Device for sealing a caisson in a watertight way

A device for sealing a caisson comprising a bottom, two upright side walls and a back wall in a watertight way against a sheet pile wall having a longitudinal profile composed of a succession of grooves and ridges, said device comprising the combination of:

• a) an inflatable continuous air chamber extending along the bottom of the caisson over the total width of the caisson and along the upright side walls thereof to sealingly engage the ridges of the sheet pile wall while conforming to irregularities therein;
• b) a series of deformable sealing elements disposed along the bottom of the caisson to sealingly engage the grooves of the sheet pile wall, each having a profile approaching the profile of a groove, which elements are each mounted between two horizontal guiding plates disposed one above the other in a manner such as to allow a displacement of the elements in the direction of the sheet pile wall in front of the grooves therein, while said inflatable air chamber is provided for pressing these elements against the wall to enable the deformable sealing elements to adapt to deformed and irregular grooves;
• c) a core provided between each of said sealing elements and the air chamber, which core is adapted to be displaced between said guiding plates and is fixed to the adjoining sealing element;
• and
• d) means for allowing a lateral displacement of said sealing elements together with the guiding plates above and underneath these sealing elements with respect to the caisson.