RESULTS OF A STUDY OF THE

RESIDUAL LIFESPAN OF HDPE PIPES

USED IN PIPE REPLACING
OPERATIONS EMPLOYING PIPE
BURSTING AND PIPE SPLITTING NODIG TECHNOLOGIES.
PLASTIC PIPES XII
19th-22th April 2004
Grand Dino Hotel, Milan
Torre Carlo
A.M.G.A. S.p.A. Div Saster Pipe
Genoa, Italy

Just few words about No-Dig

renewing technologies
Most of renewing
no-dig technologies
has been designed
at the scope to
insert a new pipe
into an existing old
pipe
Most of these
technologies
employing PEHD
pipe as liner

Slip Lining
is simple, fast
and cheap

Roll Down is a close-fit

technology.
For this application, we us
standard PEHD

Compact Pipe is
another close-fit
technology.
For this application
we use a special

Subcoil and Compact SlimLiner

are interactive close-fit
technologies.
For booth
applications
we use a
very thin
folded
PEHD pipe

and what about pipe

replacing?

 Pipe Bursting is a
No-Dig technology
designed to
replace a fragile
old pipe (grey cast
iron, PVC,
concrete, asbestos
cement, etc) with
a new pipe in
PEHD.

 and pipe splitting?

 It is a No-Dig
technology,
similar to pipe
bursting,
designed to
replace a ductile
old pipe (carbon
steel, PE, ductile
iron, etc) with a
new pipe in
PEHD

Just a look on
two significant
replacing
projects

Mantova-Italy
chemical plant
Existing pipe: carbon
steel ND 10, 12,
14, 16, from 6,6 to
9,4 mm w.t.
Depth:> 1,0 < 1,7 m
Lenght: 1500 meters
New pipe: PE100, SDR
11, ED 250, 315, 355,
400 mm
Soil: floodplain gravel
in a clayay template
Technology: Pipe
Splitting

Trieste-Italy
gas distribution network
Existing pipe: grey
cast iron ND 100 mm
Depth:> 1,3 < 2,5 m
Lenght: 250 meters
New pipe: PE80, SDR
17, ED 125 mm
Soil: large component
of fragmented carsic
rock
Technology: Pipe
Bursting

 any consequences on the

PE pipe surface after
splitting?

 and after bursting?

How can we limit the effects

of the scratches on the PE
surface ?
Using the right PE
raw materials
Knowing and testing
the soils before
Choosing the right
pulling speed
Checking the PE
surface during the
pulling
Using +1 step of
SDR

and using
the right
tools/equipment

 and how we can test the

effects of the scratches ?
Making a visual
evaluation of
the final results
Measuring the
real depth of
the scratches
Testing the PE
pipe according
to the standards

Why do we need
to test?
Because we dont
have any
dedicated EU
standards for
these No-Dig
technologies
Because pipe
replacing
technologies are
quickly growing in
gas, water and oil
fields

 which tests?
Hydrostatic
pressure testing
with notches (Slow
crack propagation)
(EN 921)
Tensile
properties: stress
at yield,
elongation at
break (ISO 6259)

and micrometric surface

test
it enables us to
verify that the
real scratches
are usually
lower than 10%
of the wall
thickness

after all that

based on our experience of more

than 90.000 meters of gas & water
pipes replaced using pipe bursting
& splitting

based on tre results of the

mentioned tests, made by a
qualified research center (IIP)

and based on the tests

made by the end user of
some of the projects
(Italgas)

We can state that

pipe bursting and
splitting are technologies
applicable in many cases

successful

and safe