Thrust Wall
Definition - What does Thrust Wall mean?
The thrust wall is the base against which the main jacking station's hydraulic jack pushes when the jack is ramming a pipe section through the soil. The trust wall is essential in pipe jacking.
Pipe jacking is a trenchless process whereby a specially designed pipe is pushed through the ground by a specially designed hydraulic jack that operates on the horizontal plane rather than the vertical plane. The thrust wall is positioned in the access pit before the jack is lowered into the pit.
Trenchlesspedia explains Thrust Wall
Think of the thrust wall as a means of distributing pressure or weight evenly. Just as the foundation of a house distributes the weight of a house over the ground, the thrust wall dissipates the force of the over a larger area than the base of the horizontal hydraulic jack, preventing damage to the area at the base of the jack, usually the wall of an access pit. Equally spreading the thrust of the jack also means stability for the jack, a critical element in pipe jacking.
