CAPACITY EVALUATION OF EXISTING 70-YEAR-OLD COFFERDAM ANCHORAGE

Location: Nova Scotia

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Scope: 

• Determine the design strength of the anchorage system for the steel sheet pile cofferdam. This is the second phase of a project that evaluated the characteristics strength of the sheet pile interlock.

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Complexity:

• Uncertainty about the concrete integrity.

• Lack of adequate documentation related to anchorage strength.

• Complex load path and difficulty of performing in-situ strength evaluation.

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Approach / Value

• A nonlinear finite element (NFE) model of the anchorage was developed and utilized to predict the cofferdam capacity. The model offers an economical alternative to destructive in-situ testing of the anchorage.

• The uncertainty in the anchorage-concrete strength was considered in the analysis.

• Concrete strength parameters of the model were calibrated based on concrete core testing.