AMERICAN Webinar on Iron and Steel Pipe Resilience – What It Is and Why It Matters to You

On November 12, 2020, AMERICAN Ductile Iron Pipe/AMERICAN SpiralWeld Pipe Marketing Services Manager Maury D. Gaston and AMERICAN Ductile Iron Pipe/AMERICAN SpiralWeld Pipe Territory Manager Jeff R. Blakely presented a live webinar for more than 500 water and wastewater professionals and students. The event, hosted by Water Online, discussed iron and steel pipeline resilience and why it matters when selecting pipe materials for installation. Several projects were featured, including ones in the Florida Everglades and Anchorage, Alaska. Those who missed the live presentation can view a recording of the event here.

“We enjoy helping water industry professionals meet the needs and surpass the expectations of their clients and ratepayers,” Gaston said. “We hope everyone who attended found the presentation informative, and we welcome follow-up questions and opportunities to continue to provide solutions for our customers.”

Below is a recap of the four areas of pipeline resilience discussed during the presentation, along with links to other resources and references that might be of interest. These four areas are: Material Strength, Toughness and Fatigue; Joint Performance; Sustained Performance, including Resistance to Corrosion; and Life-Cycle Considerations.

Material Strength, Toughness and Fatigue

Material strength, toughness, and fatigue are components of resilience and are compared in this slide from the November 12 webinar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fatigue was discussed and how low yield-point materials such as PVC are vulnerable to fatigue. This read-out from the AMERICAN Flow Control Semper pressure monitoring device shows how significant pressure variations can be in a water system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A statement about fatigue from a well-known pipe expert was also reviewed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joint Performance

The presentation next focused on joint performance as a dimension of resilience. These topics included flexibility and deflection; restraining gaskets that provide field adaptability and flexibility; thrust capacity from the workhorse of the industry; and the AMERICAN seismic system for pipe, valves and hydrants, which is unique in performance and breadth of product offering. And, in larger diameters, information can be found on the AMERICAN SpiralWeld single and double lap weld joint.

Sustained Performance

The next topic of discussion around resilience was Sustained Performance, including Resistance to Corrosion. The Design Decision Model, a two-dimensional risk-based corrosion assessment and abatement model, can be seen on the DIPRA website on page 3 of the pdf. Zinc coating of ductile iron pipe can be examined on the AMERICAN website and V-Bio enhanced polyethylene encasement is described similarly here. The NACE paper and Everglades study found under additional resources also shows how zinc supports V-Bio and V-Bio supports zinc.

Life-Cycle Considerations

The fourth dimension of pipeline resilience discussed by AMERICAN experts was Life-Cycle Considerations. An AWWA Water Infrastructure Conference paper on Life-Cycle Cost Analysis is available here. A University of Michigan study and ASCE Pipelines presentation on life-cycle cost evaluation for pipelines is also available for your use. And finally, a life-cycle cost calculator is available as an interactive web-based tool that makes finding the data simple.

For more information contact your local AMERICAN sales professional or email webinar presenters mgaston@american-usa.com and jblakely@american-usa.com.

 Additional resources related to webinar topics:

– In August 2020, Gaston presented on “What Is Pipeline Resilience?” at the ASCE Pipelines Conference. Read his paper in its entirety or listen to his interview with Water Online about the topic.

– An ASCE Pipelines conference paper showing the performance of Fastite pipe under a lake during a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Anchorage, Alaska, can be read in the conference proceedings here.  An earlier ASCE Pipelines paper outlining the AMERICAN seismic joint system and its deflection, expansion and contraction, thrust capacity, and product offering can be found here. Or read this article from our News Center on the pipe’s performance.

– A Water Online interview on Sustained Performance. A NACE Corrosion 2020 peer-reviewed conference paper presented results of a study in the Everglades. In addition, an AMERICAN News Center story covering some of the results of that study. A similar study in Missouri shows the efficacy of zinc and V-Bio in a known corrosive environment.