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Thrust Block Design

A thrust block is a concrete structure that prevents pipeline movement from pressure thrust forces at fittings like bends, tees, and ends. It transfers these forces to the surrounding soil to prevent joint separation. The size of a thrust block is calculated based on the thrust force from internal pressure and pipe area, required bearing area based on soil properties, and fitting type. Proper sizing ensures the thrust block can withstand both pressure and thermal thrust loads.

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Ramzi BEN AHMED
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422 views3 pages

Thrust Block Design

A thrust block is a concrete structure that prevents pipeline movement from pressure thrust forces at fittings like bends, tees, and ends. It transfers these forces to the surrounding soil to prevent joint separation. The size of a thrust block is calculated based on the thrust force from internal pressure and pipe area, required bearing area based on soil properties, and fitting type. Proper sizing ensures the thrust block can withstand both pressure and thermal thrust loads.

Uploaded by

Ramzi BEN AHMED
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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A t hrust block is a concret e pipe rest raint t hat prevent s t he mainline from moving by
t ransferring pipe loads (mainly due t o pressure t hrust ) t o a wider load-bearing surface.
Usually, t hrust blocks are provided for buried pipelines at fit t ings requiring branching or
direct ion change. The t hrust forces generat ed at t he direct ional changes or t ee junct ions
due t o int ernal pressure t hrust are t aken care of by t hese t hrust blocks, which prevent s
t he separat ion of pipe joint s on t hese pipe fit t ing locat ions. Thrust blocks are also known
as t hrust rest raint s.

Why to provide thrust blocks?


Fluids t raveling t hrough a piping syst em under int ernal pressure exert a t hrust force at all
bends, t ee junct ions, and st op ends. The magnit ude of t hese forces usually is so high t hat
can easily weaken t he joint s and even can cause leakage or failure of t he piping/pipeline
syst em. Wit h an increase in t he piping size, t hese forces increase furt her. Inst allat ion of a
t hrust block part ially absorbs t hat pressure t hrust force and t he remaining is t ransferred
t o t he surrounding soil.

However, not e t hat t hrust blocks are rarely used for st eel pipes as t he t hickness of
welded pipes is normally sufficient t o prevent joint separat ion. But t he use of t hrust
blocks is quit e common for Duct ile iron, GRP/FRP, PE/HPDE, PVC piping syst ems.

Thrust block design


As already ment ioned t hat a t hrust block is a large concret e block. It has t o be sized
properly so t hat t he t hrust block is capable t o wit hst and t he pressure t hrust force. Even
t hough t hrust blocks are specifically designed t o absorb pressure t hrust force, t hey
should be designed t o wit hst and t he t hermal forces as well. Somet imes t he t hermal load
can be more t han t he pressure t hrust load. So, it is suggest ed t o find out bot h t hermal
and pressure load and consider t he maximum force value for t he calculat ion of t he t hrust
block design. So, t o size a t hrust block t he first requirement is t he t hrust force.

Thrust Force Calculation for Thrust block design


The raw formula for t he calculat ion of t hrust force is Pressure mult iplied by t he int ernal
cross-sect ional area of t he pipe. However, depending on various pipe configurat ions t his
formula requires t o be modified. The following image (Fig. 1) provides some t ypical t hrust
force calculat ion formulas for duct ile iron pipes (Reference: Duct ile Iron Pipe Research
Associat ion)
Fig. 1: Thrust force formula for various piping configurat ions

Thrust Force on an Elbow or bend: To Calculat e t he design t hrust force or result ant
force for bends t he following formula can be used. Thrust force, F = 2 P A sin (ϕ/ 2)
Where: P = design pressure, A = cross-sect ional area of t he pipe, and ϕ = angle of
t he bend.
Thrust force on Plugs or Caps: The Thrust force in a plug or cap is equal t o t he
design pressure (P) t imes t he cross-sect ional area (A) of t he pipe. (Thrust force, F =
P A).
Thrust force for Tee connect ions: The t hrust force generat ed in a Tee connect ion
is calculat ed as F=P Ab. Where P=int ernal design pressure and Ab= cross-sect ional
area of t he branch pipe.
Thrust force calculat ion of Pipe reducers: The design t hrust force for piping
reducers/expanders is equal t o t he design pressure (P) t imes t he difference of t he
cross-sect ional areas of t he large (A1) and small end (A2) sizes of t he reducer.
Hence, t hrust rest raint force, F = P (A1 − A2)

Thermal load can be direct ly t aken from any st ress analysis soft ware like Caesar II, St art -
Prof, Rohr-II or Aut opipe.
Once t hrust force (Let ’s assume t he calculat ed value of t hrust force is F) is known, we
have t o calculat e t he area required t o wit hst and t hat t hrust force. The area can be
calculat ed by knowing t he soil propert ies where t he t hrust rest raint will be inst alled. The
required soil paramet er is t he bearing pressure (Let ’s assume it t o be Pb) of t he soil. So,
t he minimum area required (A) can be easily calculat ed by dividing t he t hrust force by soil
bearing pressure. Hence, t he minimum required area A=F/P b. This minimum area should be
mult iplied by a fact or of safet y (Usually, 1.5) t o get t he act ual area.

Once, t he minimum required area is known t he t hrust block geomet ry can be designed
aft er knowing t he t ype of pipe fit t ing where t he t hrust block will be inst alled.

Factors Affecting the Size of a Thrust Block


So, as specified above, t here are four paramet ers required for sizing a t hrust block. Those
are:

1. Maximum Int ernal pressure t o calculat e t hrust force


2. Pipe Size t o calculat e pipe cross-sect ional area for calculat ing t hrust force.
3. Soil bearing load t o find out t he area required for t he t hrust block and
4. Type of fit t ing (& Degree of angle in case of bends) t o define t he geomet ry of t he
t hrust block

Fig. 2 below some images of t ypical t hrust blocks.

Fig. 2:
Typical t hrust block images

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