WATER AGENCIES STANDARDS

Design Guidelines for Water and Sewer Facilities SECTION 5.2 THRUST RESTRAINT AND ANCHOR BLOCKS

5.2.1

PURPOSE The purpose of this section is to provide guidelines for the design of thrust blocks and anchor blocks for underground pressure pipelines. In general, thrust blocks and anchor blocks are required to provide thrust restraint to counteract forces created by the contents of underground pressure pipelines. For design specific to steel pipelines the reader should also refer to AWWA M-11.

5.2.2

STANDARD TERMS AND DEFINITIONS Wherever technical terms or pronouns are used in these guidelines or in related documents, the intent and meaning shall be interpreted as described in industry accepted nomenclature and reference materials.

5.2.3

GENERAL It is the responsibility of the user of these documents to refer to and utilize industry standards not directly referenced within this document as necessary. The Engineer of Work may not deviate from the criteria presented in this section without prior written approval of the Agencys Engineer.

5.2.4

GUIDELINE Thrust blocks and anchor blocks are not required on steel pipe with welded joints where, in the opinion of the Agencys Engineer, pipe design provides adequate thrust restraint. In addition, thrust blocks and anchor blocks are not required on steel or ductile-iron pipe with flanged joints if sufficient thrust restraint has been achieved by the restraint system. For design of collar, wrapper and crotch plates for steel pipe refer to AWWA M-11. Thrust blocks and anchor blocks may also be eliminated in locations where thrust-restraining fittings (including flanged fittings) are utilized or thrust-restraining pipe joints, provided that thrust restraint systems are designed by the Engineer of Work in accordance with the manufacturers instructions. The design and sizing of thrust blocks and anchor blocks shall conform to the following guidelines: A. Thrust blocks or anchor blocks are required on all unrestrained pressure pipelines at locations where thrust forces caused by internal pressures act upon the sides or ends of pipelines. 1. Thrust blocks are required at all unrestrained tees, wyes, reducers, horizontal bends, ascending vertical bends, and dead-ends. Since the act of closing an inline valve creates a dead-end, valves not connected to other fittings also require thrust blocks. Anchor blocks are required at all unrestrained descending vertical bends.

2.

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B.

Thrust blocks and anchor blocks shall be formed from concrete poured against wetted, undisturbed soil. Concrete materials shall be in accordance with Section 03000 of the WAS Specifications unless otherwise directed by Agencys Engineer. Concrete shall be placed in accordance with the WAS Standard Drawing WT-01 and such that fittings and valves are accessible for repairs or replacement.

5.2.5

THRUST CALCULATIONS Pipeline thrust shall be calculated using the following formulae. Calculations below use standard American units. A. Pipeline thrust at tees, in-line valves, and dead-ends:

T = 0.25pd 2
Where:

T = resultant thrust force (lb), p = internal pressure (lb/in2), and d = outside diameter of side (branch) outlet piping (for tees or wyes)
or dead-end pipe (in).

B.

Pipeline thrust at bends:

T = 0.50pd 2 sin( / 2)
Where:

T p d

= resultant thrust force (lb), = internal pressure (lb/in2), = outside diameter of pipe adjacent to bend (in), and = true angle of bend (degrees).

C.

Pipeline thrust at reducers:

T = 0.25p( D 2 d 2 )
Where:

T = resultant thrust force (lb), p = internal pressure (lb/in2), D = outside diameter of pipe adjacent to the large end of the reducer
(in), and

d = outside diameter of pipe adjacent to the small end of the reducer

(in). D. Pipeline thrust at crosses: For the most conservative approach and due to the fact that valves can be placed at crosses on any leg and the valve then closed the designer should use the approach above in Item B. for pipeline thrust at bends. The only difference is the angle at a cross will always be 90. E. Resultant Thrust Force Table for C900/C905 PVC: The following table shows the thrust, in pounds, resulting from the required hydrostatic test pressure upon various fittings and types of pipe. Values in the following table is identical to those derived from the formulae shown above and are listed for convenience. Refer to AWWA M23, PVC Pipe Design and Installation for more detail. Thrust values for all other pipe materials shall be calculated by the Engineer of Work.

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Table 1 RESULTANT THRUST FORCE Pipe Size (In) Outside Diameter (In) Test Pressure (lb/in2) 45O Tee, 90O Bend Bend Valve & Dead End AWWA C900, Class 305 PVC Pipe Thrust (lbs) 250 4524 6398 3462 250 9348 13220 7155 250 16082 22743 12308 250 24192 34213 18516 250 34212 48383 26185 AWWA C905, Class 165 PVC Pipe Thrust (lbs) 215 39529 55902 30254 215 51124 72301 39129 215 64209 90806 49144 215 78784 111417 60298 215 112400 158958 86028 AWWA C905, Class 235 PVC Pipe Thrust (lbs) 250 45963 65002 35179 250 59447 84070 45499 250 74662 105588 57144 250 91609 129554 70114 250 130698 184835 100032 22.5O Bend 11.25O Bend

4 6 8 10 12

4.8 6.9 9.05 11.1 13.2

1765 3647 6275 9439 13349

887 1833 3153 4743 6707

14 16 18 20 24

15.3 17.4 19.5 21.6 25.8

15423 19948 25053 30740 43856

7749 10022 12587 15444 22034

14 16 18 20 24

15.3 17.4 19.5 21.6 25.8

17934 23195 29132 35744 50996

9010 11654 14636 17958 25621

* The outside diameter is the same for both Class 165 and Class 235 PVC pipe.

5.2.6

ALLOWABLE SOIL BEARING CAPACITY Calculations to determine the size of thrust blocks or valve support blocks shall use the results of soil bearing capacity tests performed by a qualified geotechnical engineer when such test results are available. In the absence of such test results, allowable soil bearing capacity shall be determined by using the following table: Table 2 ESTIMATED BEARING STRENTH (Undisturbed Soil) Type of Soil Muck, peat, etc.* Soft Clay Fine Sand Decomposed Granite (D.G.) Sandy Gravel Cemented Sandy Gravel Hard Shale Granite Allowable Soil Bearing Capacity 0 lb/ft2 500 lb/ft2 1,000 lb/ft2 1,500 lb/ft2 2,000 lb/ft2 4,000 lb/ft2 5,000 lb/ft2 10,000 lb/ft2

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*In muck, peat or other incompetent soils, resistance shall be achieved by removal and replacement with ballast of sufficient stability to resist the intended thrusts. Design of thrust restraint systems in such cases shall be prepared by a qualified geotechnical engineer and shall be approved by the Agencys Engineer.

5.2.7

THRUST BLOCKS A. Thrust blocks shall be installed on unrestrained pressure pipelines at all tees, wyes, reducers, horizontal bends, ascending vertical bends, and dead-ends, and shall bear directly against fittings and firm, wetted, undisturbed soil. Thrust blocks shall be located so that bearing areas on both fittings and soil are centered along the direction of thrust. For tees and wyes, the direction of thrust is along a line directly opposite the side outlet. For bends, the direction of thrust is along a line bisecting the outside angle formed by the adjacent pipe segments. For reducers, the direction of thrust is along the pipeline from the large end to the small end of the reducer. For dead-ends, including in-line valves, the direction of thrust is along the pipeline. The required minimum area, in square feet, that a concrete thrust block must bear against undisturbed soil shall be in accordance with the following formula:

B.

A=

T (SF ) Sb A = area of thrust block (ft2), T = resultant thrust force (lb), S b = allowable soil bearing capacity (lb/ft2), see Chart 1 for values,
and

Where:

SF = safety factor (Use 1.5)

A passive resistance thrust block design is required if the height of the thrust block is greater than 0.5 times the depth from finish grade to the bottom of the designed thrust block. The required thrust block area using this method can be calculated as follows:

A=

T ( SF )

H t N d + 2C s N d
A = area of thrust block (ft2), T = resultant thrust force (lb), SF = safety factor (Use 1.5),

Where:

= unit weight of soil (lb/ft3), use appropriate soil value,

H t = total depth to bottom of block (ft), N d = tan2 (45+ F/2),

F = soil internal friction angle (degrees), use appropriate soil value, C s = soil cohesion (lb/ft2), use appropriate soil value Note: The thrust block area using the passive resistance thrust block design is generally larger than what is shown in Table 3. The engineer shall calculate thrust block sizes for this condition based upon each specific case. Refer to AWWA M23, PVC Pipe Design and Installation for more detail.

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The formulas above do not consider the weight of pipe and fittings. The Engineer of Work may alternately supply thrust block calculations that include the weight of the pipe and fittings to be restrained. Such alternate calculations shall be submitted to the Agencys Engineer for review and approval. An undisturbed section of trench wall adjacent to the fitting and centered in the direction of thrust shall be excavated to dimensions providing the minimum bearing area calculated from the formula given above. In general, the bearing area shall be as close to square as is possible given actual field conditions. The shape and location of all thrust block excavations shall be approved by the Agencys Engineer prior to placing concrete. Thrust block excavations shall be keyed a minimum of twelve inches (12) into undisturbed soil. Table 3 THRUST BLOCK BEARING AREA Pipe Size (In) Outside Diameter (In) 45O Tee, 90O Bend Bend Valve & Dead End AWWA C900, Class 305 PVC Pipe Test Pressure (lb/in2) 22.5O Bend 11.25O Bend

4 6 8 10 12

4.8 6.9 9.05 11.1 13.2

Bearing Area (ft2) 250 4.5 6.4 3.5 1.8 250 9.3 13.2 7.2 3.6 250 16.1 22.7 12.3 6.3 250 24.2 34.2 18.5 9.4 250 34.2 48.4 26.2 13.3 AWWA C905, Class 165 PVC Pipe Bearing Area (ft2) 215 39.5 55.9 30.3 15.4 215 51.1 72.3 39.1 19.9 215 64.2 90.8 49.1 25.1 215 78.8 111.4 60.3 30.7 215 112.4 159.0 86.0 43.9 AWWA C905, Class 235 PVC Pipe 250 250 250 250 250 46.0 59.4 74.7 91.6 130.7 Bearing Area (ft2) 65.0 35.2 17.9 84.1 45.5 23.2 105.6 57.1 29.1 129.6 70.1 35.7 184.8 100.0 51.0

0.9 1.8 3.2 4.7 6.7

14 16 18 20 24

15.3 17.4 19.5 21.6 25.8

7.7 10.0 12.6 15.4 22.0

14 16 18 20 24

15.3 17.4 19.5 21.6 25.8

9.0 11.7 14.6 18.0 25.6

* The values in this table were obtained assuming an allowable soil bearing capacity of 1500 lb/ft2 for decomposed granite, differing soil conditions may apply. C. Thrust blocks are required for in-line valves not located adjacent to pipe fittings. Deadend thrust is created when such valves are closed for repair or maintenance. Thrust blocks for in-line valves not located adjacent to pipe fittings shall be designed by the Engineer of Work for the approval of the Agencys Engineer and shall be detailed on the Approved Plans. Concrete valve support blocks as described in Section 5.3 are not intended to provide thrust restraint, and cannot be substituted for concrete thrust blocks. Concrete support blocks are required for all valves and fittings. Thrust blocks are to be placed in accordance with WAS Standard Drawing WT-01. Section 5.2 Page 5 of 8

D. E.

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5.2.8

ANCHOR BLOCKS A. Anchor blocks shall be located at all unrestrained descending vertical bends. Thrust blocks are not suited for such applications because excavation necessarily disturbs soil in the direction of thrust. Anchor blocks rely on the weight of the concrete used to restrain thrust. Anchor blocks must include as a minimum two (2) number four (#4) steel reinforcing bars with 2-inch minimum concrete embedment as directed by the Agencys Engineer to assure secure attachment to the vertical bend. The required minimum volume, in cubic feet, of concrete anchor blocks shall be in accordance with the following formula:

B.

Volume =

T ( SF ) = B

2 pA sin

0.5pd 2 sin 2 2 ( SF ) = ( SF ) B B

Where:

T = total thrust (lb), p = internal pressure (lb/in2), A = area of pipe using outside diameter (in2) B = density of block material, lb/ft3 (approximately 140 lb/ft3), SF = Safety Factor (suggest 1.5) = true angle of bend (degrees).

The formula above does not consider the weight of pipe and fittings. The Engineer of Work may alternately supply anchor block calculations that include the weight of the pipe and fittings to be restrained. Such alternate calculations shall be submitted to the Agencys Engineer for review and approval. In addition, the buoyant density of the thrust block material must be used if it is anticipated that the soil could become saturated or if the water table is above the thrust block elevation. The shape and location of all anchor blocks shall be approved by the Agencys Engineer prior to placing concrete.

5.2.9

NOTATIONS ON PLANS A. The Engineer of Work shall show the results of calculations for all thrust blocks and anchor blocks on the Approved Plans. Results of calculations for all thrust blocks and anchor blocks may be individually noted in plan drawings at the location(s) required, or may be presented in the form of a clear and complete Thrust/Anchor Block Table. Thrust block and anchor block information shall include pipe station, type of block (Thrust or Anchor), test pressure, total thrust, assumed or tested soil capacity, and area or volume of block(s) required. If Thrust/Anchor Block Table(s) are used, they shall be shown on the same plan sheet as the fittings for which the thrust block(s) or anchor block(s) are required. An example of a typical Thrust/Anchor Block Table is shown in Figure A below:

B.

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FIGURE A Sample Table for Plans THRUST/ANCHOR BLOCK TABLE Pipe Station 3+52.50 6+10.00 6+20.00 6+30.00 Type/ Diameter of Pipe PVC/8 PVC/8 PVC/8 PVC/8 Type of Block Thrust Thrust Anchor Anchor Type of Appurtenance 22.5 Hor Bend 45 Hor Bend 22.5 Vert Bend 45 Vert Bend Test Pressure 250 lb/in2 250 lb/in2 250 lb/in2 250 lb/in2 Total Thrust 12,308 lb 22,743 lb 12,308 lb 22,743 lb Assumed Soil Capacity 1,500 lb/ft2 1,500 lb/ft2 *N/A *N/A Area or Volume of Block 12.3 ft2 22.7 ft2 54.0 ft3 105.5 ft3

* The specific weight of concrete is 140lb/ft3. The example table shown above is intended to be representative only. Any similar format that conveys all information required to size thrust blocks and anchor blocks is acceptable. Calculated areas or volumes shown in Thrust/Anchor Block tables shall be rounded up to the next ft2 or ft3. In the example above, an assumed soil capacity of 1,500 lb/ft2 is used. If soil bearing capacities are assumed, and, in the opinion of the Agencys Engineer, soils actually encountered on-site are not equal to or better than those assumed, the Engineer of Work shall promptly recalculate thrust block sizes based on observed soil conditions or on soil capacity tests and transmit such recalculations to the Agencys Engineer. If thrust block calculations rely upon the results of soils capacity tests, the appropriate column shall be labeled Tested Soil Capacity and the soils tests shall be submitted to the Agencys Engineer for review. C. In locations where thrust-restraining fittings (including flanged fittings) and thrustrestraining pipe joints are used in lieu of concrete thrust blocks, the length of the required thrust-restraining pipe system shall be clearly delineated and noted on the pipeline profile drawing(s). Thrust restraining systems shall not be used in conjunction with thrust blocks. The Engineer of Work shall submit calculations confirming the adequacy of the thrust restraint design detailed in the drawing(s) for the review and approval of the Agencys Engineer.

5.2.10

REFERENCES A. Should the reader have any suggestions or questions concerning the material in this section, contact one of the member agencies listed. The publications listed below form a part of this section to the extent referenced and are referred to in the text by the basic designation only. Reference shall be made to the latest edition of said publications unless otherwise called for. The following list of publications, as directly referenced within the body of this document, has been provided for convenience. It is the responsibility of the user of these documents to make reference to and/or utilize industry standards not otherwise directly referenced within this document.

B.

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1.

Water Agencies Standards (WAS) a. Design Guidelines: 1. b. Section 5.3, Line Valves

Standard Specifications: 1. Section 03000 Cast in Place Concrete

c.

Standard Drawings: 1. WT-01

2. 3.

AWWA M23 - PVC Pipe Design and Installation AWWA M11 Steel Pipe A Guide for Design and Installation

END OF SECTION

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