Nastts Pipe Ramming Good Practices Guidelines

This Pipe Ramming publication is presented by the North American Society for Trenchless Technology (NASTT), a non-profit educational organization. The published work serves as a companion document to a portion of "NASTT's New Installations Good Practices Training Course" and is intended to provide contractors, engineers, and utility owners with an overview of the many benefits of this widely practiced trenchless method. Pipe ramming is defined as a trenchless technique used to install open ended steel casings by the hammering action of a percussion hammer. It is an extension of older techniques that use displacement tools to install small-diameter pipes and the application is similar to vertical pile driving. The pipe ramming method provides continuous support of the overburden soil with a steel casing as well as support at the excavation face from the soil that is typically left within the pipe during the ramming process. The method has seen extensive use to install casings for culverts and utilities beneath raised features such as railroad track and roadway embankments. This non-steerable trenchless technology is generally considered to have a low risk of over-excavation related settlement in most ground conditions. All NASTT publications are peer reviewed by volunteer industry professionals to ensure that they offer generic and non-commercial information. This publication was funded solely by NASTT as part of our educational outreach programing. Since 1990, the all-volunteer members of NASTT have presented non-commercial information about green alternative engineering methods to North American communities and beyond. NASTT offers multiple, high quality trenchless courses each year throughout North America and at our annual NASTT No-Dig Show Conference and Exhibition. For more information on our many educational and networking opportunities, please visit nastt.org and nodigshow.com.