36" Buried "Fiberglass" (Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Thermosetting-Resin) Pipe In-service
36" Buried "Fiberglass" (Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Thermosetting-Resin) Pipe In-service
(OP)
A couple of failures at the assembled joints of the above stated material over the years is a major concern here. Is there any convenient monitoring technique to determine the structural integrity of this pipe considering damage mechanisms such as fibre debonding, resin cracking, bond or thread failure in assembled joints, fibre breakage, delamination or fibre pullout? Which design or inspection code would be applicable here as many of the applicables codes does not address this situation!
I would be grateful for any professional assistance on this.
I would be grateful for any professional assistance on this.





RE: 36" Buried "Fiberglass" (Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Thermosetting-Resin) Pipe In-service
RE: 36" Buried "Fiberglass" (Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Thermosetting-Resin) Pipe In-service
There really isn't a systematic way to monitor the pipe condition and smart pigs are blind to the bruising and delaminations. We approached the problem through surface surveillance and fixing leaks as they were identified from surface indications. I know this is a terrible answer, but we were never able to come up with a better one. Once the bruising issue manifested itself (about 6-7 years after installation) I stopped installing new GRP, but I couldn't find anything to do with the hundreds of miles of the stuff already in the ground.
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. Galileo Galilei, Italian Physicist