Actual Full-scale Test of Curved Pipelines Method Using Medium Diameter Polyethylene Pipe

Abstract

Agricultural pipelines generally have a curved pipe placed at the bending point to protect force due to internal pressure of a thrust block. On the other hand, a construction method in which the straight pipe is bent little by little and no thrust block method is effective. However, when a thrust block is used, a structural weakness appears when it is laid on soften ground or in the event of a large-scale earthquake, causing damage such as remove the joint. Therefore, polyethylene pipes, which can completely fused joint of pipes, have highly earthquake resistance and can be expected to be applied when they are constructed with pretty curved pipelines. However, polyethylene pipes have only a standard with an inside diameter of 300 mm or less about agricultural pipeline, there are few practical experiences. In order to confirm the safety when applying a medium diameter polyethylene pipes, a full-scale experiment was conducted. As a result, it was found that the thrust force generated in the integrated polyethylene pipe was widely dispersed in the curved pipe and was received in the entire pipe.