ASTM C13 issues standard for jacking

Source: ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pa.

A new standard from ASTM Committee C13 on Concrete Pipe will inform fabrication of municipal or industrial wastewater, stormwater drainage and underground utility structures engineered for jacking installation.

ASTM C1885, Standard Specification for Circular Precast Concrete Culvert, Storm Drain, and Sewer Pipe for Pipe Jacking serves as a supplement to existing concrete drainage structure standards, according to C13 member and American Concrete Pipe Association Vice President of Engineering Josh Beakley. “When concrete pipe is lowered down to a jacking pit and pushed through the soil, rather than digging a trench, there are additional manufacturing details that must be considered,” he says, adding that C1885 will assist producers and contractors in coordinating jacking pipe project requirements.

Committee C13’s issuance of the standard directly relates to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #12 on responsible consumption and production. “Trenchless technologies such as jacking reduce the impact to the environment caused by open cut methods,” Beakley observes. “Jacking reduces the amount of soil removed from the trench, as well as the requirement for any imported soil, which additionally reduces emissions resulting from construction vehicles.”

Trenchless methods can be performed under transportation routes while they’re still in service, he adds, thereby lowering emissions resulting from construction detours and congestion. As a C1885 companion, C13 members will soon weigh a microtunneling pipe standard. C1885 and other standards can be purchased from the ASTM International bookstore or through the customer relations staff, 877/909-2786.