A Theory of Vulnerability of Water Pipe Network (TVWPN)

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to introduce the proposed theory of vulnerability of water pipe network (TVWPN) and, in particular, its theoretical concepts. These concepts have a basis in the structural vulnerability theory (Agarwal et al., Civ Eng Environ Syst 18(2):141–165, 2001a, J Struct Saf 23(3):203–220, 2001b; Lu et al., Struct Eng 77(18):17–23, 1999; Lu 1998; Pinto 2002; Pinto et al., J Struct Saf 24:107–122, 2002; Yu 1997). The fundamental contribution of this theory is to help design water pipe networks (WPN) more robust against damage to the pipelines. This is achieved through an analysis of the form of the network. The application of the TVWPN is presented through an example of a water pipe network.