AMERICAN Research Led to Green Light for Unique Underwater Project in Wisconsin

Creating a water-filled basin at the AMERICAN Research Center to conduct underwater testing of the 24-inch Flex-Ring pipe system was a first for AMERICAN Cast Iron Pipe Company Research Engineer Steve DeBoalt, whose career with AMERICAN spans 44 years.

“We perform all types of testing, but not normally under water,” DeBoalt said. “This one was unique because we had to fill a settling basin with water to test these assemblies on-site. It was the first time I’ve done that. Our group needed to prove the joint could be put together using the contractor’s proposed Hydro-Pull installation method. With this method, the pipe is assembled under water using the ‘vacuum’ provided by a water pump.”

The underwater testing of the 24-inch Flex-Ring pipe system was needed for Ashland, Wisconsin’s, Water Intake Project. The boltless Flex-Ring joint system was chosen for this project because of the ease of installation – no bolts to tighten. ADIP/ASWP Senior Sales Engineer Chris Glassing contacted Research Engineer Dustin Black in Technical Services and Product Development’s Applications Group about the project in August 2024. Black then reached out to DeBoalt, who was responsible for setting up and completing the on-site testing.

DeBoalt’s first task was finding a place to conduct the underwater testing. “Once we realized we could use the settling basin at the Research Center, everything else fell into place – getting the right pump, assembling the pipe for testing and setting up a valve actuator,” he said.

Plant Maintenance Coordinator Scott Blackmon helped secure a 2,000-gallon-per-minute pump, and the Plumbers Group installed the four-inch steel pipe used to connect the pump to the Flex-Ring test pipe. Research Supervisor Tim Mears and technicians in the Research Center cut and welded the test pipe pieces and test frame as well as connected the system. The test pipe and equipment were fabricated in late September 2024, and testing of the joint assembly began in mid-October and continued until the first week of November 2024.

“It took a few weeks to complete all the testing,” DeBoalt said. “We started with an unrestrained Flex-Ring joint and then repeated the test with the standard restrained joint. We then ordered a much smaller 300-gallon-per-minute pump and repeated the testing a second time with this pump. A pressure gauge was installed on the test pipe to observe the vacuum pressures at the joints during the tests.”

According to DeBoalt, the testing was a quick success. “The pumps effortlessly pulled the pipe in place in all attempts,” he said. “Research often involves lots of testing, adjusting and retesting. In this case, it worked the first time.”