Selecting A Shaft/pit Construction Method For Trenchless Technology

Abstract

The word shaft describes a vertical access point that is created by excavating, vertical boring, or blasting required before the start of tunneling or boring operations. Most trenchless technologies require entry shafts and exit shafts and in some cases and intermediate shaft Trenchless technologies are methods used for the construction and rehabilitation of underground utility pipes. Since pits and shafts are excavated below the ground surface level, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules and regulations are enforced for the safety of the workers. The focus of this research is to describe shaft and pit construction methods as applied to trenchless construction and to develop a decision support system (DSS) tool for the selection of an appropriate shaft construction method for specific project conditions. The user friendly DSS tool assists pipeline owners, design engineers, and contractors select a shaft construction method by using project specific information. The Type of trenchless construction, size of pipe, length of pipe, required depth, and site information will determine the proper sizing and shaft construction method. With the use of this developed DSS, and considering pipe size, depth, surface and subsurface conditions, etc., design engineers and contractors can conceptually choose a shaft or pit design.