Jacking Force Analysis of Pipe Installation Using a Modified Guided Boring Method

Abstract

The modified guided boring method (MGBM) is a new pipe installation method used in hard ground, where a conventional guided boring method is not applicable. Estimation of the required jacking force for pipe installation is critical for the design of MGBM projects; however, no such study has previously been performed. Hence, this paper presents a study on the jacking force estimation of pipe installation using MGBM. First, the field data of jacking force during the pipe installation stage of an MGBM project in Edmonton, Canada, was collected and analyzed. Second, three commonly used jacking force estimation models developed for microtunneling or pipe jacking installation were adapted to calculate the jacking force for this MGBM project, and the results were compared with the field data. The comparison indicated that an adapted model overestimated the field data. When the passive earth pressure was used as the face pressure, another adapted model yielded a close estimation to the field data, and a third model slightly underestimated the field data.