The Monaco dock project

Abstract

One of the principal challenges of the Monaco Dock Project was to combine widely differing engineering specialisations, including tasks related to technical matters, concrete, structures, operations at sea, mechanical engineering (ball joint) and transport. From the point of view of structural functioning, the major engineering factor was the dock?s behaviour as a concrete vessel. The various construction stages from the dry dock, leaving the basin, towing, coupling and during service required many different checks to be made during the course of the execution project. The calculation models, load cases, wave effects, limit status, fatigue studies and combinations of calculations all had to be checked. Another challenge was that the functional requirements and criteria chosen had to be designed for a life of 100 years. Finally, the calculation processes were analysed with the corresponding methodology and software, and some of the results studied. Aspects of the passive and active reinforcement were discussed, together with the area of influence of the ball joint anchorage.