Reinforced concrete caissons for port structures in Spain

Reinforced concrete floating caissons are widely used for the construction of vertical breakwaters and gravity quay walls. This paper describes the caisson construction methods that are used most frequently in Spanish port structures, especially casting on floating dry docks. Determining factors in the selection of caisson type for breakwaters rely on technical and economic considerations. Environmental considerations emphasise the use of caissons when compared to alternatives that require large quantities of quarry stone materials such as rubble mound breakwaters. The main limiting factors are high stresses induced on the sea floor and the presence of complex dynamic wave–structure–soil interaction phenomena. Generalisation in the application of soil improvement techniques in the sea floor will extend the application of floating reinforced concrete caissons to soft-soil areas, which are very common in Spanish ports. There are also research programmes under development focusing on improving of the functional features of vertical wall structures, mainly determined by their high reflection. Technical and economic optimisation of marine structures based on floating reinforced concrete caissons is today an essential trend in the field of port structures in Spain.