Technical Note 23

Design Criteria for Precast Drainage Pits

November 2021
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Technical Note, Transport and Main Roads, November 2021

TN23 Design Criteria for Precast Concrete Drainage Pits

1 Purpose
The purpose of this Technical Note is to address the design criteria for precast drainage pits to
departmental requirements.

2 Referenced documents
The table below lists referenced documents in this technical document.

Table 2 – Referenced documents

Reference Title
AS 1597.1 (2010) Precast reinforced concrete box culverts, Part 1: Small culverts (not
exceeding 1200 mm span and 1200 mm height)
AS 1597.2 (2013) Precast reinforced concrete box culverts, Part 2: Large culverts (exceeding
1200 mm span or 1200 mm height and up to and including 4200 mm span
and 4200 mm height)
AS 1657 Fixed platforms, walkways, stairways and ladders - Design, construction and
installation
AS 3600 Concrete structures
AS 3996 Access cover and grates
AS/NZS 4058 Precast concrete pipes (pressure and non-pressure)
AS/NZS 4671 Steel for the reinforcement of concrete
AS 5100 Bridge design
AS 5100.2 Bridge design, Part 2: Design loads
AS 5100.3 Bridge design, Part 3: Foundation and soil-supporting structures
MRTS03 Drainage Structures, Retaining Structures and Embankment Slope
Protections
MRTS04 General Earthworks
MRTS70 Concrete
MRTS71 Reinforcing Steel
MRTS72 Manufacture of Precast Concrete Elements
MRTS273 Fibre-reinforced Concrete
SD1309 Concrete Gully - Field Inlet Type 1
SD1310 Concrete Gully - Field Inlet Type 2
SD1443 Concrete Gully - Roadway Type Precast Inlet Units on Grade
SD1444 Concrete Gully - Roadway Type Precast Inlet Units in Sag

3 Design life
The design life means that 95% of the production shall remain in a serviceable condition with
negligible maintenance for the specified design life.

a) For pits up to 5.0 m deep – 50 years.

b) For pits deeper than 5.0 m – 100 years.

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TN23 Design Criteria for Precast Concrete Drainage Pits

4 Design loads
4.1 Vertical traffic loads

Precast concrete pits shall be designated by Types 1, 2 and 3 according to the design vertical load of
the pit. The pit supplier shall mark the appropriate pit Type Number on the inside face of one pit wall.
The pit type shall be written on the construction drawings.

a) Type 1 – Pits use for field inlets

For precast pits that are used for field inlets (loaded only by a 10 tonne maintenance vehicle
as per SD1309 and SD1310), the vertical traffic wheel load shall be 30 kN with a dynamic
factor of 1.1 and Serviceability Limit State and Ultimate Limit state load factors of 1.0 and 2.0
respectively.

b) Type 2 – Pits under precast gully inlet

For pits with a maximum plan internal dimension less than 1500 mm, that are used under
roadside gullies (at the kerb) and not directly exposed to wheel loads (e.g. pits under precast
inlet units to SD1443 or 1444), the vertical traffic wheel load shall be 50 kN with a dynamic
factor of 1.4 and Serviceability Limit State and Ultimate Limit state load factors of 1.0 and 1.8
respectively. Pits with plan inner dimension greater than 1500 mm, or an alternative inlet
structure other than that of the type shown in SD1443 or 1444 shall be designed as a Type 3
pit.

Generally precast gully inlets units are designed to span over a maximum pit size of 930 mm.
Therefore, pits with a maximum plan inner dimension greater than 930 mm may require the
use of a 'Converter Slab' to ensure that the gully pit span is 930 mm or less.

c) Type 3 – Pits directly under road traffic

Pits that are exposed to direct traffic roads, shall be designed for the worst effect of W80,
A160, SM1600 and HLP400 in accordance with AS 5100.2. Traffic load factors and dynamic
load allowance shall be as defined in AS 5100.2.

Pits designed for higher traffic loads can be used for locations where the actual traffic load is
less than its design loads. For example, a Type 2 pit can be used where a Type 1 pit has been
specified.

4.2 Horizontal earth pressure

Horizontal earth pressure due to compacted fill shall be calculated to Clause 3.3.3 of AS 1597.2 with
K₀ equal to 0.5. ULS load factor for earth pressure is 1.5.

4.3 Surcharge loads from road traffic loads

Live load surcharge shall be determined in accordance with Clause 14.2 of AS 5100.2. Earth pressure
coefficients shall be calculated similar to Section 4.2 of this document.

The traffic surcharge loads for field inlets (Type 1 Pits) shall be 10 kPa.

4.4 Horizontal pressure due to compaction

Horizontal pressure due to compaction shall be determined in accordance with AS 1597.2

Clause 3.3.4, with a Serviceability Limit State and Ultimate Limit state load factors of 1.0 and 1.4
respectively.

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TN23 Design Criteria for Precast Concrete Drainage Pits

4.5 Water pressure on pit walls

All pits shall be designed for external hydrostatic pressure on pit walls for minimum water level 1.0 m
below the finished surface of the fill and pit in its empty condition.

4.6 Access covers and grates

Access covers and grates shall be in accordance with AS 3996. Covers and grates shall be designed
for load classification in accordance with AS 3996 and appropriate for the application. The minimum
load classification for pits under road traffic shall be Class D.

4.7 Load combinations

Load combinations shall be in accordance with AS 5100.2.

5 Materials
5.1 Steel bar reinforced concrete pits

a) Concrete to be in accordance with MRTS70 Concrete. All concrete to be Special Class to

MRTS70.

The minimum concrete strength shall be 40 MPa and in accordance with the required cover to
reinforcement and exposure classifications.

Exposure classifications and cover to reinforcement for pits up to 5.0 m deep (50 years design life)
shall be as defined in AS 3600. The minimum exposure classification shall be B1. Cover to
reinforcement is as defined in AS 3600.

Exposure classification for pits deeper than 5.0 m (100 year design life), shall be in accordance with
AS 5100.5 with a minimum exposure classification of B2. Cover to reinforcement is as defined in
AS 5100.5.

Higher exposure classifications to be determined in accordance with AS 5100.5 or AS 3600 as

appropriate.

5.1.1 Reinforcement

Reinforcement shall be in accordance with MRTS71 Reinforcing Steel and AS/NZS 4671. If ductility
Class L reinforcement is used, reduced strength reduction factors to Table 2.2.2 of AS 3600 shall be
used. If Class L reinforcement together with Class N reinforcement is used, the maximum value for
capacity reduction factor for member design strength calculation shall be taken as 0.64.

5.2 Fibre reinforced concrete pits

This clause describes the requirements for concrete pits that are predominantly manufactured from
fibre reinforced concrete, but may have some additional or supplementary steel bar reinforcement.

The maximum plan internal dimension of a fibre reinforced concrete pit shall be 1500 mm by
1500 mm, or for round pits or round access chambers maximum internal diameter of 1500 mm. The
maximum height for fibre reinforced concrete pits shall be less than or equal to 5.0 m.

The minimum concrete strength shall be 40 MPa.

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TN23 Design Criteria for Precast Concrete Drainage Pits

5.2.1 Fibres

Fibres shall comply with MRTS273 Fibre-reinforced Concrete and be either steel fibres or macro
synthetic. Steel fibres shall not be used in salt or brackish water applications with a chloride content
above 2000 ppm. The minimum fibre dosage shall be in accordance with MRTS273. Specification of
fibres and dose rate shall also be performance based in accordance with MRTS273.

5.2.2 Concrete

Concrete to be special Class concrete in accordance with MRTS70 Concrete and additional
requirements of MRTS273 Fibre-reinforced Concrete. Minimum performance measures of MRTS273
apply. Additional concrete testing to MRTS273 with the exception that toughness testing is not
required at trial mix.

Cover to any steel bar reinforcement shall be in accordance with Clause 5.1 of this Technical Note.
For fibre reinforced concrete pits with no steel bar reinforcement exposed to Potential Acid Sulphate
Soils or Acid Sulphate Soils (PASS/ASS) or other acidic soil environments, a sacrificial concrete
thickness equal to the cover to steel bar reinforcement shall be provided, or alternatively an acid
resistant epoxy coating shall be applied to exposed surfaces of the pit.

6 Structural design
Structural design of pits shall be in accordance with this section and the process is further summarised
in Appendix A – Design process for precast drainage pits.

6.1 General
Precast pits shall be designed to meet following requirements:

a) Wherever possible, pits shall be designed and cast monolithically in a single piece to a site-
specific height as per the Design Drawings. If not possible, pits can be designed and cast in
multiple sections with individual sections (except for the final top section) a minimum of 1.2 m
in height. Joints shall be bedded / sealed with cement mortar to MRTS03 Drainage Structures,
Retaining Structures and Embankment Slope Protections or cementitious proprietary products
in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions to produce watertight joints.

b) Minimum wall and base thickness for all types of pits shall be 100 mm.

c) Drawing notes shall include all design criteria, relevant Australian Standards, Transport and
Main Roads Technical Specifications, material standards and manufacturing requirements.

d) Structural analysis shall be carried out using relevant structural analysis software or other
appropriate methods to determine the necessary structural actions.

e) Load testing of prototypes (refer Section 6.2) to confirm the structural performance can be
used as an alternative method of design for size of pits up to maximum internal pit plan
dimension of 1500 mm by 1500 mm, or 1500 mm diameter for round pits or access chambers
can be undertaken.

f) The design shall be certified by a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ)

(Structural).

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TN23 Design Criteria for Precast Concrete Drainage Pits

6.2 Serviceability and ultimate limit state design

6.2.1 General requirements for drainage pits

The following criteria is applicable for all drainage pits:

a) For steel bar reinforced concrete pits, Ultimate and Serviceability Limit State design shall be to
Clause 9 of AS 3600 for pits up to 3.0 m depth and to Clause 9 of AS 5100.5 for pits of depth
over 3.0 m. For design of fibre reinforced concrete pits, refer Clause 6.2.3(a).

b) Pit walls and the base shall be designed for the worst load effect of vertical traffic loads and
horizontal loads on the pit walls as stated in Section 4 of this document. The appropriate load
factors and the load combinations as stated in Section 4 of this document shall be used.

c) Load cases where the traffic wheel load distributed to all walls shall be considered to obtain
the maximum design base pressure and structural actions (bending moment and shear force)
on the base.

d) Where there is a cover or grate associated with the pit, covers and grates shall be designed
for the load classification appropriate for the application in accordance with AS 3996. The
minimum load classification for pits under road traffic shall be Class D. The cover and grate
design loads are only for cover and grate design. The pit structure shall be designed for
AS 5100.2 loads referred to in Section 4 of this document.

6.2.2 Steel bar reinforced concrete pits

For steel bar reinforced concrete pits of size up to maximum plan internal dimension of 1500 mm by
1500 mm or circular pits up to a maximum 1500 mm internal diameter, the pit structural capacity at
Serviceability and Ultimate Limit State may be determined by prototype load testing as an alternative
to design by calculations stated in Section 6.2.1. The following requirements shall be met for prototype
testing:

a) The test load shall be determined from a structural model prepared for the applicable design
loads specified in Section 4 of this Technical Note.

b) The test loads for the serviceability limit state shall be determined by multiplying the
Serviceability Loading by 1.2 (refer AS 3600 Clause B4.3), and for the Ultimate Limit State by
multiplying the Ultimate Design Load Design load by an additional factor as per Table B4.3 of
AS 3600 assuming an expected coefficient of variation of 10%.

c) A single pit size or component which represents the worst case for the design may be used as
a prototype test for multiple less critical sizes (e.g. for a pit design with the same wall and base
thickness for multiple sizes, the largest size pit only needs to be tested).

d) The maximum number and size of pipe penetrations permitted by the design shall be used in
the test pit.

e) The prototype load testing, acceptance criteria and reporting of test results shall generally in
accordance with Appendix G1 of AS 1597.1 with test loads being derived as per item (b) of
this clause. The maximum crack width at the Serviceability Limit State Load shall be
equivalent to the 'proving test load applied' in Table G1 of AS 1597.1 and after unloading from
the Serviceability Limit State Load equivalent to 'proving test load removed' in Table G1 of
AS 1597.1. Crack widths for intermediate cover to reinforcement in Table G1 of AS 1597.1
can be interpolated. Crack widths for cover to reinforcement greater than 50 mm shall be the

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TN23 Design Criteria for Precast Concrete Drainage Pits

value for 50 mm. For pits with fibre reinforcement only, the crack widths equivalent to a cover
to reinforcement of 25 mm shall be used.

f) All crack widths shall be measured during testing at the concrete surface by crack gauge card
or ruler. As an option, a feeler gauge as per AS 1597.1 may be used.

g) Vertical downwards loading applied to the pit in the normal orientation. The vertical load shall
be applied uniformly to the four walls of the pit. The pit base shall be supported on a thick
rubber pad or thick polystyrene foam pad of adequate stiffness and thickness to simulate the
ground support conditions of the base of the pit. This pad shall be supported on a concrete
slab or similar surface. Test loads shall be determined as per Section 6.2.2 (a) and (b).
Vertical load test shall be undertaken for both Serviceability Limit State and Ultimate Limit
State.

Test method, loadings, test results, statement of compliance including photographs in

accordance with Appendix G of AS 1597.1 and this Technical Note shall be prepared and
submitted by the pit supplier for acceptance by the Director (Structures Design, Review and
Standards). The department may elect to witness the prototype load testing.

6.2.3 Fibre reinforced concrete pits

For fibre reinforced pits, the pit shall be designed to meet following requirements:

a) Following requirements shall be met for pit designed by structural analysis and capacity
calculations:

i. Pits shall be uncracked for the Ultimate Limit State Loading.

ii. Fibre reinforced pits are not required to be designed for Serviceability Limit State due to
requirement to be uncracked at the Ultimate Limit State Loading.

iii. The design bending strength of the pit shall be calculated as φMuo, where Muo shall be
calculated using the characteristic flexural tensile strength (f'ct,f) determined by testing in
accordance with MRTS273 Fibre-reinforced Concrete. The strength reduction factor (φ) for
bending shall be taken as 0.65.

iv. Shear strength of the fibre reinforced concrete members shall be calculated considering
plain concrete section in accordance with AS 3600 Clause 20.4.3. The strength reduction
factor (φ) for shear shall be taken 0.65.

b) When pit structural capacity is determined by prototype testing as an alternative to design by

calculations, prototype testing shall be as per reinforced concrete pit test method provided in
Section 6.2.2 of this Technical Note. Both Ultimate and Serviceability Limit State performance
shall be tested.

6.3 Crack control for shrinkage and temperature effects

6.3.1 Steel bar reinforced pits

6.3.1.1 Base slab

Primary Direction reinforcement shall be as per Clause 9.5.3.2 of AS 3600.

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TN23 Design Criteria for Precast Concrete Drainage Pits

Secondary Direction:

a) For square slabs, the slab shall be considered as a partially restrained slab to Clause 9.5.3.5
of AS 3600 but reinforcement shall not be greater than the reinforcement provided in primary
direction.

b) For rectangular slabs where length / width ratio is equal or greater than two, slabs shall be
considered as a partially restrained slab to Clause 9.5.3.5. Average of reinforcement area
required for Clause 9.5.3.3 and Clause 9.5.3.4(c) of AS 3600 shall be provided.

6.3.1.2 Pit walls

Primary Direction reinforcement shall be as per Clause 9.5.3.2 of AS 3600.

Secondary Direction minimum reinforcement to Clause 9.5.3.3 of AS 3600 considering an

unrestrained slab to full height shall be provided.

6.3.2 Fibre reinforced concrete pits

Crack control for shrinkage and temperature shall be deemed to be controlled provided the minimum
fibre content as per MRTS273 Fibre-reinforced Concrete is provided.

6.4 Penetrations for drainage pipes

The penetration for precast drainage pits shall meet following requirements:

a) All penetrations on pit walls for drainage pipes are preferably above the base slab. The lowest
outlet penetration shall be placed on the top of the base slab. The depth of base slab shall be
increased to match the invert level of the lowest outlet pipe to achieve a smooth flow inside
the pit. Alternatively, the invert level of the lowest pipe penetration may be kept within the
minimum required base slab thickness provided the designer has calculated the structural
adequacy of the reduced base slab thickness at the penetration, using a Finite Element
analysis or other appropriate methods.

b) Local stresses at penetrations for drainage pipes shall be taken into consideration in structural
design. Adequate trimmer bars shall be provided at the penetration to control cracking around
the periphery of the penetration.

c) All penetrations through pit walls for drainage pipes are to be pre-formed (blockout) during
casting, or core drilled by the pit manufacturer at the precasting yard. 'Knockout' pits are not
permitted.

6.5 Bearing pressure under base

Load cases for full and empty pit with wheel loading on the roof as per Section 4.1 of this Technical
Note shall be considered to determine the bearing pressure under the base slab. The design bearing
pressure shall be calculated in accordance with AS 5100.6 and provided in the design documentation
and drawings.

7 Manufacturing requirements
Manufacture of precast drainage pits shall meet following requirements:

a) Manufacture of precast concrete pits shall be in accordance with MRTS72 Manufacture of

Precast Concrete Elements.

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TN23 Design Criteria for Precast Concrete Drainage Pits

b) Lifting points shall be designed and RPEQ certified in accordance with MRTS72. The lifting
points shall be shown in the design documentation.

c) Additional requirements of MRTS273 Fibre-reinforced Concrete to apply for fibre reinforced

concrete pits.

8 Access to pit
Safe access to inside the pit for inspection and maintenance shall be considered in the pit design.
Permanent access if specified shall comply with AS 1657.

9 Construction
Backfilling shall be undertaken in accordance with MRTS04 General Earthworks.

10 Proprietary precast pit designs

Proprietary pit designs shall be in accordance with this Technical Note and shall be submitted to the
following email for review and approval by the Director (Structural Design, Review and Standards):

Email: [email protected]

If the submission is not suitable for emailing, please mail to Director (Structural Design, Review and
Standards) for review and approval:

Department of Transport and Main Roads

Engineering and Technology
Director, (Structural Design, Review and Standards)
GPO Box 1412
Brisbane City Qld 4000

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TN23 Design Criteria for Precast Concrete Drainage Pits

Appendix A – Design process for precast drainage pits

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