Mechanical Characteristics of Concrete Bottom Slab in Elevated Pile Cap Steel Boxed Cofferdam in a Bridge

Mechanical characteristics of concrete bottom slab in elevated pile cap steel boxed cofferdam in a bridge is studied. Taking Yuanshui bridge as an engineering example, the loading process of a precast reinforced concrete bottom slab, a part of a steel suspension box cofferdam using dry sealing and embosoming an elevated pile cap, is analyzed by means of FEM numerical simulation. The model built simulates the changes of the stress and deformation of the slab in each construction phase. The results show that the safety of construction process is ensured by thickening some parts with high stress and large deformation around the pile hole in the slab formwork. Meanwhile, instead of steel formworks, precast slab-forms for the cofferdam don't need disassembling and steel is saved. At the same time it speeds up the construction progress and reduces the cost.