Modular Aluminum System Accommodates Crossing Utility

A contractor was performing a storm drain drop inlet installation in Southeast Nevada. The new installation required a 10-ft linear run, with a width of 10-ft and an excavation depth of 12-ft. The contractor’s competent person on site classified the soil as Type-B. The contractor would be addressing a line that needed to cross into the excavation and would need a protective system that could properly address the need.  In addition to the crossing utility, the contractor also needed a protective system that would help to minimize soil disturbance as the site bordered an existing highway.

The contractor reviewed a few protective solutions for the project, ultimately selecting a Modular Aluminum System.  Modular Aluminum Shields are flexible, lightweight systems that can be adapted to a variety of jobsites. The system begins with the selection of a corner rail of varying lengths to support the depth of the trench.  Aluminum panels are then inserted along the rail, pinned into place and capped with another corner rail on the opposite side.  The aluminum panels are typically 2’ in height and come in a range of lengths to provide flexible box sizes.  This customization can help prevent costly over excavation of a jobsite by having the box size tailored to the site needs.

The Modular Aluminum Shield also helps to accommodate crossing utilities as the panels can be left open at the point the utility crosses.  Depending on the specific application tabulated data may cover the application, such as removing the bottom panel for 2’ of additional vertical clearance off the trench’s floor while other situations not covered by tabulated data may need an engineered plan. In this instance the contractor was able to remove panels to allow the pipe passage into the excavated pit. The lightweight aluminum construction lends the system to something that can be easily assembled by two employees and can be set and removed from an excavation with lightweight lifting machinery.The contractor was very satisfied with the Modular Aluminum System’s versatility and performance on the project.