A caisson is a hollow structure made of concrete, steel, or other materials that can be sunk into the earth. It used as the substructure for a bridge, a building, or other large structures. Caissons come in many sizes and shapes depending on their future use. The one shared feature is that their bottom edges are sharp so they easily can be sunk into the ground. These sharp edges are known as the cutting edges of the caisson.
The purpose of using a caisson in construction is to provide a temporary structure from which earth, water, and other materials can be removed and into which concrete or some other fill material can be placed. For example in the construction of a bridge it may be necessary to burrow into the soil at the bottom of a river until bedrock is reached. One way of doing this is to sink a caisson filled w…
All caissons feature the shape of a tube, often with a cylindrical contour but it may also be rectangular, elliptical, or some other form. Some caissons are open at both ends, some are open only at the top, and some are open only at the bottom. It depends on the way each type of caisson is to be used. A caisson open at both ends might be used to lay down a pier for a new skyscraper. The caisson wo…
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