time and the materials after the filling started. Table 3 Comparison of the filler materials Properties Silty Clay Sand Grain Size (mm) 0.0030.03 0.0755.0 Shape Stability Poor Good Injection Time 10 hours 1 hour to 1.2m height Convergence 100 hours after 30 hours after Time the injection the injection Effective 50% of the tube 60% of the tube Height height height Elevation of the seabed is from (-)2.5m to (-)0.7m. Subsurface soil consists of the silty clay and the sand. Weathered rocks and bedrocks appear beneath the soil layer (Fig. 8).

Fig. 8 Subsurface profile

CONSTRUCTIONS OF GEOTEXTILE TUBE Prior to install geotextile tubes, scour aprons and base polyester (PET) mats were deployed on the site, the area was prepared using grading equipment including a small backhoe. Sand bags were laid on the mats to fix the aprons and mats against the currents. The location in which the geotextile tubes were to be placed had been marked off. Post pipes of 120 mm diameter were also installed on the seabed ground through the mats so that the geotextile tube can be fastened to them with straps to assure proper alignment during filling. Geotextile tubes were unrolled into position with the inlet ports facing upwards along the top centerline. Once the geotextile tube was deployed, it was secured to the previously installed post piles.

sand silty caly

Fig. 7 Tube height variations according to the filler

Fig. 9 Unroll of the geotextile tube on the scour apron and the PET mat

594 All these works of apron installations and tube deployments were carried out in the ebb conditions when the seabed revealed as shown in Fig. 10. After the geotextile tube has been deployed, it started to fill the tube in the flood condition when the tube was in underwater. 80% of the filling material was water and rest of them was sand. Injections were continued to inflate the tube to the 80% of the tube volume. Injection pressure was controlled to be less than 0.3 kg/cm2 to prevent the rupture of the tube. Prefabricated sand form was used at the interface between upper and lower tubes (Fig. 13). Frictions at the interface can be increased thanks to this form. Gap between the adjacent tubes were filled with sands and sand bags.

Fig. 10 Geotextile tube deployments using post piles

Fig. 13 Sand form installations When the current was at the ebb and the seabed revealed, injections were stopped. So, injection works were performed in the underwater conditions, or the partly submerged conditions. Table 4 presented the injection results for the 5 m-diameter tube (50 m long) according to the submerged conditions. Table 4 Injection results (D5.0m, L50m) Conditions Fully Submerged Partly Submerged Fig. 11 Equipment combination for tube fillings Injection Time 4 hours 4 & 1/2 hours Volume 785 m3 785 m3

Fig. 12 Schematic diagram of the injection into the tube Geotextile tubes generally contain several injection ports throughout the length of the tube. These ports are located at the top centerline and spacing between the inlet and outlet was 15m in this project. These ports are utilized for filling and also for relief of excess water.

Upon completion of the installation of the geotextile tubes, the injection ports were secured properly to assure that they did not become torn open during wave events. After the completion of the injection, fully filled geotextile tubes continued to dewater and the solids consolidated for some time after the tubes had been filled. The duration of the dewatering and consolidation period can vary depending upon the type of geotextile utilized and the type of fill material that was pumped into the tube. Typically, coarse material will dewater much faster than fine material such as silty clay. From the preliminary tests, volume of the tube after the injection decreased gradually and it was getting stability. This convergence time to keep stabilized volume was 30 hours for the sand fill as shown in Table 3 and Fig. 7.

595 MONITORING INSTRUMENTATIONS Strain gauges, piezometers, and displacement measuring instruments were installed at the geotextile tube to monitor the changes in stress and strain of the structure. Fig. 14 shows the instrumentation plan. Variations of the stress and pore water pressure in the tube, lateral displacement of the tube, settlement of the tube, and earth pressure below the tube were measured during the injection. Monitoring of the behavior continued after the injection. condition. Earth pressure in the 1st layer tube (road-side) was 0.12 kg/cm2 before the beginning of the injection into the 2nd layer tube and it increased with elapsed time of the injection. Porewater pressure was excluded in this value. Earth pressure in the 1st layer tube after 6 hours inflations of the 2nd layer tube was 0.2 kg/cm2 and it increased twofold at the end of the filling (0.4 kg/cm2). Earth pressure beneath the sea-side tube of the 1st layer also changed from 0.22 kg/cm2 to 0.51 kg/cm2. 0.78 kg/cm2 of the pressure was measured beneath the 2nd layer tube after the injection into the tube and Fig. 16 indicates that this pressure was distributed to the 1st layer tubes.

Fig. 14 Instrumentation sections (Univ. of Incheon, 2007)

Fig. 17 Long-term variations of the earth pressure beneath the tube after constructions When 41 days elapsed after the completion of the 1st layer tubes, 2nd layer tubes were installed. Temporary road embankment started after 76 days elapsed from the 1st layer tube completion. 3rd layer tubes were constructed after 102 days elapsed from the 1st layer tubes. Earth pressure beneath the 1st layer sea-side tube was 0.26 kg/cm2 at the end of the injection and decreased to 0.23 kg/cm2 after the 40 days passed. It increased up to 0.90 kg/cm2 at the 3rd tube installation. Earth pressure beneath the 2nd layer tube was measured as 1.05 kg/cm2 after the 3rd layer tube installation and it decreased to 0.92kg/cm2. Earth pressure beneath the 3rd layer tube was 0.33 kg/cm2 directly after the end of injection and it decreased gradually. After considering measurement results, we found that earth pressure beneath the fully injected geotextile tube was about 40% of the predicted value. The height of the inflated tube didnt exceed 50% of the original diameter and the ground subsided as the injection proceeded. These caused low earth pressure under the tube. However, earth pressure beneath the 2nd layer tube showed 130% of the predicted value. These were due to

Fig. 15 Instrument Installations

0.8
Layer1(road-side)

Earth Pressure (kg/cm 2)

0.6

Layer1(sea-side) Layer2

0.4

0.2

0.0 0 120 240 360 Time (min) 480 600 720

Fig. 16 Earth pressure changes in the tube Fig. 16 presented the earth pressure changes of the tube during the 2nd layer tube injection in the underwater

596 the concentration of the load on the centerline and small settlement of the 2nd tube. 1st layer tubes (sea-side and road-side) took the share of the 2nd tubes load and it prevented large subsidence of the ground. Pore-water pressure in the geotextile tube increased slightly after the completion of the injection (Fig. 18). CONCLUSIONS 1,560 m long temporary road with 4 layered geotextile tube cofferdams were constructed on the foreshore which has 9.27 m difference elevation between the ebb and the flow. Brief descriptions of the design and construction procedure were introduced. Results of the field instrumentations to monitor the behavior of the geotextile tube were investigated. Earth pressure beneath the tube was different each other according to the tube position and elapsed time after the injection. Pore-water pressure and displacement of the tube were measured also.

0.8 0.7 Pore Water Pressure (kg/cm2). 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.0 0 120 240 360 480 Time(min) 600 720 No.5 (Pore Water Pressure - Layer 1) No.6(Pore Water Pressure - Layer 2) No.9(Pore Water Pressure - Layer 3)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Professor Shins research group of the University of Incheon has carried out the preliminary tests and field instrumentations. Authors express gratitude to their efforts and contributions.

Fig. 18 Pore-water pressure in the geotextile tube after the construction Fig. 19 shows the displacement of the tube. Maximum displacement was measured at the middle part of the tube in the circumferential direction. Axial displacement along the tube shaft was 70% of the circumferential displacement and the amount of 5% of the total displacement was reduced during 6 months after the installation. 80% of the reduced displacement was vanished in 15 days.
8.0

REFERENCES Geosynthetic Research Institute (2001) Test Method, Properties and Frequencies for High Strength Geotextile Tubes used as Coastal and Riverine Structures Korea Expressway Corporation (2005) Design Report for Incheon Bridge Construction Project : Section 2 University of Incheon (2007) Research report: Geotextile tube construction and Instrumentation for Incheon Bridge

Displacement(mm) .

6.0

No.11(Circumferential) No.13(Circumferential) No.12(Axial)

4.0

2.0

0.0 0 90 180 270 Time(min) 360 450 540

Fig. 19 Displacement of the 3rd layer geotextile tube during the construction