AC pipe can fail as a result of stresses and strains in the pipe wall or near joints or due to internal or external chemical degradation of material and reduction of capacities. As a part of the ongoing project, SGH:
- Performed the condition assessment of the pipelines without removing the line from service
- Conducted geological, geotechnical, and groundwater investigations; and chemical testing and analysis to determine corrosivity of environment and internal water to AC pipe
- Evaluated failure risk parameters along the pipeline
- Made external test pit inspections of pipe at ten locations, hot tapping to remove samples of pipe wall
- Determined degradation mechanisms and the extent of degradation of the pipe wall using petrographic analysis
- Conducted axial and bending strength tests of AC pipe material
- Performed transient surge analysis
- Evaluated the AC pipe for internal pressure, soil, and live loads
- Analyzed failure risk of pipe considering loss of pipe wall section due to material degradation
