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Trench shoring is the process of bracing the walls of a
Trench shoring is the process of bracing the walls of a trench
A trench is a type of excavation or in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a wider gully, or ditch), and narrow compared with its length (as opposed to a simple hole or pit).
In geology, trenches result from ero ...
to prevent collapse and cave-ins. The phrase can also be used as a noun to refer to the materials used in the process.
Several methods can be used to shore up a trench. Hydraulic shoring is the use of hydraulic pistons that can be pumped outward until they press up against the trench walls. This is typically combined with steel plate or a special heavy plywood
Plywood is a material manufactured from thin layers or "plies" of wood veneer that are glued together with adjacent layers having their wood grain rotated up to 90 degrees to one another. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured ...
called Finform. Another method is called beam and plate, in which steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistan ...
I-beam
An I-beam, also known as H-beam (for universal column, UC), w-beam (for "wide flange"), universal beam (UB), rolled steel joist (RSJ), or double-T (especially in Polish, Bulgarian, Spanish, Italian and German), is a beam with an or -shap ...
s are driven into the ground and steel plates are slid in amongst them. A similar method that uses wood planks is called soldier boarding. Hydraulics tend to be faster and easier; the other methods tend to be used for longer term applications or larger excavations.
Shoring should not be confused with shielding by means of trench shield
Trench shields (also called trench boxes or trench sheets) are steel or aluminum structures used for protecting utility workers while performing their duties within a trench and avoid cave-ins. They are customarily constructed with sidewalls ...
s. Shoring is designed to prevent collapse, whilst shielding is only designed to protect workers should collapse occur. Most professionals agree that shoring is the safer approach of the two.
See also
*Retaining wall
Retaining walls are relatively rigid walls used for supporting soil laterally so that it can be retained at different levels on the two sides.
Retaining walls are structures designed to restrain soil to a slope that it would not naturally keep to ...
References
{{Reflist Geotechnical shoring structures Cuts (earthmoving)