Iicep 1979 2267

Proc. Instn Ciu. Engrs. Part 1, 1979, 66, Feb.
, 93-114
8202 Dubai Dry D o c k :

design and construction
The preceding paper describes the background to the Dubai Dry Dock project, the
scope of the work and the form of contract, and discusses some detailed aspects of the
design. This Paper highlights some of the interesting aspects of the Contractor’s civil
engineeringwork,includingtheprincipaldesigndecisionsanddesignprocedures,
the organization required to effect the works and the methods by which the various
elements of thedrydockswereconstructed.Therequirements forthedesignand
provision of buildings, services and specialized equipment are not discussed.
Design
The contract arrangements for the Dubai Dry Dockproject required the Con-
tractor to initiate and propose civil, mechanical, electrical and architectural
designs t o achieve broad objectives set by the Engineer. Afteragreementin
principle by the Engineer, these proposals were then developed in detail by the
Contractor’s design team,working closely with the Engineer’s team. It was
thus possible forthe designers totake constructionrequirements fully into
account at all stages of the design process, from the major decisions on form of
construction down to minor aspects of detailing.
Principal design decisions
2. The short construction period available for the project meant that major
civil engineering decisions had to be based on relatively extensive geotechnical
information of a general nature,butsparse local detail. Contingency plans
therefore had to be made to allow for inaccuracy or local variations in the
assumptions for sensitive geotechnical parameters.
3. After examination of a numberof alternative schemes the following
decisions were taken, which then controlled the subsequent designs.
( a ) The docks would be built out from the shoreline, rather than within
existing or made ground.
(b) The docks would be grouped together in such a way that the pump-
houses and the heavy lift cranes could each serve two adjacent docks.
~
Ordinary meeting, 6.00 p.m., 20 March, 1979. Written discussion closes I5 April, 1979, for
publication in Proceedings, Part 1.
Taylor Woodrow International.
t Costain-Taylor Woodrow Joint Venture.
93
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C O C H R A N EC
, HETWIN AND HOGBIN
(c) The dock floors would be of a pressure-relieved type if possible, with
continuous pumping from an underfloor drainage layer. Should the
ground conditions later prove unsuitable for pressure-relieved floors
an anchored floor would be substituted, but the floor thickness and
hence dredging level would remain unchanged.
( d ) The dock walls would be formed from concrete caisson units. These
units would be built on shore, launched by shiplift and founded on
legs within trenches drilled below the general floor dredging level.
4. In the event, the ground conditions were found to be similar to the initial
predictions and these initial decisions were justified.
Site investigation
5. A preliminary site investigation showed the geological conditions to be
reasonablyuniform over the site area. Recent deposits of sand, shells and
corals, which are locally cemented, overlie a miliolite ‘sandstone’ consisting
mainly of calcareous materials. The sandstone extends from approximately
11 m below datum (mean low water level) and contains zones of very poorly
cemented calcareoussands. Between the -32 m and -40 m levels bands of
sand, sandstone and conglomerate are encountered, underlain by a substantial
thickness of dolomitic limestone. The foundation level of the main dock struc-
tures is at - 14.8 m.
6. After constructionhadstarteda second-stage investigation was under-
taken to confirm the critical design parameters, particularly
(a) the rate of seepage into the underfloor drains with a pressure-relieved
type of dock floor, and whether or not this rate of seepage would
increase or decrease with continuous pumping;
(b) the ultimate strength and elastic constants for the foundation material
beneath the dock walls and floors.
7. Nineteen additional boreholes were sunk, but it was considered that
boreholes alone could not provide sufficiently reliable information to answer either
of these questions, and the second-stage work therefore included the excavation
of a 12 m dia. shaft within the existing beach down to the proposed dock founda-
tion stratum at 13 m below beach level. The surrounding groundwater levels
were monitored as excavation and pumping progressed, the procedure thus being
equivalent to a large-scale well-pumping test. Two 750 mm square in situ plate
loading tests were conducted at the base of the excavation and block samples
cut from the rock surface were subjected to triaxial compression tests in the
laboratory. At the end of the second-stage site investigation it was concluded
that the total inflow into the underfloor drainage system of the three docks
would be 0.5-1.5 m3/s and would probably reduce with time. The average bulk
elastic modulus of the subgradecould be taken as800 MN/m2 for design purposes,
and the allowable surface bearing pressure as 1.2 MN/m2.
Dock waNs and finger pier

8. The design of the dock walls was crucial to both the cost and construction
time for theproject, and many variations of structure were considered before the
basic caisson shapes were defined. The principal decisions to be made were as
follows.
94
D U B ADI R YD O C K D
: E S I G NA N DC O N S T R U C T I O N
(U) Should each dock wall be formed by a single caisson element extending
from side to side or by two parallel rows of elements ?
(6) Should the elements be made able to float when launched or require
support by detachable buoyancy tanks ?
(c) Should the caisson units be sand-filled or only water-filled ? If sand-
filled, should they be continuouslydrained by connection to the
underfloor drainage system (greatly reducing the outward wall pres-
sures) or should the internal water level be allowed either to vary or
to stabilize at some equilibrium level ?
( d ) If the caissons were to be sand-filled, should the deck loadings be
carried by the contained fill or wholly by the concrete structure ?
9. The wall element finally selected was a reinforced concrete self-buoyant
Crane beams
II l W Seating for
service gallery
Grouting duct in
caisson wall
DOCK SIDE
- 14.000 m
--
Foundation trenches
drilled in the rock
(b)
Fig. 1. Typical dock pier caisson : (a) isometric view ; (b) details at caisson down-
stand beams
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C O C H R A N EC
, H E T W I NA N D HOGBIN
caisson of I form in plan, extending the full width of the dock piers and filled
with sand (Fig. 1). The dockside crane, bollard block and hauling-in trolley
loadings are carried directly on the caisson walls, while the pavement loadings
are carried on the sand fill. It is assumed that the standing water level within
each caisson can vary by the full height of the caisson walls.
10. The foundation arrangements for the caissons were designed to minimize
diver work and sea-bed preparation. The main weight of each caisson, with its
fill and surcharge loadings, is carried directly to the foundation stratum through
a sand-cement grout layer. Before injection of this grout the caissons were
supported by downstand beams at the ends, which rested in two accurately cut
trenches formed in the dredged sea bed. The height of the downstand beams
was chosen to cover the full vertical tolerance in dredging while maintaining a
minimum 150 mm thickness of grout beneath the caisson floor.
11. The standardshape of caisson for the dock walls having been established,
and the casting and launching arrangements sized accordingly, variations on the
standard caisson were used for otherparts of the works. Reduced-length
caissons were used in the dock headwalls; full length caissons were used end to
end as retaining walls extending the lines of the outer dock piers; the finger pier
was formed from full length caissons placed both transversely and longitudinally;
and modified caissons were used to form the dock lead-in and tank cleaning
berth dolphins. The standard foundation procedure, using downstand beams,
applied to all caissons.
12. The analysis and design of the caisson walls proved to be a very sub-
stantial task. The walls running perpendicularly to the dock pier centre-lines
act as shear walls resisting the full differential water pressures between docks,
while carrying heavy vertical loadings from the cranes and also an allowance
for differential water and soil pressures from cell to cell. Various flotation and
filling conditions had to be considered. Every effort was made to standardize
the caisson walls, but the weight of reinforcement-and hence the potential for
cost savings-was so large that refinements had to be made to the standard
design for each of the many differing wall situations. Each wall was analysed in
turnas a two-dimensional problem, using adynamicrelaxationcomputer
program and Nielsen’s equations for assessing the required reinforcement for
in-plane shear. In retrospect it might have been better to have undertaken a
three-dimensional analysis.
13. The decision to slipform the caisson walls, though vital to the economical
execution of the project as a whole, imposed severe restrictions on the designers:
wall thicknesses had to be kept constant for the full wall height and between
one caisson type and another; no reinforcement could run diagonally up thewalls;
horizontal bars were generally limited to 4 m lengths; and great care in detailing
was needed to avoid excessive congestion of reinforcement at laps and corners.
14. Duringflotationthe floors of the caissons had thefunction of with-
standingtheexternal pressure and holding the plan shape of the caissons.
Once the caissons were in position, however, the floors were considered to act
only as a series of independent strip footings for the walls. Vertical frictional
forces between the sand fill and the walls are sufficient to stabilize the walls
against external overturning forces.
15. A particular problem in the caisson design was the set of assumptions
to be made forthe sand infill. This fill was well gradedgranular material
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D U B AD
I R YD O C KD
selected from the reclamation area, tipped by lorry into the flooded caisson cells.
Caisson design could be based on a series of conservative assumptions, but an
accurate assessment of the settlement characteristics of the fill remained a
problem which could only be resolved by site testing. Cone penetration tests
were therefore conducted within the filled caissons which showed that the sand
fill was assuming a very loose condition and excessive settlement of the surfacing
could possibly occur under vibration or shock loading. A compaction method
then had to be devised which would not overload the caisson walls in the final
condition or during the compaction process.
16. An elaborate compaction test programme was conducted on site, using a
610 mm dia. X 12 m long vibrating steel tube ‘poker’ working within a caisson
fitted with soil pressure cells, piezometers and inclinometer tubes attached to the
walls. It was found that controlled insertion and withdrawal of the poker at
the centre of the caisson cell could produce an average settlement of the sand
surface of up to 900 mm. Local excess pressures on the caisson walls during
vibration were much lower than expected, generally matching the excess piezo-
metric head measurements. It appeared that there was no appreciable transfer
of load from the vibrator to the walls by intergranular contact. The forces on
the walls during fill compaction could therefore be kept to acceptable values by
limiting the piezometric pressure rise, which in turn could be related to a limiting
insertion rate for the vibrator. All caisson cells were then vibrated in a care-
fully controlled manner and satisfactory densities were achieved.
Dock floors
17. The floors of the three docks are of the pressure-relieved type, and are
designed to carry vessels placed in any position within the docks. In each case
the main structural member is a reinforced concrete slab of 1.5 m uniform thick-
ness. A permeable gravel drainage blanket immediately beneath the floor and a
system of open jointed drains conductsseepage water to automatically controlled
pumps located in the two pump-houses. The arrangement is shown in Fig. 2.
18. The requirement that vessels shoutd be able to dock stern first or bow
first and at any location within the floor area in each dock necessitated a uni-
formly level floor surface. The time taken to drain the last 2 m depth of water
from so large a flat surface was expected to have a major influence on the total
dock dewatering time, and large drainage channels were therefore provided
around the perimeter of each dock. Analysis of the drain behaviour proved to
be extremely difficult, and a one-tenth scale model test was therefore undertaken
to verify the calculated values and optimize the hydraulic arrangements of the
culverts and pump-house entry sumps. The model showed that the side drains
are ineffective until the depth of water over the floor has fallen to approxi-
mately 0.5 m. Below that depth the side drains have a substantial influence and
are sufficient to keep one main dewatering pump supplied until the average water
depth over the whole dock floor falls below 150 mm.
19. The underfloor drains are wholly disconnected from the surface drainage
system, except that the underfloor pumps and stripping pumps can be inter-
changed within the pump-houses. The l m dia. pipes of the underfloor system
act as storage reservoirs controlling the frequency of operation of the pumps.
Pressure relief valves are provided within the dock floor as a precaution against
pump operational failure.
20. The main reinforcement in the slab was placed transversely to the dock
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C O C H R A N EC
, HETWIN AND HOGBIN
22 m
. .
Pier caissons
Dock wall formed

by sand-filled,caissons
I 1 m i.d. open jointed

drain with no-fines
concrete surround
(b)
Sand-filled
caisson
Overflow pipe
from centre Overflow pipe
and pressure
relief flap valve
outlet
(c)
Fig. 2. Floor details for Dock 1 : (a) plan; (b) section A A ; (c)sectionatunder-
floor drainage manhole
98
D U B AD
l R YD O C K D
centre-line and the slab was analysed as a two-dimensional problem of a con-
tinuous flexible strip supported by a deep elastic medium. The computer
program used allowed soil stiffness to be varied between layers and a no-tension
condition to be applied to any layer. Keel and bilge loads were treated as strip
loads and the worst possible combinations of load locations checked. An
axisymmetric analysis, rotating the two-dimensional mathematical model about
a vertical axis, was used for the ‘end of strip load’ and concentrated load situa-
tions.,
21. The effective stiffness to be taken in the analysis for the reinforced con-
crete slab required considerable thought. The design was eventually based on
the assumption that the slab was fully cracked for both hogging and sagging
moments and differing stiffnesseswere assumed for the hogging and sagging
zones according to the reinforcement proposed, with a modular ratio of 15.
Reinforcement quantities in the floor slab varied from 45 kg/m3 at the edges to
140 kg/m3 under the 800 t/m loading in Dock 2.
22. As soon as the dock floor foundation rock was exposed the gqotechnical
parameters assumed for the floor analysis were verified by plate bearing tests.
Some very weak material was revealed, mainly occurring as thin layers or lenses
at or just below formation level. Where the material was close to the surface
it was removed and replaced by concrete. In other cases the floor slab re-
inforcement was increased locally, or the gravel drainage blanket was replaced
by no-fines concrete to compensate for reduced stiffness in the subgrade.
Dewatering pump-houses
23. The configuration of the docks and dewatering pump-houses allows each
pump-house to serve two docks with minimum lengths of entry culverting.
Initially an attempt was made to contain each of the two dewatering pump-
houses within a group of modified caisson units, but limitations of weight on the
shiplift caused this proposal to be abandoned and the pump-houses were designed
so that the floors and lower walls could be cast within a dewatered excavation
to theminimum height necessary for flotation. The walls and internal members
were finished progressively while the pump-house was afloat. The outer walls
and the floors therefore had to withstand a series of temporary loading conditions
which were not directly related to the working conditions when in place.
24. Figure 3 shows the general structural arrangementof the pump-house and
the idealized form used in the initial calculations by the STARDYNE computer
program. The analysis was repeated later with the side walls modelled in more
detail. Difficultywas again met in assessing the relative stiffnessesof the re-
inforced concrete members, and also in relating the calculated principal stresses
to reinforcement placed only horizontally or vertically.
25. The seaward compartment of each pump-house contains the underfloor
drainage and dockstripping pumps with their associated intake chamber.
These pumps are of 1 m3/s nominal capacity. A valving arrangement allows any
one or more of the fourpumps in each pump-house to be used on each duty.
26. The dock flooding culverts, incorporated in the double-skin side walls
of the pump-houses, gave particular difficulty in design, due to the small amount
of space available in which to form two right-angled bends. Model tests were
undertaken at the British Hydromechanics Research Association and a com-
promise arrangement was worked out, using a plug type vertical action valve
with guide vanes.
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C O C H A A N EC. H E T W I N
AND HOGBIN
Movementjoints
at ends of roofbeams
Stiffening
Fk
(b)
Fig. 3. Isometric views of a pump-house caisson : (a) general arrangement; (b) as
analysed by computer
100
D U B AD
I R YD O C K D
Dock gates and sills
27. The 100 mwidth of Dock 2 presented aformidableproblemforany
form of dock gate which was designed to act as a horizontal girder between the
dockwalls.Theforminvestigatedwas a propped-cantilevergatesupported
wholly by the gate sill and for which the weight per metre would be virtually
Roadway/lifting girder
/
(b)
Fig. 4. Dockgateand sill arrangement : (a)sectionalelevationon AA ; (b) plan
(top girder omitted for clarity)
101
C O C H R A N EC
, H E T W I NA N DH O G B I N
independent of dock width. Inclined-face, vertical-face and combination shapes
were considered in detail and the ‘Promod’ design shown in Fig. 4 was finally
adopted. The gates in the other two docks are similar.
28. When fully open the gates and their propping members lie flat within a
recess below sill level. The gates are closed by means of electrically linked
winches which haul on the ends of the gate top girder. Fixed buoyancy cham-
bers reduce the operating load to5% of the gate weight. As the gate rises under
the winches, the upper ends of the gate props roll up the back of the gate until
they engage against thrust blocks.
29. The gates are built up from a series of modules, fabricated in the UK
and bolted together on site. Buoyancy modules weighing 35 t and intermediate
plates weighing 10 t alternate along the gate length. The layout of the hinges
for both the gate sections and the props is such that in the gate-closed position
all the hydraulic pressure forces are carried by thrust pads remote from the
hinges themselves. The hinges thuscarry only thegate and prop self-weight
forces.
30. Temperature movements presented a particular problem in thegate
design, the worst condition occurring during construction when the gates are
fully exposed to the sun. The centre of each gate is fixed and the calculated
movement at each end of the largest gate is then f 38 mm.
31. The gate sill cross-section is also shown in Fig. 4. To allow for differ-
ential thermal and other movements of the sills relative to the dock floors and
walls the sills have been made independently stable. The horizontal component
of the water pressure on the gate face is resisted by a combination of friction on
the sill base and passive pressure on the sill heel. Seepage beneath the sill is
reduced by a 10 m deep cut-off wall, formed by grouting contiguous 300 mm
wide precast concrete plate units into a drilled slot. Lateral movement of the
sill relative to the surrounding structures under normal gate loading was calcu-
lated to be 1-2 mm.
Dockside crane tracks

32. The 120 t cranes have16 wheel bogies at each cornerapplying a maximum
vertical loading of 49 t per wheel. This load has to be distributed by the crane
beam to seating pads on thecaisson walls. To avoid the severe wear that could
occur at jointsin the track it was decided that the whole track and its supporting
crane beam should be continuous fromend to end.
33. The caisson walls supporting the crane beams are unable to resist large
horizontal forces in a direction parallel to the beams. The beam seating detail
was therefore designed to allow f 2.5 mm longitudinal movement of the beam
relative to the walls, and the initial casting shrinkage was kept within this figure
by forming a maximum length of 15 m of the beam at any one time and leaving
1 m gaps between bays. The gaps were concreted after 7 days’ delay to make
up 70 m lengths. These 70 m lengths were linked together after the beam had
been surrounded by fill, and then only at one of two specified times of year when
the average beam temperature would be close to the middle of its annual range.
Special arrangements were made in the caissons at the seaward ends of the piers
to anchor the crane beams and prevent movement. At the landward end the
beam movement is restrained by passive soil pressures on the supporting piles
and soil friction on the beam sides.
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D U B A l D R Y D O C K : D E S I G N A N DC O N S T R U C T I O N
Service gallery and service trenches
34. The provision along the dock walls of a gallery, tunnel or trenches to
carry the mechanical and electrical services was given careful consideration at the
initial design stage. Three factors had a major influence on the decision: the
number of pipes and cables which might eventually be required; the locations of
the crane beams and the hauling-in trolley tracks; and the difficulty of forming
any structure within the caisson units below high tide level.
35. A compromise solution was finally adopted, with a service gallery
sufficient to carry some of the smaller services and all the outlet points for the
larger services. The main service trenches are located within the caisson fill.
The hauling-in trolley tracks run above the service gallery and all service entries
to the gallery-therefore have to pass beneath these tracks.
36. The galleries are formed from L shaped precast concrete units bolted to
the caisson outer walls. The rear wall of the gallery acts as a retaining wall for
the caisson fill, and is tied back to the caisson transverse walls.
37. The anticipated 34 m freeboard of an unladen million ton tanker pro-
duces a very steep vertical.angle for the hauling-in trolley lines and hence severe
loadings on the trolley wheels and track. In the course of examining the prob-
lem a new form of trolley was developed, running on a cruciform-section concrete
track. The 24 wheels(twelvewith horizontal axles and twelvewith vertical
axles) are rubber-tyred and allow a tolerance in track surface of 9 mm offset
from a 5 m long straight edge. The trolley acts as a travelling fairlead, con-
trolled by signals from a cabin placed at the head of the dock. Automatic cut-
out mechanisms protect the winches against accidental overload.
Construction
38. The construction of the Dubai Dry Dock facility was undertaken con-
currently with the detailed design of the works. Site operations commenced on
the first day that the design and construct contract became effective and the
entire E232 million project was substantially complete five years later.
39. This achievement was greatly facilitated by the initial planning and con-
ceptual design being undertaken by an integrated team of senior site staff and
designers, which advanced definition of the form of construction and thereby
accelerated release of detailed design criteria. Other benefitswere that com-
munication links were established early, difficult construction details were
minimized and both the designers and construction management firmly believed
that the agreed concepts could be put into practice.
40. As construction work developed the senior site staffwent to Dubai as
managers responsible to the Project Manager for sections of the works.
41. For management and planning purposes the project was subdivided into
the following sections:
(a) breakwaters, dredging, tank cleaning berth and dolphins;
(b) Hatta Quarry road;
(c) caisson casting yard;
( d ) caisson launching, positioning, filling and grouting;
(e) dock floors, pier surface works, pump-houses and dock gates;
(f)concrete and blockwork buildings;
( g ) steel-framed buildings and civil works on shore;
(h) mechanical and electrical services and permanent plant.
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C O C H R A N EC
, H E T W I NA N DH O G B I N
In addition there were five service sections:
(a) administration, accounting, storekeeping;
(b) plant repair and maintenance;
( c ) quantity surveying;
( d ) productivity services;
(e) labour.
These latter sections reported to the Contracts Manager.
42. The production sections were responsible for their own detailed planning
based on the overall contract programme and were largely autonomous while
maintaining close links with the service sections. The philosophy of autonomy
assisted in dealing with the size and complexity of the project and provided the
necessary flexibility to cope with difficulties and inevitable changes in design,
specification and programme as they arose.
43. It is the Authors’ experience on overseas contracts that self-reliance is
fundamental to success and to this end the site was equipped with
a plant workshop with spares holding valued at over E l million;
a pipe fabrication and coating facility which produced 40 km of pipe-
work, ranging in diameter from 75 mm to 750 mm,;
(c) grit blasting and galvanizing plants;
( d ) a temporary works steel fabrication yard in which more than 2000 t of
structural steel and formwork was produced;
( e ) a workshop which produced approximately 250 t of ventilation duct-
work;
(f)a carpenters’ shop capable of producing everything from formwork to
office furniture;
(g) an offset printing press;
(h) two mini-computers for payroll, costing, invoicing and accounts.
44. The scale of the project is illustrated by figures for the workforce, ma-
terials and plant. At peak the following numbers of personnel were on site:
255 expatriate staff employed from the UK;
475 other staff recruited outside Dubai;
5950 operatives, of whom half were Pakistanis and half were Indians; the
vast majority were accommodated in a specially constructed labour
camp.
Approximate total bulk materials quantities utilized were
85 000 t of reinforcing steel;
330 OOO t of cement;
850 OOO m3 of concrete;
4 OOO 000 t of rock in the breakwaters;
5 OOO OOO m3 of dredging and reclamation.
More than 1500 items of construction. plant were required, having a total
rating of 75 OOO hp anda value exceeding €36 million at current prices.
Breakwaters
45. Breakwaters of length 4 km and maximum height 17 m were constructed,
incorporating 3 200 0oO t of rock as hearting (rock size 0-2 t) and 750 OOO t of
104
D U B AD
l RY D O C K : D E S I G NA N DC O N S T R U C T I O N
rock as secondary armour (rock size 2-5 t); 18 000 Stabits, the majority of
which weighed 15 t, provided the primary protection. The mainbreakwater
was built from the seaward end by formation of an island and then working
towards the shore, thus giving the earliest possible protection to the caisson
launching and positioning operation from the prevailing winds (Fig. 5).
46. The quarry was 32 km from the site and rock was transported and placed
at an average rate of 70 000 t/week. Half the rock was hauled in dump trucks
which tipped into a 450 m3 capacitybottom dump barge which placed the break-
water core below water level. The remainder was loaded into 10 tcapacity
rock trays, hauled in pairson flatbed trucks and transferred by portal cranesonto
flat barges. The barges were towed to a Manitowoc 4600 crawler crane sitting
on the previously formed breakwater and tipped to a pattern calculated relative
to the boom angle and angle of slew of the crane about the centre-line of the
breakwater to completethe required breakwater profile. Maximum slope of
the dumped hearting material averaged 1 : 2.5 and the tray placing technique
achieved the steepest required slopes of 1 : 1.25 with little difficulty.
47. Stabit placing was carried out at the same time as rock placing to protect
the breakwater until it could be finally completed from the seaward end by con-
creting of the wave wall and placing of the final Stabits on the crest. Despite
several storms during theconstruction period there was little significant damage
to the breakwater.
Dredging and reclamation
48. Five million cubic metres of underwater excavation was carried out by
cutter suction dredgers, reducing the sea bed to the level required for the harbour
Fig. 5. Breakwater island after a storm (November 1974)

105
C O C H R A N EC, H E T W I NA N DH O G B I N
and preparing the dry dock foundation. The dredging and reclamation quan-
tities were designed to leave a surplus for the dredger-placed cofferdam. The
material dredged varied in both depth and hardness and whereas the overall
weekly output was 45 000 m3, the maximum in any one week was 92 000 m3.
49. Dredging to the tolerance of 500 mm generally specified presented little
difficulty, and thereclamation produced a material which consolidated well
above water level. Subsequent experience proved that it could also be readily
compacted to provide a foundation for buildings and pavements.
50. After dewatering the dock area and removal of some 600 mm of loose
material the dredging contractor had a unique opportunity to inspect the results
of his work. The tolerance required in this area was 400 mm with the overriding
conditionthat therock foundation should not be disturbed. By extremely
careful control and multiple cutter passes these stringentrequirements were
consistently achieved.
Hatta Quarry road
51. More than a million tonnes of coarse aggregate were required for the
reinforced concrete works. A suitable material was found near the village of
Hatta, 110 km from the coast, and 80 km of new road had to be constructed
through varied terrain. From the initial requirement of a quarry haul road
this new road was upgraded to form a major part of the Dubai-Oman highway
and was constructed as a 9 m carriageway with 1-5m hard shoulders.
52. Cost was minimized by using materials occurringnaturally at various
places alongitsroute.This necessitated constantlaboratory research and
several design and specification changes but the final 1975 cost of the road
of E145 000/mile reflects the achievement in moulding the design to suit local
topography and materials.
53. Design was based on Road Note 29 using 4.65 million standard axles
on the loaded lane and 1.2million on the unloaded lane. Surfacing comprised
75 mm of bitumen bound gravel with a 50 mm bitumenmacadam wearing
course. Wadi crossings were generally constructed in reinforced concrete.
Caissons
54. Of the 162 cellular caissons required to form the dock walls, the 133 for
the berths and dolphins were 31 m long X 17 m wide X 17 m high and weighed
3250 t each when cast, and the remaining 29 were only 20.8 m long and weighed
750 t less.
55. Manufacture. The caissons were slipformed utilizing two mobile gan-
tries, each covering five casting beds, and the yard produced an average of 1.7
caissons per week with a maximum of 3 per week. The arrangement of the
caisson casting yard is shown in Fig. 6. The gantries were rail mounted and at
the start of a production cycle lowered the 1 m high slipform shutters onto a
prepared concreted base slab in which the vertical starter bars and first 1 m of
horizontal wall reinforcement had been fixed. All the wall reinforcement was
loaded in strict order onto racks at two levels on the climbing platform, the
upper level to facilitate splicing of vertical bars and the lower to facilitate fixing
of horizontal reinforcement and placing of concrete.
56. Slipforming normally commenced on the night shift and progressed
continuously at rates of 100-450 mm/h. Initial concern as to the practicability
of maintaining a 24 h slipforming operation throughout the hot summer months
106
D U B A l D R Y D O C K : DESIGN A N D CONSTRUCTION
proved unfounded and, exceptwhen slipforming at low speed,the high tempera-
t u r n and humidity proved to te advantageous.
51. After completion of slipfonning, and curing, the mobile soffit shutters
were removed and five sets of bogies, which incorporated hydraulic lifting jacks,
were run underneath the caisson on rails for transverse transfer. The caisson
.was then jacked clear of the casting bed and pushed to the centre of the yard
where it was lowered onto longitudinaltransfer bogies. Movementofthe
caisson down the centre of the yard to the launching platform was effected by
two hydraulic jacks pushingoff horizontal fixed racks.
58. hunching. After fixing ofaccess platforms, draught markers and
towing lines, each caisson was pushed onto the 4OOO t capacity Synerolift and
lowered into the sea until 7 m was immersed. To ensure stable flotation offthe
platform, 1000 t of sand ballast was then systematically added by a conveyor
system. Immersion then continued until the caisson floated clear of the plat-
form and bogies at a draught of 103 m. In this condition the caissons were
stable and couldbe manoeuvred to the adjacent fitting-out berth to be fitted with
temporary platforms carrying mooring winches, pumps and the flooding mani-
fold necessary for final location and sinking (Fig. 7).
59. Placing. The method adopted to found the caisson on the bedrock was
to cut two parallel trenches into which the downstand b x m s of the caisson
could be set and then to grout the void below the base slab prior to sand filling.
To form these trenches a self-elevating platform was built carrying a 2500 mm
dia. reversecirculationmulticone drill workingover one side. Themethod
proved extremelysuccessful and an accurate level foundation was formed in the
miliolite with a minimum of diver attendance. The speed of the drilling gener-
ated valuable unallocated time on the equipment which was utilized by drilling
Fig. 6. Aerial view of the caisson casting yard (August 1975)

107
Fig. 7. Caisson being towed from launching platform for placing (September 1975)
Fig. 8. Drilled
trench
in the rock-for drainage
(December 1976)
the dock underfloor drainage trenches prior to dewatering. This proved to be

a major advantage when the docks were dewatered (Fig. 8). After trench
drilling, the foundations for the caisson were cleared by grab and airlift of any
loose material left after dredging, and inspected for high spotsprior to the
landing of each caisson.
60. Caissons were manoeuvred by two 600 hp tugs into approximate posi-
tion and held between anchors onthe sea bed and thecaisson which had already
108
D U B A I D R Y D O C KD
beenfixedin position in the pier. Accurate positioning against the adjacent
caisson was assisted by instrument stations on shore.
61. Sinking was normally carried outon a rising tide by ballasting with
water through a filling manifold, maintaining level trim at all times. Location
tolerances were generally within k 50 mm, which was considerably more precise
thanhad been anticipated. Only on very few occasions had refloating to be
resorted to for achievement of accurate positioning.
62. Grouting andfilling. With the caisson in position and full of water the
gaps between caissons were sealed to base slab level with tremie concrete.
Each vertical joint between the caissons at their edges was formed using two nylon
bolsters fixed to one caisson and inflated with grout to form shutters; the space
between was later filled with grout. This use of bolsters accommodated varia-
tions in the joints and satisfactorily retained the sand-cement grout; this would
have been difficult with more conventional formwork.
63. The outer trench was sealed by grouting with a sand-cement grout from
floating plant. The voidbetween the caisson base and the rock wasfinally
grouted using a 3: 1 sand-cement grout mixwith Colplus admixture pumped
through preformed intrusion holes within the caisson walls. Starting at one
edge thegrout was allowed to flowprogressively under the caisson until it
reached the vent holes along the opposite edge. The grouting crew, assisted by
diver inspection of vent holes, were able to identify the behaviour of the grout.
Dewatering of the docks, as well as drilling through some base slabs, established
that intimate contact had been achieved.
64. Oncethe caissons were fully supported they werefilled with dredged
material by side tipping trucks discharging into the cells from steel bridges, care
being taken at all times to limit the differential head across any internal crosswall
to 2 m.
65. Pump-houses. The two main dock dewatering pump-houses were also
constructed as caissons but their plan dimensions and flotation weights pro-
hibited their construction within the caisson casting yard. Both pump-houses
were constructed together to a height of approximately 5.8 m within a dewatered
excavation behind the reclamation bund. When these base sections were
complete the bund was breached and the caissons floated (Fig. 9) into water of
sufficient depth to enable construction to proceed afloat to a stage at which the
caissons could be finally placed in a similar manner to the slipformed caissons.
66. Care had to be taken in setting out to use lines related to the estimated
final position ratherthan levelswhich varied according to the trim. The
sequence of construction was chosen to maintain the flotation trim of the pump-
house and also to minimize shrinkage problems from the restrained internal
slabs. The difficulty of construction as a floating element was more than offset
by the ability to place the pump-house utilizing similar techniques to those
developed for the other caissons and by minimizing underwater,work.
67. External work was completed after dewatering, in conjunction with the
forebays, gate buttresses, gate sills and roundhead works.
Dock floors and sills
68. Initial dewatering. For theformation of the cofferdam, a windrow of
specially selected granular material was first dumped along the inner toe line of
the bund; the dredger discharge pipe was then moved across theend of the docks
until the bund was complete. A cut-off wallof Larssen 4B sheet pileswas
109
C O C H R A N EC
. H E T W I NA N DH O G B I N
Fig. 9. One of the pump-house caissons being berthed in preparationfor the second
stage of construction (September 1975)
Fig. 10. View showing Pier A caissons being placed and Pier B connected to the
cofferdam, the large dock being dewatered for the first time (December 1976)
110
D U B ADl R Y
D O C KD: E S I G N
AND
CONSTRUCTION
driven through the centre of this bund and linked with straight web sheet pile
cells built out from three of the four dock piers (Fig. 10).
69. Two stages of dewatering were carried out, the first to dewater Docks 2
and 3 together and the second to dewater Dock 1. All vertical joints between
caissons had been progressively tested by pumping down waist gaps prior to sand
filling so that the main imponderable factors remaining prior to the dewatering
of the docks were the effectiveness of the caisson base grout seal, inflow through
the rock itself and leakage through the cofferdam. Inflows through the rock
were found to be significantly less than anticipated and the caisson base seal
proved extremely effective.
70. The bottom dumped granular windrow placed on the inner toe of the
cofferdam to assist drawdown of water levels within the bund proved unsatis-
factory, and additional drainage of the bund had to be provided; apart from
this, dewatering of the cofferdam proved largely uneventful, with cell movements
much as predicted.
71. Dock floors. After dewatering, the soft material overlying the rock
was removed by rubber-tyred front end loaders and trucks hauling out over the
inner face of the cofferdam bund. The rock foundation was then carefully
cleaned in preparation for the drainage blanket and its underlying fabric filter
membrane. Selection of the drainage media involved a compromise between
permeability and strength, and choice was further limited by local availability.
Open jointed precast drain pipes were supported by no-fines concrete in the
underfloor drainage trenches. Polythene sheet was laid over thedrainage
blanket to prevent contamination from fines from the blinding concrete under-
lying the main floor slab.
72. The 1.5 m thick floor was concreted in bays 100 m long and 6 m wide,
using truck mixers at dock floor level fed from a tremie pipe by a shuttle service
of trucksrunning between the batchers and dockhead hoppers. After con-
struction of the central pilot bays, by crane and skip, the trucks discharged
directly into the pours using extending tail chutes. Compaction and finishing
were carried by a special rail-mounted unit with centrally controlled poker
vibrators suspended from a beam which could be mechanically raised and
lowered to cover the full depth of the pour, followed by a conventional concrete
paving finisher.
73. Curing was effected by spraying with an aluminium impregnated plastic
membrane, covering with polythene sheeting and tenting to protect the surface
from the sun and wind. Adjacent bays were not concreted for at least three
days to allow for initial shrinkage. Each 900 m3 pour took 10-15 h to com-
plete.
74. Cafe sills. In general, construction of thegate sillsfollowed conven-
tional methods; steel formwork was used (Fig. 11). Sealing face units were
accurately precast andgrouted in position after alignment on set screws.
Tolerances of f 5 mm overall and, locally, of f 1.5 mm in 3 m were required in
this critical location and were satisfactorily achieved.
75. A cut-off wall extending 10 m below the sill apron was constructed, by
first drilling a row of 600 mm dia. contiguous holes. Verticality and intersec-
tion with previous holes was achieved by use of a dummy steel guide placed in
the adjacent drilled hole with the intersecting portion preformed to enable the
drill bit to run down it. Precast panels were set into this predrilled trench and
subsequently grouted to provide an impermeable wall within the rock. Where
111
C O C H R A N EC
water flows prevented normal grouting procedures the trench 'mound the panels
was filled with single sized aggregate and capped off with concrete, leaving pro-
vision for pressure grouting when the completed concrete cap was capable of
resisting the necessary pressure. This method proved entirely satisfactory in
overcoming all difficulties encountered.
Dock gates
76. The dock gate steelworkwas fabricated in the UK in modular form and
delivered to site requiring only external painting prior to erection. Pivot bear-
ings were accurately positioned on the gate sill. The buoyancy modules were
then erectedand connected to their respective propsby temporary erection bolts
(Fig. 12). Intermediate plates with vertical seals attached were installed and
clipped to the bouyancy modules.When the steelwork temperature was pre-
dictablv steadv the ioints were connected in a swcified seauence and assembly
was; completed.
Fig. 11. Gate sillconstructionshowinggatelocatingbearings

being installed (October 1977)
112
DUBAl D R Y D O C K : D E S I G N ANDCONSTRUCTION
77. After flooding of the space between the cofferdam and the gates, i n d
checking for effective sealing and adequacy of structural assembly under full
water load,.the dockswere filled with water. A sequence of raising and lowering
the gates using both the primaryelectric and the standbydiesel motor powering
ofthe winches wascompleted before thecofferdamwas removed. Measurements
of dock sill movements were made to ensure that these remained within precal-
culated limits. Excessive movements would have requiredpartial redewatering
of the cofferdam to relieve load on the props and insertion of compensatory
packing.However, Sill movementsproved to be less thanZmm,whereas
8 mm were allowed; no adjustments were necessary.
Dock wail and berih supersiruciure

78. As soon as thecaissonshad been compktely filled and the fill con-
solidated utilizing the vibrating probe developed on site. construction of the
superstructure to the piers was progressed. Throughout the works pasting
was utilized wherever convenient in order to increase the number of available
working areas and avoid expensive soffit formwork and falsework. The precast
service gallery units (Fig. 13) were a typical example and were bolted to the outer
caisson walls and later integrated into the main structure by buttresses and a
hauling-in beam, both cast in situ; for the lattera purpose-built mobile shutter
was used.
79. A complexarrangement of d p s t a n blocks,bollards, lighting tower
foundations, crane h s and service trencheswere constructed, followed by the
Fig. 12. Erection of 100 m dock gate; buoyancy modules and intermediate platesare
in the foreground (November 1977)
113
C O C H R A N EC
Fig. 13: Precast service gallery elements fixed on to caissons as the

f i r s t stage of the Pier C surface works (May 1975)
infill paving and covers to the trenches. This complexity, exacerbated by the
comparativelysmalldifference between the paving level and the top of the
caissons, made machine pavingimpossible.
Conclusion
80. The succes+ful compktion of theDubai Dry Dockreprrsmts a sig-
nificant achievement for British engineering and demonstrates thecapability of
Britishcontracting. Stepby-step approval of theContractor’sdesign by the
Engineer was time-consuming but this disadvantage should be carefully weighed
against the greater depth of understanding of the controlling factors by both
parties, which resulted in an unusual capability for resolution of difficulties
encountered during the executionofthe Contract.
Acknowledgements
81. I n addition to the acknowledgements given in the preceding paper the
Authors would like to acknowledge the efforts of the many other organizations
and companies who were directly involved in the provision of equipment and
services. Senior Contractor’s staff involved were Mr H. D. Newell, Director,
Costain International; Mr J.M. Thomas, Director, Taylor Woodrow Inter-
national (to August 1978); Mr M: V. Angwin, Joint London Manager, and
Director,TaylorWoodrowInternational; andMr L. F. C. Tarrant,Joint
London Manager, and Director, Costain International.
114

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Proc. Instn Ciu. Engrs. Part 1, 1979, 66, Feb.

8202 Dubai Dry D o c k :

Dock waNs and finger pier

Dock wall formed

I 1 m i.d. open jointed

Dockside crane tracks

Fig. 5. Breakwater island after a storm (November 1974)

Fig. 6. Aerial view of the caisson casting yard (August 1975)

the dock underfloor drainage trenches prior to dewatering. This proved to be

Fig. 11. Gate sillconstructionshowinggatelocatingbearings

Dock wail and berih supersiruciure

Fig. 13: Precast service gallery elements fixed on to caissons as the

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