Shoes http://www.photovault.com/Link/Industry/ProcessingRawMaterials/Oil/show.asp?tg=IPOVolume01/IPOV01P01_14.2170 Trans-Alaska Pipeline design, including "shoe" slides to protect against earthquakes The elevated pipeline, laid out in the long zigzag pattern, is mounted on "shoes" that are coated with Teflon bottoms which allows the pipe to move side-to-side, and back-and-forth. The pipeline has 39,000 shoes on vertical beam members At the Denali Fault the shoe allows for movement of 20 feet horizontally and five feet vertically. Example: During the 7.9 quake, sections moved nearly eight feet horizontally and nearly three feet vertical. Support beams help stabilize the pipeline at large faults. •  Earthquake Monitoring System (EMS) is equipped within the shoe. This system is designed to automatically shut down parts of the pipeline where seismic activity is above 3.0. Click on Arrow to Return to Structural Component Diagram   Home .Introduction Structural Components Pipeline Problems  Bibliography