Researchers at the Center for Smart Infrastructure (CSI) testing lab conducted an assessment of a buried pipe subjected to the extreme conditions found in landslides or earthquake fault rupture zones. The test subject was an approximately 40-foot long, 4-inch diameter earthquake-resistant ductile iron pipe. Advanced sensing technology that was deployed for the testing included distributed fiber optic sensors on the pipe and surrounding soil, and an overhead LiDAR scanner captured progressive movement of the fault rupture area after each testing increment. Strain gauges at critical pipe cross-sections captured real-time strain changes during the test.
The pipe was buried in compacted soil, pressurized with water, and then subjected to soil movement using a specially designed split-basin interaction testing apparatus which was reconstructed from Cornell University’s original apparatus. The test simulated a pipe crossing a right lateral strike-slip fault, similar to the Hayward Fault. By analyzing the advanced sensor data that was collected from the pipe and surrounding soil, researchers aim to gain a deeper understanding of the forces, displacements, and limitations of the pipe’s overall structure based on the failure conditions, shedding light on its performance and potential vulnerabilities under emergent events.
The test was conducted as part of the CEC-funded OpenSRA2 project, in collaboration with Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
