1

PIPE JACKING EQUIPMENT AND METHODS

Maynard Akkerman, President - Akkerman Inc.






ABSTRACT
Pipe jacking has been used to install pipes around the world since the early 1900s. This
paper will give an overview of the methodology and equipment involved in the process.
Examples of pipe jacking will be illustrated with case studies and project reports, based on
one pipe jacking equipment manufacturers experiences in the industry over the past 28
years. The decision of whether or not the technology/method is applicable in a given
situation or condition will be addressed as well.

Keywords: pipe jacking, equipment, process, methodology, tunnel boring, microtunneling,
jacking system, haul system, interjack stations, bentonite pump.


2
INTRODUCTION

Definition and Overview

Broadly defined, pipe jacking is a method of installing rigid pipe segments horizontally
below the ground surface. Typically the method is used in environments where open
trench digging is impossible or not feasible. Pipe jacking is one of just several installation
processes that fall under what is commonly referred to as trenchless methods. Pipe
jacking by its purest definition is simply jacking a pipe segment using some form of thrust
or power force.

In a loosely defined sense, the concept of pipe jacking is present, at least partially, in many
forms of trenchless technologies that we see today. If we think of the broad definition,
then there is some jacking of pipe that is involved in microtunneling, auger boring,
manned-personnel tunnel boring machines (TBMs), and even some hand mining
operations.

However, this paper will focus on pipe jacking, as the method of hydraulically jacking pipe
segments horizontally through the ground via a steerable, laser-guided tunneling shield or
personnel-occupied tunnel boring machine (TBM). Under this more narrow scope, do
understand that pipe jacking is NOT synonymous with microtunneling, tunneling, auger
boring, pipe bursting, or pipe ramming. Each method has its distinct and important
differences.

Microtunneling is a term, which the industry has come to accept to describe a form of pipe
jacking that is directed and operated remotely. Do not confuse the micro portion of the
term to mean small or miniature in this context, projects in excess of 100-inch diameter
have been completed using this method. Microtunneling is a laser-guided process, which
most often utilizes a slurry mixture, run through a network of hoses and rigid lines, to
remove the spoil from the face of the microtunnel boring machine (MTBM). The machine
operator controls the MTBM from a control cabin or console, which is located on the
ground surface. Given its remote feature, whereby there is no personnel presence required
in the tunnel or launch pit, microtunneling is most often used in unstable wet or ground
conditions or pipe sizes to small too allow manned entry.

Horizontal auger boring, as the name indicates, involves the use of an auger to penetrate
the ground and remove the soil. The pipe being installed, typically steel casing surrounds
the auger and is jacked nearly even with the auger tube, just behind the cutting head.
Horizontal auger boring machines typically can handle pipe diameters from as small as 4
inches up to approximately a maximum pipe diameter of 60 inches. Auger boring does not
utilize a laser for steering and is not typically used in pressurized soils.

The term tunneling when used by itself, is generally thought of as large diameter work,
for such things as creating passageways for subways, railways, roadways, and the like.
The focal point in tunneling is that the creation of the tunnel itself is usually the main goal,
as opposed to having a goal of say, installing sewer pipe or fiber optic cable. Tunneling
operations often involve the construction of a temporary wood or steel support structure
built into the tunnel as it progresses. In excavator tunnel shields, an excavator arm or
3
backhoe type of digger is mounted into a steel tunneling shield or can. The soil is simply
excavated into a conveyor or other haul system and transported to the launch shaft for
removal.

Personnel-occupied tunnel boring machines (TBM) are guided or driven by an operator
who is located within the TBM itself. This method utilizes laser-guided targeting that
achieves a very accurate line and grade to the pipe being installed. As one might expect,
the minimum diameter, which can be handled with this conventional personnel-entry
method, is about 40 inches. Maximum diameters can be in excess of 14 feet. A wheel-
type TBM has a rotating cutter face that excavates the soil into the interior of the TBM,
where is transported out of the tunnel through a conveyor or other haul system. A
hydraulic power pack is utilized to generate the jacking force needed to push the TBM
forward. After each push, a pipe segment is lowered into the launch shaft and the jacking
cycle repeats. The Akkerman system is an example of this type of pipe jacking process.
(See Figure 1)
























Figure 1

Qualifying Pipe Materials and Conditions

The process of pipe jacking can often exert a considerable amount of force on the pipe
string. What types of pipe materials are well suited for pipe jacking use? Generally, the
pipe wall needs to be rigid enough to withstand the forces being generated. Examples of
some of the more commonly used types of pipe are:

Reinforced concrete pipe (RCP)
Steel
Permalok steel pipe
Hobas (fiberglass reinforced)
Meyer composite concrete
Clay

4
In addition to pipe strength, jacking pipe should be built to a very tight tolerance with
regard to the pipe joints. Some of the items that should be considered when selecting a pipe
for pipe jacking are:

The joints of the pipe must be flush with the outer wall of the pipe.
If using a bell and spigot type joint concentricity of the different diameters is
critical.
The joint surfaces should be square to the outer wall of the pipe.
Wall thickness of the pipe must be considered, especially when high jacking loads
are anticipated.
With the exception of steel pipe, some form of joint cushioning strip should be used
between the joint surfaces. The most common material used is a full
circumferential strip of wood.

Other important factors to be considered when determining if pipe jacking is an
appropriate method:

Depth of tunnel or pipe installation the pipe jacking process can accommodate
very deep depths, assuming stable ground conditions exist at those lower depths.
Pipe jacking can also be considered for shallow depths, in some cases as shallow as
4 feet below the surface to the top of the pipe that is being installed.

Item or area to be crossed beneath. If for example a river is to be crossed or
contaminated soils are to be driven through manned pipe jacking may not be the
best choice if a remote control machine can be utilized in its place.

Longest drive & distance between manholes - if a long drive is required, the project
may require the use of interjack stations. Interjack stations are thrust cylinders
positioned within the tunnel to add additional jacking force to supplement the main
power thrust being exerted from the shaft. Also, a lubricant such as Bentonite can
be pumped around the outside of the pipe being jacked to help reduce jacking
friction.

Ground conditions one of the most important factors in determining the
applicability of the method. Pipe jacking is well suited to work in most soil
formations with the exception of pressurized soils. Several manufacturers offer
machines that can deal with these conditions however they are usually in diameters
in excess of 6 feet and larger.

Obstructions If large rocks or boulders, timbers or piles, or any other large
obstacle is anticipated the pipe jacking method allows for access to the face or
heading. This will enable workers to remove the obstruction or make repairs to the
cutter head if necessary.

Equipment Involved in Pipe Jacking Process

A complete pipe jacking system encompasses several pieces of equipment. While the
exact type and number of components can vary from job to job, below is a general list of
the major items:
5

Tunnel boring machine (TBM) this is the machine that actually performs the soil
excavation. It is
specific to the pipe
diameter being
installed. The operator
is stationed inside of
this unit (see Figure 2),
usually near the front,
and controls the
steering and excavation
of the soil into the
machine. Some TBM
faces can be outfitted
with accessories to
accommodate varying
ground conditions. Examples include a closed-face attachment(See Figure 3), which
narrows the gap of the spoil delivery area. This helps control the inflow of excavated
material when the soil is unstable. Another accessory called sand shelves may also be
used for this purpose. Sand
shelves are flat, horizontal plates
that help manage the flow of soil
into the TBM. An advantage of
the personnel-entry TBM is the
face of the machine can be
accessed and different cutter head
configurations can be added or
removed as the soil conditions
dictate.

Figure 3



Conveyor A conveyor is used to transport the material from the cutter head to the dirt
bucket on the haul system.

Figure 2
6
Power Pack The power pack is the machine that provides the hydraulic power to the
TBM. Different configurations are available that allow this unit to either reside in the
TBM itself, in the shaft, or on
the surface above the launch
shaft. Depending on the size of
the TBM or the anticipated
soil conditions the power pack
can be sized accordingly.
(See Figure 4)







Figure 4

Jacking System The jacking system can be comprised of either a jacking frame that locks
into a skid frame and is
capable of handling
various lengths of pipe
or it may be comprised
of a number of
individual cylinders that
transfer the thrust
through a thrust ring that
mates to the pipe being
jacked. (See Figure 5)

Haul System The haul
system is used to
transport the excavated
spoil from the face of
the machine back to the launch shaft, where typically a crane removes and dumps the dirt
bucket containing the spoil. Typically a haul system is comprised of a battery powered
locomotive or haul cart, a dirt bucket, and track. The dirt bucket rides on the haul cart,
which is driven over track to and from the face of the TBM. Dirt buckets come in various
sizes to match the diameter of pipe being installed.

Skid Base The skid base is the frame over which the TBM is pushed. It can be
composed of pieces of varying lengths to accommodate differing pipe segment lengths. It
is constructed of heavy gauge rigid steel.

Bentonite Pump More often than not, the friction-reducing properties of the Bentonite
lubricant will be a worthwhile investment on a pipe jacking project. Bentonite is produced
from a powdered clay and water mixture. The Bentonite Pump mixes these ingredients
Figure 5
7
and then pumps the mixed material into the outside space of the pipe being jacked through
rigid lines and hoses.

Interjack Stations Often times the use of Bentonite alone is not enough assurance that the
friction to jack the pipe through the soil will be overcome. Interjack stations are comprised
of a number of small hydraulic cylinders that fit within a protective sleeve or housing.
Each interjack
station may
have the same
hydraulic force
as the main
jacks located in
the shaft. These
stations are
inserted
strategically
throughout the
pipe jack and
theoretically
can allow any
length of pipe
jack to be
achieved. (See
Figure 6)

Figure 6

Other Components Support equipment may include hydraulic line, hoses, power cables,
etc. In addition to this equipment, it should also be mentioned that other job site
equipment (crane, trucks, generator, laser, etc.) required is sourced from suppliers other
than the pipe jacking equipment supplier.

Case Studies

Detroit Metro Airport

A perfect example of a situation demanding the use of trenchless technology was the
Midfield Terminal Project for owners Northwest Airlines and Wayne County, Michigan.
As part of a major renovation, the Detroit Metro Airport needed to install pipelines beneath
2 critical runways for the collection of glycol, the fluid used in de-icing airplanes. The
collected glycol is pumped into a storage lagoon on the eastern side of the airport property
where it is stored for future recycling. Besides being a great application for trenchless
technology, this job is also a good example to show that pipe jacking has applications
beyond the traditional gravity water and sewer markets.

Obviously, the airport could not shut down these active runways for purposes of installing
these pipelines. The prime contractor, Dans Excavating Inc. of Shelby Township
Michigan, subcontracted the pipeline installation work to Lowe Construction, Inc. of
8
Horton, Michigan. Lowe Construction was incorporated in 1976 and brought years of pipe
jacking experience to the project.

The project consisted of 2 drives, one for 500 linear feet below runway 21C and the other
for 1000 linear feet below runway 21L. Lowe dug the first launch shaft just 100 feet off
the end of runway 21C, being sure to comply with the airports 40 feet above ground
limitation restriction. The jacking pits were specially constructed to accommodate the
special 20 feet, 84-inch diameter, 56,500 pound concrete-wrapped, steel pipe sections
which were called for in the installation. In spite of the deafening noise and nearby planes
taking off and landing, Lowe installed the first 500 L.F. without incident. (See Figure 7)

Lowe Construction
then turned their
attention to the
second run, just off
of runway 21L. By
this time, the crew
had become
accustomed to the
air traffic above
them and was not
distracted from the
task at hand. The
crew was able to
install the 1000 feet
in one push from
the initial launch
pit.

Although there were 5 interjack stations installed on each run, only one was utilized, that
being on the first 500 L.F. drive. The best shift production for the entire project was 64
feet, which occurred on the second drive. Approximately 15,000 gallons of bentonite was
used during the project to help reduce jacking friction. Overall production exceeded
expectations and Lowe Construction finished the job in approximately 2 months.

Delphi Delco Electronics Kokomo, Indiana

Midwest Mole Inc. of Indianapolis, Indiana was selected by Delphi Delco Electronics of
Kokomo, Indiana to complete the pipe jacking portion of their storm sewer relief project.
The project called for the installation of two pipelines, one beneath the concrete floor of
assembly Plant #7 and one beneath Plant #9, for connection to existing manholes within
the facilities. Each pipeline called for the installation of approximately 600 linear feet of
36 inch reinforced concrete pipe (RCP) through variable soil conditions from hard clays,
with standard penetration blow counts of 50+, to water bearing sand pockets.
Existing plant flooring and assembly equipment within the buildings would not allow for
the construction of a receiving shaft to remove the tunnel boring machine and unfavorable
soil conditions ruled out hand mining methods.
Figure 7
9

By working closely with Delphi-Delcos in house facilities engineers and Eichleay
Corporations construction managers, Midwest Mole proposed shortening the pipe jack
drive lengths from approximately 600 feet to 400 feet, in order to provide a cost savings to
the project owner. Midwest Mole also proposed using 57 inch O.D. steel casing to provide
more operating space during the pipe jacking operations. With the cooperation of the
equipment supplier, the contractor devised a plan to retrieve the TBM from the launch
shaft by fitting the machine inside of the 57 inch diameter lead casing in a manner that
allowed it to be unbolted after pipeline installation and pulled back through the 400 foot
length of casing to the launch shaft.

The TBM was fitted with a closed face cutter bit to allow metering of the excavated soils
during drilling operations, as well as providing access to remove obstructions. The TBM
was also fitted with closeable doors to maintain the excavation face during non-drilling
periods. These steps were essential in preventing any potential voiding under the
manufacturing plant. Access to the face of the bore was critical on this project, as some
boulders were so large they had to be drilled and split before they could be removed from
the pipe.

Each pipe was installed within one inch of the planned grade and alignment. The new
lines were then tied into the existing plant manholes and finished off for live operation.

Diamond Drive Road Project Los Alamos

The nationally publicized
forest fires that devastated the
Los Alamos, New Mexico
early in the year 2000 provided
an opportunity for a pipe
jacking project to help control
the damages. The fires
decimated a large amount of
trees in the Pueblo Canyon
area leaving the soil exposed
and subject to the possibility of
extreme erosion.



Figure 8

Los Alamos County, together with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers quickly devised a
plant to protect the Diamond Drive Road embankment from erosion or saturation failure by
replacing a severely undersized and plugged 18 inch CMP pipe with a much larger 88 inch
steel Permalok pipe. The 432 linear foot pipeline crossing was in a remote and extremely
limited access area where even the smallest amount of precipitation could cause severe
erosion to occur.
Diamond Drive Road project was designed for Los Alamos County by the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers. RMCI Inc., an underground utility contractor based in Albuquerque,
New Mexico, was contracted to do the trenchless project. Access roads were constructed,
10
an additional embankment was constructed upstream, and tunnel boring equipment and
Permalok steel casing were procured. After a quick set up of the equipment the pipe was
installed in an ash fill material in 7 days. The equipment was then removed and the pipe
was put into service just 2 days before a significant rainfall occurred.

Western Valley Pipeline (Cardiff Wales U.K.)

The Western Valley project at St. Brides is required to divert existing trunk sewers from
the Welsh Valleys into a new wastewater treatment plant currently under construction in
Cardiff. The project owner was Welsh Water, general contractor was David Lewis Civil
Engineering, and the pipe jacking sub-contractor was B&W Tunneling.

The new 1500 mm I.D. pipe was to originally be installed by conventional open cut
methods. However after further site investigations were carried out it was discovered that
the soil conditions were predominately estuarine silty clays with bands of peat. The clays
exhibited dilateny a characteristic that they soften or become semi fluid if subjected to
disturbance or vibration. Because of this soil condition it was decided to pipe jack this area
of soils to minimize the amount of excavation necessary to install the pipe. While the soils
would have certainly allowed the use of microtunneling, it was decided to use a manned
pipe jacking machine so as to eliminate the need for soil separation. (See Figure 9)


Figure 9

The total project length to pipe jack was 1,400 meters. Drive lengths ranged from 190
meters to 260 meters shaft to shaft. 2.5-meter lengths of Hepworth concrete jacking pipe
were used. Average depth of the line was 5 meters. Interjack stations were on site and
installed on some of the longer drives but were not needed. Jacking forces generally
averaged below 100 tons. Line and grade of the pipes installed was maintained to the
owners satisfaction.

Probably the most notable item of interest on this project was the production rates achieved
by the pipe jack contractor B&W. After the initial learning curve average production rates
11
of 18 to 20 pipes per 11-hour shift were achieved with an all time best production rate of
22 pipes in an 11-hour shift achieved

Columbia Slough Consolidation Project - Portland

The City of Portland, Oregon allocated $120 MM for the Columbia Slough Consolidation
Conduit Project, with monies designated to replace undersized sewage pipe, eliminate
sewage overflows into the Columbia River, and make improvements to the existing sewage
treatment plant.

After awarding the contract to RCI of Sumner, Washington for the installation of
approximately two miles of pipeline, RCI then subcontracted the pipe jacking portion of
the job to Northwest Boring Company, Inc. of Woodinville, Washington. Northwest
Borings pipe jack installation would include a section that runs through a Union Pacific
right-of-way and under city streets.

Northwest Boring utilized a multiple ram pipe jacking system for the pit thrust and a pipe
jack shield with excavator for the excavation. Twelve-foot pipe sections were installed.

Soil conditions ranged from silty sand to gravel with cobbles. The pipeline installation
included 4-each pipe jacks of 144 inch I.D. and 170 inch O.D. concrete pipe, and one pipe
jack of 60 inch I.D. concrete pipe.

Starting the project in June and finishing at the end of August, Northwest Boring crews
worked single 8 12 hour shifts. (See Figure 10)


Figure 10

With no interruption of services, approximately 700 feet of the 170-inch O.D. pipe was
installed under the Union Pacific Railway lines and city Streets. The longest drive of the
project was a distance of 230 feet utilizing the 170-inch O.D. shield. Alignment and
control was excellent with accuracy levels within inch of line and 1/8 inch of grade.
12

Rosewood Interceptor Hollywood

The city of Los Angeles recently awarded the Rosewood Interceptor project to Mladen
Buntich Construction Co. (MBC), Sunland, California. The project was originally designed
to be built primarily using open trench methods. However after further review of the soil
conditions and tight work area MBC contacted Pacific Boring of Caruthers California
about the possibility of pipe jacking instead of open trench. Pacific Boring and MBC came
to an agreement to install approximately 8,000 feet of 42 inch I.D. Meyer composite
concrete pipe.

Shafts were constructed at an average depth of 30 feet. Drive lengths were up to 950 feet in
length with interjack stations used on most of the drives. Soil conditions have been
variable with everything from rocks, cobbles, silts, gravels, sands, and clay. In addition to
all the aforementioned, water has been present in abundant quantities on most of the
drives. (See figure 11)



Figure 11


Needless to say this has made for very difficult mining conditions.
Production rates have been as variable as the soil conditions but overall the average has
been approximately 32 feet per shift. Line and grade have been maintained to the design
tolerance and as of this writing the last 700 feet of pipe is being jacked. (See figure 12)

13

Figure 12

This project has been an excellent example of the changing ideas towards pipe jacking and
its application. As awareness and acceptance of this time proven method continue to
increase it is likely that we will see more projects utilize this method.

References

[1] Pipe Jacking Association, (1995) Guide to best practice for the installation of pipe
jacks and microtunnels.

[2] Durose-Rayner J. NATM, (November 2000) The Eagle has Landed