Floating
precast
concrete
docks
By Peter Forsythe and Cliff
Ohlwiler
A
floating concrete dock unit
for use in marinas and
harbors is not a new concept.
A system using a concrete deck for
durability and foam blocks to sup-
port the deck and provide
buoyancy has been around for years.
A few years ago, however, a struc-
tural floating dock system combining
the durability of a concrete
deck surface with the structural
strength of a large concrete section
was introduced.
The precast Trus-Channel® dock
system is capable of withstanding
significant marine loads. In recent
years, the system has been installed
and used in a variety of harbor and
marine applications on the West
Coast of the United States.
The system consists of concrete
placed around three sides of a
foam block (Figure 1). The concrete
deck and sides provide durable con-
crete surfaces for dock loads and ves-
sel impacts. The bottom of each sec-
tion has an elastomeric coating to
prevent damage to the polystyrene
c o re .
The structural strength of the
section is significant in both vertical
and lateral loading directions
for either negative or positive
moments and shears. The reinforce-
Figure 1. Typical cross section of the precast floating dock system.
ment is located in each of the four
corners. The enclosed foam provides
flotation and is made of expanded
polystyrene (EPS) with a density of
1.10 pcf.
Figure 2 is an aerial view of an
installation at Fisherman’s Quay in
Ketchikan, Alaska. The entire system
rides on vertical piles to accommo-
date rising and falling tides. The piles
usually are connected with externally
mounted steel hoops. The main walk-
way float sections are typically 6 to 10
feet wide and up to 60 feet long. The
sections branching off the main walk-
way are called fingers and are typi-
cally 21⁄2 to 5 feet wide and up to 50
feet long. The overall depth of the
sections varies from 30 to 36 inches,
depending on freeboard require-
ments. Freeboard is the distance from
the top deck of the float to
the waterline.
A modular connection system is
used whereby throughbolt holes are
cast into the float at 12-inch centers
along each section’s length just under
the top deck (Figure 3). The system
allows fingers to be connected any-
where along the main walkway. It
also accommodates connection of
plastic or timber walers to provide
additional protection to the floating
sections. The pile hoop connecting
h a rd w a re also can be bolted any-
where along the walkways. Sections
of the main walkway are bolted
together with 1-inch diameter A325
high-strength bolts at bolt-on galva-
nized steel connector boxes.
The entire system is designed
for a minimum 25-year lifespan.
However, this is based on the steel
connecting hardware, which is
easily replaced.
DESIGN CRITERIA
The most important design criteria
is that the system floats. Specified
freeboards range from 12 to 17 inches.
However, special situations may
occur where it is important to closely
match an existing dock system free-
board.
To accurately design for freeboard,
the weights of all materials must be
determined with precision. A s p re a d-
sheet computer program is useful to
keep track of these weights. Some
projects also specify a maximum tilt
angle for locations of live loads on the
deck. In any case, the weights of any
off-center loads should be accommo-
dated in the design. This can be
accomplished by adding foam to the
heavy side, or concrete to the lighter
side.
The design should consider lateral,
vertical, dead, and live loads, as well
as vessel impact loads. Lateral loads
consist of wave loads and wind loads
on vessels or on the docks them-
selves. These lateral loads are trans-
ferred from the floats to the support-
ing piles. Although the entire float
system rides up and down on the
piles with the tides, the vertical
moments and shears produced by
waves also are accounted for in the
design. Energy absorption require-
ments for vessels impacting the docks
also may be accommodated in the
design.
OTHER MATERIAL
PROPERTIES
Most of the float
installations have
been in salt water,
which has the advan-
tage of being slightly
more buoyant. This is
offset, however, by
the disadvantage of
chloride corrosion.
The concrete mix
specification require-
ments typically
include a corrosion Figure 2. A precast floating dock at Fisherman’s Quay in Ketchikan,
inhibiting admixture Alaska.
with calcium nitrite.
Air entrainment is used to decrease
permeability and lower unit weight
for easier flotation. Hard rock aggre-
gate is used in these thin wall appli-
cations, with 28-day strengths of 5000
psi minimum. Fly ash also is used to
densify the mix and inhibit corrosion.
A low range water-reducing admix-
ture is used along with a high range
w a t e r- reducing admixture for
improved workability during place-
ment. This allows a maximum water-
cement ratio of 0.40.
The EPS core has a maximum
absorption of 3% as measured by
ASTM Test Method C 272. All steel
connecting hardware is galvanized
and external wood walers are treated
with a preservative.
MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES
Floats are cast in steel forms with a
smooth, true surface. Float forms are
within 0.125 inch of concrete dimen-
sions. Concrete placement is from a
crane and bucket when using station-
ary batch mixers. Form wall vibrators
and handheld vibrators are used to
consolidate concrete in the bottoms of
sidewalls and end walls.
Special procedures are required to
ensure that the foam core does not
move during concrete placement and
Figure 3. A typical 6-foot-wide precast concrete
float section under construction. The form wall is not
yet installed on the near side of the float. The object
centered on the float in the foreground is a junction
box where longitudinally running utility chaseways
transfer out laterally, as seen on the near side of the
float. Longitudinal reinforcing steel bars can be seen
in the corner of the steel mesh. Also, note the
throughbolt holes spaced 12 inches on center.
reinforcing steel was used for addi-
tional corrosion protection. Heavy-
duty pile hoops with hard rubber
consolidation. To monitor concrete rollers also were used.
properties, concrete test cylinders, Another system, constructed for the
unit weight, slump, and air content U.S. Navy, is noteworthy because the
tests are performed during placement original design by Libby Engineers,
by ACI certified concrete field testing San Diego, was for a timber dock sys-
technicians. tem. However, a precast concrete
The top deck is steel trowelled with alternative was proposed and accept-
a light broom finish applied trans- ed. Mark Holter of Libby Engineers
versely to the walking surfaces. reviewed the precast concrete float-
ing dock submittal and stated, “For
COMPLETED PROJECTS the same initial cost, the owner was
By rafting together several float sec- getting a product which met the pro-
tions, a large floating foundation may ject requirements with an increased
be created. The Fisherman’s Quay in life expectancy and a potential sav-
Figure 2 contains three units, each 10 ings in maintenance costs.”
feet wide by 60 feet long. The units Replacement of dock systems in
were rafted together at the jobsite to existing marinas is an area where the
support a fish processing facility. The precast floating dock system is well-
floats are unprotected and provide suited for use, especially when a
the strength to withstand adverse number of different loads are to be
conditions. considered in the design.
Figure 4 shows a floating dock pro- One project, for example, called for
duced for the U.S. Coast Guard at eight loads in seven combinations.
Ballast Point in San Diego Bay. Four Design loads included a uniform live
dock units were installed to produce load on half of the dock’s width, con-
a total length exceeding 200 feet. Each centrated point loads anywhere on
unit is 10 feet wide by 36 inches deep. the deck surface, horizontal wave
Due to extreme boat and wave loads, loads, wind loads on vessels, and
additional concrete bulkheads span berthing impact energies on both
laterally across the float at pile main walkways and a finger pier. In
hoop/fender locations. The maxi- addition, a precise freeboard of 17
mum weight of these units is approx- inches was required on the dock sys-
imately 62,000 pounds. Epoxy-coated tems to match an existing landing.
Figure 4. This project for the U.S. Coast Guard was designed to withstand extreme boat and wave loads. It con-
tains additional concrete bulkheads that span laterally across the float at pile hoop/fender locations.

Another project was designed and

built as a floating foundation system
for buildings at a water sports center.
The wood frame buildings, measur-
ing 90x24 feet and 16x24 feet, were
erected on the floats. The floating
dock and buildings were designed to
withstand wind, river currents,
debris, tidal influence, and wave
action. The system also was engi-
neered to withstand the possibility of
a 100-year flood condition that would
raise the river level by 34 feet.
Three dolphins left from a cement
plant operation, were used to secure
the floating facility. Each dolphin mea-
sures 25 feet in diameter and stands 30
feet high above mean river level. Straps
were welded to the steel sides of the
dolphins and 38-foot-long H-beams
were welded vertically to the straps.
The project required installing 7,000
square feet of floats.

Peter Forsythe is a registered civil engineer

and Cliff Ohlwiler is engineering manager for
Utility Vault Co. Inc., Fontana, Calif.

Reprinted with permission from the July

1994 issue of Concrete International.

PUBLICATION #J940808
Copyright © 1994, The Aberdeen Group
All rights reserved