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

Fig. 1 Geotextile tube breakwater at Yeongjin Port
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.

1
Director of TA Team, Ph.D., Incheon Bridge Construction Office, Korea Expressway Corporation, KOREA. chosmin@ex.co.kr
2
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
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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-stayed-
bridge which has a main span of 800 m. Fig. 3 shows the
bird’s-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 condi-
tions 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 13—14 %
Puncture Strength 20 kN
Permeability 10-2—10-4 cm/sec

Fig. 4 Bridge construction using the trestle on the sea 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
Fig. 5 Temporary road with the cofferdam for dry works App. Opening Size ASTM D4751 100 sieve
UV Resistance ENV 12224 > 90%
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Current velocity of the ebb and the flow is up to 0.9 Elevation of the seabed is from (-)2.5m to (-)0.7m.
m/sec and the ebb exposes the seabed (foreshore). Subsurface soil consists of the silty clay and the sand.
Height of the road ridge was determined to prevent Weathered rocks and bedrocks appear beneath the soil
the overtopping of the wave according to the Korean layer (Fig. 8).
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 sand-
packed mats were used between the upper tube and the
lower tube to increase the friction at the interface of
tubes. Fig. 8 Subsurface profile
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 CONSTRUCTIONS OF GEOTEXTILE TUBE
filling time and the stabilization of the shape. Fig. 7
shows the tube height variation according to the elapsed Prior to install geotextile tubes, scour aprons and
time and the materials after the filling started. base polyester (PET) mats were deployed on the site, the
area was prepared using grading equipment including a
Table 3 Comparison of the filler materials small backhoe. Sand bags were laid on the mats to fix
Properties Silty Clay Sand the aprons and mats against the currents. The location in
Grain Size (mm) 0.003—0.03 0.075—5.0 which the geotextile tubes were to be placed had been
Shape Stability Poor Good marked off. Post pipes of 120 mm diameter were also
Injection Time installed on the seabed ground through the mats so that
10 hours 1 hour the geotextile tube can be fastened to them with straps to
to 1.2m height
Convergence 100 hours after 30 hours after assure proper alignment during filling. Geotextile tubes
Time the injection the injection were unrolled into position with the inlet ports facing
upwards along the top centerline. Once the geotextile
Effective 50% of the tube 60% of the tube
tube was deployed, it was secured to the previously
Height height height
installed post piles.

{ sand
 silty caly

Fig. 9 Unroll of the geotextile tube on the scour apron

and the PET mat
Fig. 7 Tube height variations according to the filler
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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.
Fig. 10 Geotextile tube deployments using post piles
Fig. 11 Equipment combination for tube fillings
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.
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. 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 Injection Time Volume
Fully Submerged 4 hours 785 m3
Partly Submerged 4 & 1/2 hours 785 m3
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.
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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. Varia-
tions 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
Fig. 15 Instrument Installations road embankment started after 76 days elapsed from the
1st layer tube completion. 3rd layer tubes were con-
structed after 102 days elapsed from the 1st layer tubes.
0.8
Earth pressure beneath the 1st layer sea-side tube was
Layer1(road-side) 0.26 kg/cm2 at the end of the injection and decreased to
Layer1(sea-side)
0.23 kg/cm2 after the 40 days passed. It increased up to
Earth Pressure (kg/cm 2)

0.6
Layer2
0.90 kg/cm2 at the 3rd tube installation. Earth pressure
beneath the 2nd layer tube was measured as 1.05 kg/cm2
0.4 after the 3rd layer tube installation and it decreased to
0.92kg/cm2. Earth pressure beneath the 3rd layer tube
0.2
was 0.33 kg/cm2 directly after the end of injection and it
decreased gradually.
After considering measurement results, we found that
0.0 earth pressure beneath the fully injected geotextile tube
0 120 240 360 480 600 720
Time (min) was about 40% of the predicted value. The height of the
inflated tube didn’t exceed 50% of the original diameter
Fig. 16 Earth pressure changes in the tube and the ground subsided as the injection proceeded.
These caused low earth pressure under the tube.
Fig. 16 presented the earth pressure changes of the However, earth pressure beneath the 2nd layer tube
tube during the 2nd layer tube injection in the underwater showed 130% of the predicted value. These were due to
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the concentration of the load on the centerline and small CONCLUSIONS

settlement of the 2nd tube. 1st layer tubes (sea-side and
road-side) took the share of the 2nd tube’s 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).
0.8
0.7
Pore Water Pressure (kg/cm2).
No.5 (Pore Water Pressure - Layer 1)
No.6(Pore Water Pressure - Layer 2)
No.9(Pore Water Pressure - Layer 3)
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

0.6
pressure and displacement of the tube were measured
0.5 also.
0.4

0.3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
0.2
Professor Shin’s research group of the University of
0.1
Incheon has carried out the preliminary tests and field
0.0 instrumentations. Authors express gratitude to their
0 120 240 360 480 600 720 efforts and contributions.
Time(min)

Fig. 18 Pore-water pressure in the geotextile tube after REFERENCES

the construction
Geosynthetic Research Institute (2001) Test Method,
Fig. 19 shows the displacement of the tube. Properties and Frequencies for High Strength Geo-
Maximum displacement was measured at the middle part textile Tubes used as Coastal and Riverine Structures
of the tube in the circumferential direction. Axial Korea Expressway Corporation (2005) Design Report
displacement along the tube shaft was 70% of the for Incheon Bridge Construction Project : Section 2
circumferential displacement and the amount of 5% of University of Incheon (2007) Research report: Geo-
the total displacement was reduced during 6 months after textile tube construction and Instrumentation for
the installation. 80% of the reduced displacement was Incheon Bridge
vanished in 15 days.
8.0
No.11(Circumferential)
No.13(Circumferential)
No.12(Axial)
Displacement(mm) .

6.0

4.0

2.0

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

Fig. 19 Displacement of the 3rd layer geotextile tube

during the construction