Abstract
Long-term pressurizing of buried glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) pipe will result in the reduction of stiffness in the pipes. It leads to excessive deflections in long-term design limits. In situ tests were performed for 664 days to measure deflections of buried GFRP pipe with a large diameter of 2,400 mm. Based on the field test results, finite element analysis was conducted to determine the pipe deflections with respect to the soil conditions and buried depth as variables. Regression analysis has been conducted to determine the long-term deflection of the GFRP pipe after 50 years of construction. The long-term deflection of the GFRP pipe was less than 5 percent suggested by the existing specifications including ASTM D5365 and AWWA M45. The comparison indicates the current specifications significantly conservative to predict long-term deflection of the buried GFRP pipe.
Highlights
Glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) pipe exhibits excellent resilience due to the stiffness and strength of the material compared to other types of pipes
GFRP pipes are classified as ductile pipes because, unlike rigid pipe, they interact with the ground and resist external loads. e structural behavior of underground pipes must be considered with regard to the possible effects of the foundation, the soil surrounding the pipe, and the characteristics of the backfill
Fabrication of GFRP Pipe. e fabrication of the GFRP pipe involves a continuous filament winding process in which several mandrels are moved to wind up reinforcing fibers at multiple locations. e axial tensile strength of the pipe is increased by arranging the reinforcing fiber in the axial direction. e GFRP pipe used in this study was fabricated from reinforced polymer mortar pipe (RPMP) that was reinforced with resin and mortar between sections that were composed of resin and glass fiber
Summary
Glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) pipe exhibits excellent resilience due to the stiffness and strength of the material compared to other types of pipes. GFRP pipes are used in the construction industries due to the advantages of mechanical characteristics such as light weight, high specific strength and stiffness, and high corrosion resistance. The mechanical properties of GFRP pipe, which depend on the arrangement and amount of reinforcing fibers, satisfy various conditions. GFRP pipes are classified as ductile pipes because, unlike rigid pipe, they interact with the ground and resist external loads. Most studies that have investigated the durability of the pipe material have examined the long-term properties of the pipe itself. Farshad and Necola [1] conducted an experimental study of the short-term and long-term behavior of GFRP pipes in underwater environments
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