Spatial Structure Characterization of the Soil Surrounding Buried Water Transmission Mains by Using a Sensor-Enabled Geotextile
Publication: Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering and Practice
Volume 14, Issue 3
Abstract
Close examination of the parameters that characterize the spatial variability of the soil is necessary to understand how this variability can be used to study the structural behavior of buried large-diameter water transmission mains. In this research, a sensor-enabled geotextile was laid in a trench along a renewed water transmission pipeline segment to measure the ground strain during its installation and the first months of pipeline operation. A methodological approach was developed to identify, from experimental semivariograms built from ground strain measurement profiles, the scale of fluctuation that characterizes the horizontal spatial structure of the soil. Using both an experimental onsite test and a numerical model of the pipeline, the spatial variability was assumed to correspond to the soil modulus parameter in the model. The numerical results were well matched with the experimental test measurements. Both parameters, the scale of fluctuation and the soil modulus, were identified as important factors for understanding the spatial behavior of the soil–pipe system.
Practical Applications
Soil heterogeneity affects the structural response of a buried pipe with respect to force redistribution and structural displacement, and its influence appears mainly in the longitudinal direction. This heterogeneity results in the spatial variability of soil properties. Furthermore, the geomechanical behavior of buried pipes is subject to random uncertainties. In the framework of this study, the uncertain variables are treated by the theory of probabilities. Such an approach can be integrated into the context of asset management of a network of water transmission pipes. Thus, wishing optimized management of a network, the project manager needs a tool allowing him to evaluate the geomechanical performance of the pipes and to see if it is necessary to proceed to a follow-up in terms of inspection, maintenance, or renewal. This study showed that both soil modulus and the horizontal correlation length parameter of soil properties could characterize the spatial variability of a pipe site. By integrating these parameters into a numerical tool, a manager can incorporate spatial variability in a simple way while maintaining full control over their variability.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request (some ground strain measurements).
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Syndicat des eaux d’Ile de France (SEDIF) and Veolia Eau d’Ile de France for their involvement in this project. Created in 1923, SEDIF is a public utility that is responsible for supplying drinking water to subscriber towns and municipalities in the Greater Paris area. SEDIF is the leading public drinking water utility in France and is one of the largest in Europe. Producing of water every day, SEDIF delivered 254 billion liters to users in 2019 through a network of pipes stretching 8,767 km.
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Published In
Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering and Practice
Volume 14 • Issue 3 • August 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 11, 2022
Accepted: Feb 10, 2023
Published online: Apr 21, 2023
Published in print: Aug 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Sep 21, 2023
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