International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews Vol (2) Issue (9) (2021) Page 1010-1017

International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews

Journal homepage: www.ijrpr.com ISSN 2582-7421

A Review Study on Gravity Quay Walls

Ahmed Alkadhimi1, Hashim Ab. Almousawi2, Mohammed Noori Hussein3*

*1,2.3Civil Engineering Department, Iraq University College, Basra, Iraq.
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

Gravity quay walls are a common type of structures in construction of small ports. However, these types of quay wall are relatively cost effective and easy to
perform, Gravity quay walls are used to receive huge ships carrying goods of various sizes, whether small or large. These walls are sturdy and strong to suit the
surrounding environmental conditions such as seawater, temperature changes, and salinity associated with water.This Technical report focuses on the study an
overviewof this type of quay walls as well as analysis of this type of retainingwall to illustrate the importance of each factor.

Introduction

Gravity quay walls are the most common types of docks. That is because of their durability;ease of construction and the possibility to reach a deep
seabed level. The gravity quay wall has to be safe against the three design criteria, which are sliding, overturning and over stressing. The design steps of
gravity quay wall seem to be reasonably clear. However, the deep gravity walls are subjected to a great deal of external forces. In this case, the stability
of the wall may be quite sensitive to many factors; depth of the wall, pulling force, soil characteristics; and base stratum characteristics. The effect of
different factors on the stability needs to be investigated. The study focuses on the analysis of gravity quay walls. Design steps are written in the form
of computer program taking into account all factors affecting the analysis. This makes it possible to alternate factors in order to come to an ideal design
[1]. Figure 1,2 and 3 show examples for quay walls and their functions.

Fig 1:Quay-wall-Caisson
 International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews Vol (2) Issue (9) (2021) Page 1010-1017 1011

Fig 2:Quay-wall-–-East-Portsaid

Fig 3:Quay-wall-function

Gravity-type quay walls can be utilized at wharves that receive ships of any size and kind, ranging from tiny general cargo ships to the largest modern
container ships, as well as very big bulk carriers and supertankers. These walls are very helpful and long-lasting in harsh marine environments, such as
saltwater, extreme heat and cold, large waves, and huge ice loads. Gravity-type quay walls have been built in the past in a wide range of configurations.
Specific site conditions, such as the availability of certain construction materials, dry dock facilities, the cost of local labor, and others, determined the
 International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews Vol (2) Issue (9) (2021) Page 1010-1017 1012

type of walls employed for the marine application. When local foundation conditions prevent pile or sheet-pile driving, gravity-type constructions have
been utilized in numerous circumstances in the past and present. Gravity-type constructions, in general, necessitate suitable foundation conditions due
to their substantial weight and the nature of the load distribution at the base. Gravity-quay walls were traditionally erected in the dry using rubble
masonry (Fig.4a) or cast-in-situ concrete (Fig.4b), assuming the site could be dewatered and a sufficiently strong foundation was available[2-5].

Figure 4:GreenockDock wall in UK.

Heavy gravity walls built in the dry were founded on piles in some cases when relatively weak foundation soils were encountered (Fig. 5). The pile
foundation was often composed of wooden piles since wood does not rot when entirely submerged under water. Th e tops of these piles were normally
concrete-encased and situated below the mud line, offering protection from marine critters. Following the invention of reinforced concrete and
advancements in concrete technology, quay wall constructions became more refined. The counterfort walls and slender cast-in-place L shaped walls
have been introduced(Fig.6) [6-9].

Figure 5: Mass Wall of concrete in UK.

 International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews Vol (2) Issue (9) (2021) Page 1010-1017 1013

Figure 6: Quay wall at Belgium.

Quay Walls Structures Requirements

The entire quay structure must be able to satisfy numerous requirements imposed by:

 location
o Conditions of soil,
o sea water & groundwater levels,
o Conditions of waves,
o Earthquake conditions.
 service conditions
o The durability,
o Ships Size
o Forces,
o Specific requirements from the final user, port authority, etc.

Because of the inherent benefits of maritime transportation, which have been steadily increasing over the previous few decade s and are expected to
continue to rise, port authorities have no choice but to expand and upgrade their facilities. The design and building of new quay walls to accommodate
ever-larger cargo ships has become an unending task[9].
Steel manufacturers were forced to develop novel solutions, such as the integrated wall system, as a result of the race to build larger vessels, increased
depth of major ports, and the resulting requirement for more heavy-load berthing facilities. Traditional steel sheet pile walls have been replaced by
combination walls, which are made up of two complementing elements: a primary stiff element (such as a sheet pile, steel tube, or box pile) and a
second flexible element (intermediary sheet pile, predominantly sections). The result is a high-strength, high-bending-moment-capacity retaining
structure that is both safe and cost-effective, as shown in Figure 7.
Gravity-type quay walls have been built in the past in a wide range of configurations. Specific site conditions, such as the availability of certain
construction materials, dry dock facilities, the cost of local labor, and others, determined the type of walls employed for the marine application. When
local foundation conditions prevent pile or sheet-pile driving, gravity-type constructions have been utilized in numerous circumstances in the past and
present.
 International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews Vol (2) Issue (9) (2021) Page 1010-1017 1014

Figure 7: Berth 12 in South Africa.

1. Types of Quay Walls

1. Sheet piled quay walls.

Fig 8: Sheet piled quay walls.

2. Combi walls.

Fig 9:Combi walls.

 International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews Vol (2) Issue (9) (2021) Page 1010-1017 1015

3. Steel cellular / caisson quay walls.

Fig 10: Caisson quay walls

4. Reinforced concrete diaphragm walled quay walls.

Fig 11: Diaphragm walled quay walls.

5. Gravity block quay walls.

Fig 12: Gravity block quay walls.

 International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews Vol (2) Issue (9) (2021) Page 1010-1017 1016

6. Reinforced concrete counterfort quay walls.

Fig 13:counterfort quay walls.

2. Loads Acting on Gravity Quay Walls

Two types of forces act on the gravity retaining quay wall, namely: stability forces and failure forces.

4.1 Stability Forces

Two vertical stability forces are: weight of soil over the projection part of the blocks and own weight of blocks.
- Weight of Soil (WS) =The weight of the soil resting on top of the projection part of the block (in tons), acting at its central of gravity (c.g.)
of each part.
- Weight of Blocks (WB ) =Own weight of block (in tons), acting at itscenter of gravity (c.g.).
- Total stability forces acting on the wall per meter length (in tons) (WT) =
WS + WB ……………. (1)
4.2FailureForces
There are four horizontal forces acting as static failure forces: -
1. Lateral earth pressures
2. Pull bollard
3. live load
4. horizontal crane load

Conclusion

Design of plain concrete blocks gravity quay wall is usually a clear-cut one. However, for deep docks or those subjected to huge forces and resting on
semi-strong soil, stability is difficult to achieve. Factors affecting equilibrium condition become essential and their influence on the final design of the
gravity quay wall needs to be investigated. From the analysis and the parametric study, the following may be concluded.
1. The back-fill characteristics have a great influence on the stability of gravity quay wall.
2. A ship load and dimensions affect the berth in terms of pollard force, magnitude of live load, and depth of the quay wall.
3. The concrete crown should be carefully checked, since it is the most critical part of the quay wall particularly when the pulling force acting on
mooring guns is quite large. Thus, a groove of (1m) length should be done to prevent sliding and create a shear resistance.
4. Dimensions of each block can be determined by checking sliding first then checking for overturning and stresses.
5. Configuration of the quay wall can be improved by reducing lateral forces, which can be achieved by extending the backfill to a distance equal to the
 International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews Vol (2) Issue (9) (2021) Page 1010-1017 1017

height of the wall.

6. Live load should be applied on the berth just behind the blocks. It means that, it produces lateral pressure and may not contribute to weights.
7. Increasing the unit weight of the concrete participates into the stability of the wall. Therefore, it is recommended to use b locks with unit weight not
less than 2.4t/m3 particularly for deep quay walls.

REFERENCES

1. Alyami, M., et al. (2009). "Numerical analysis of deformation behaviour of quay walls under earthquake loading." Soil Dynamics and
Earthquake Engineering29(3): 525-536.
2. ELMAN, M. T. AND TERRY, C. F., 1987. “Retaining Walls with Sloped Base.” ASCE Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, Vol 113, No
9.
3. ESPINOZA, R. D., BOURDEAU, P. L., AND MUHUNTHAN, B., 1994. “Unified Formulation for Analysis of Slopes with General Slip
Surface,” ASCE Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, Vol 120, No 7.
4. FOSS , I. AND D HALBERG, R., 1979. “FIP State of the Art Report: Foundations of Concrete Gravity Structures in the North
Sea.” Foundation Design Methods for Gravity Structures, Federation Internationale de la Precontrainte, London.
5. GEGNON, G., 1979. “Sea Wall Constructed in Reinforced Earth.” ComptesRendusColloguim International Reinforcement des Sols.
Paris.
6. GERWICK, B. C., 1986. Construction of Offshore Structures, John Wiley and Sons, New York.
7. GORUNOV, B. F., 1974. Operation and Maintenance of Port Related Marine Structures (in Russian).
8. YOUNG, A. G., 1992. “Marine Foundation Studies.” Handbook of Coastal and Ocean Engineering, Vol. 2, Herbick, J. B. (ed.), Gulf
Publishing, Houston, TX.
9. Tsinker, G. (1997). Port (Harbor) Elements: Design Principles and Considerations: 69-241.