Numerical analysis of the mechanical behaviors of pressurized underground pipelines rehabilitated by cured-in-place-pipe method

Abstract

Due to the humid climate in Taiwan area, the underground pipes are prone to be damaged by corrosion, which could be more severe for the environment with high salinity near the coast. In addition, the situation could be worse where the underground pipeline planning was not enforced. For example, a water pipe or a sewage pipe may be too close to a pressurized pipe, which could be corroded if the water pipe or the sewage pipe leaked. In this study, the numerical simulation software ABAQUS was used to simulate underground pipelines damaged by corrosion. The stress and displacement behavior was analyzed for scenarios with different internal pressure and surface loading conditions. In addition, the performance of the cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) method, a trenchless rehabilitation method was also numerically analyzed. The results suggest that it can reinforce the damaged pipe by reducing the stress concentration and reducing the differential displacement. However, the design of the CIPP liner could be further optimized in terms of its design thickness.