Feasibility study of steel reinforcement of polyethylene corrugated horizontal pipe for on-site underground water storage tanks and their applications

Abstract

This research studied the process of manufacturing horizontal groundwater storage tanks from steel reinforced polyethylene corrugated pipes. The surfaces, galvanized flat carbon steel and polyethylene, are bonded using an extrusion process. Welding was done using a plastic electro-fusion welding method. The tank was tested for mechanical integrity and leakage to determine its feasibility in an actual application. Testing showed no leakage. A contamination test showed that water stored in the tank contained dissolved substances, but in low enough concentrations that the water passed the testing criteria. The tank deformation test showed that the maximum deformation of the tank in an on-site compression test was less than 7 mm for all cases involving static and dynamic loading of 24 tonnes, according to industrial standards. The results show that it is possible to use an underground steel reinforced polyethylene corrugated water tank with plastic welding in real-world applications.