Structural assessment of iron mains

摘要

The economic regulation of expenditure on maintaining and improving the low pressure Gas and Water pipeline networks in the UK is focusing the utilities on developing cost effective strategies for the rehabilitation of these valuable assets. This paper briefly considers the design of low pressure iron pipe systems and the significance of their structural deterioration in terms of the range of loading regimes they may undergo. An approach to structural condition assessment currently employed by Advanced Engineering Solutions Limited is outlined. This approach identifies the most critically loaded sections of a pipeline and uses the most technically and economically appropriate NDT techniques to determine the condition of these sections. A statistical analysis based on the critical loading conditions for the pipeline is then used to provide a sound estimate of its performance capability under the applied loading regimes.