Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Many new methods of sewer, water pipe and culvert repair have been developed over the past two decades, and further procedures appear each year, servicing ongoing pipe infrastructure reinvestments of $2B/yr across Canada and up to $100B each year internationally. However, there are important knowledge gaps regarding the reserve (i.e. remaining) strength of deteriorated pipes, the interactions that result after repair with any of the many different liner systems, the controlling strength and service limit states, and appropriate approximations for development of design methods. Using the world's leading buried pipe test facility & new solutions for soil-pipe interaction, the Grant will support seminal contributions observing, explaining, quantifying and conceptually simplifying these complex `shell in shell in soil' systems. Complementary projects over 5 years will: a. Transform current methods of estimating remaining capacity of deteriorated metal and concrete culverts, and produce the first comprehensive methods for their load rating (setting allowable vehicle weights), considering damage to the pipe, the soil, and the pavement above, and permitting use of field measurements of response under truck loads. b. Realise the first demonstration systems where thrust & moment distributions for important culverts in the field are monitored from the desk-top c. Develop clear guidance on the behaviour and design (including strength limits) for culverts rehabilitated using cured in place liners, sprayed cementitious liners, grouted slipliners, and paved inverts, integrating previous work with new findings to address remaining knowledge gaps associated with culvert shape, cyclic loading, and grout choice. d. Clarify how the strength limits controlling performance of the two commonest kinds of pressure pipe liner (plain epoxy and fibreglass) used to repair cast iron water pipes are influenced by factors such as wrinkles & gaps at bends, and the liner-pipe adhesion and/or friction). The work will introduce new methods of analysis, full scale physical modeling, and design models, and will define or influence Canadian & international scholarship and design practices for these problems. The 18 HQP (6 MASc, 7 PhD and 5 Undergrad. students) trained will address the substantial demand for experts in these topics, to be recruited as municipal, structural and geotechnical professionals.