The Design of Flexible Bulkheads

In the design of flexible bulkheads, the engineer is limited by a lack of knowledge concerning the actual behavior of varying soil masses. Bulkhead design literature contains many theories and mathematical studies on the action and effect of earth pressure. The very number of these analyses supports the fact that no single method has universal application, and that a wide range of error in the assessing of pressures can be expected. The purpose here is not to advance a new procedure that will remove all uncertainties from bulkhead design. Instead, this paper presents a description of the design and construction procedures followed by the Bureau of Yards and Docks, United States Department of the Navy, for varying site and soil conditions, together with methods for reducing pressures, proper construction sequences, and practical rules which are axiomatic for bulkhead design.