Greenshields
Additional Information - Posters # 1998 Gothenburg
Brittle failures in service water pipelines sometimes occur at relatively low pressures and for no apparent reason. This paper presents a review o f research into brittle fracture in water pipes and questions some o f the received assumptions which obscure tlie subject. The hydrostatic S4 test is proposed to measure the critical pressure in water pipes, above which brittle fracture can be sustained. The dynamic fracture tougliness o f the pipe material is calculated from a single critical pressure result using the lnvin-Corten analysis. The analysis can then be inverted to calculate tlie critical pressure o f any size o f pipe, providing the basis for design and operation o f a pipeline. Further experimental work investigates tlie effect o f pipe temperature and o f occluded air pockets on brittle fracture.
