Earth dams/cofferdams built by dumping in the water

CEMAB · May 28, 2015

I am looking for information on earth dams/cofferdams built by dumping in the water. The question of interest is what slope would the material under water be if dumped from a barge or by end-dumping from trucks. The material could be rock fill, low plasticity clayey silt (50-60% fines) and sand and gravel. The expected deposition depth is approx. 70 ft..

I would appreciate if you could share your experience and/or provide me with the relevant references.

Thank you,

SlideRuleEra · May 28, 2015

CEMAB - When I was in college, one summer I had the opportunity to participate in the construction of a rock jetty, in the Atlantic Ocean, at the mouth of an inlet. Material was placed from barges using an orange-peel bucket to try to deposit the material (underwater) at the desired location. This was extremely difficult, and some of the rock was the size of small automobiles. A picture of a typical orange peel bucket in use is shown below.

IMHO, dumping the material that you describe into water (even calm water) and expecting it to settle through 70 feet of water to anywhere near the desired location is a complete waste of time and money. Try placing it underwater from the surface instead... Expensive? Yes, but at least it is possible.

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