Safe Distance between Large-Diameter Rock Pipe Bursting and Nearby Buildings and Buried Structures

Owners of nearby utilities and structures often voice concerns about potential damage to their facilities—particularly during bursting and upsizing of large-diameter pipes in hard rock formations. This paper summarizes analytical and field studies of ground movements and vibrations associated with large-diameter pipe bursting when the pipe trench is in a rock formation. This research involved seven pipe-bursting field experiments in trenches in hard limestone located in Bowling Green, Ohio. Each experiment involved different parameters including trench width, bedding material, bursting system, pipe diameter, and upsize percentage. Ground vibrations and surface and subsurface vertical soil displacements were measured at pre-assigned locations from the pipe centerline. The heave above the pipe centerline turned to settlement as the perpendicular distance increased. The magnitudes of vertical subsurface and surface movements in narrower trenches were higher than were those of wider trenches. The analysis of the ground vibrations indicated that 3.35 m was a safe distance for residential buildings and 2.45 m for nearby buried structures.