Thrust Block Designif(typeof
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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
