Projects

CVEN 4555 - Reinforced Concrete Design

Davis Holt — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 21:31:03 +0000

CVEN 4555 - Reinforced Concrete Design Davis Holt Wed, 03/05/2025 - 14:31

Students learn about reinforced concrete through mixing, bending rebar, pouring and finally testing concrete beams of two different sizes in bending using CIEST’s 110-kip actuator

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Part of ARPA-E Project: Rapid Encapsulation of Pipelines Avoiding Intensive Replacement (REPAIR)

Jonah Cooke — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 15:58:48 +0000

Part of ARPA-E Project: Rapid Encapsulation of Pipelines Avoiding Intensive Replacement (REPAIR) Jonah Cooke Tue, 10/15/2024 - 09:58

Approach

U.S. Department of Energy–supported, 3-year, multi-million-dollar project focused on gas distribution mains. The approach automates construction of a regulation-compliant, stand-alone internal replacement pipe (IRP) inside legacy mains using trenchless methods. It integrates smart structural coatings, new integrity/inspection tools, and 3D geospatial maps combining pipeline, adjacent-utility, leak, and coating-deposition data. A performance-based framework is used to establish pipe-replacement criteria and to validate a 50-year design life for IRP systems.

Results

A validated design basis demonstrates a 50-year design life for innovative IRP systems that do not rely on the host pipe. Clear performance criteria and acceptance thresholds for pipe replacement are established to meet utility and regulatory requirements. Prototypes and test datasets are produced for smart coatings, integrity/inspection tools, and integrated 3D mapping of mains and nearby infrastructure. Progress is shown toward a total cost target of $0.5–$1.0M per mile, inclusive of service disruptions.

Implications

Utilities can rehabilitate leak-prone legacy mains faster and with less excavation, reducing methane emissions and improving public safety. The performance criteria provide a repeatable, standards-ready pathway to specify and qualify IRP technologies across projects. Smart coatings and integrated mapping enhance long-term monitoring, risk prioritization, and lifecycle asset management. Achieving the cost target supports large-scale deployment and accelerates backlog reduction nationwide.

Project Team

Primary Investigator:

Brad Parker Wham

Shideh Dashti

Mija Hubler

CIEST Personnel: Patrick Dixon, John Hindman, Davis Holt, Cory Ihnotic, Katherine O'Dell, Kent Polkinghorne, Dustin Quandt, Yao Wang
Graduate Researchers: Jacob Klingaman, Sina Senji, Molly Sickler, Deeptesh Pawaskar
Undergraduate Researchers: Jonah Cook, William Flood, Coen Hines, Alyssa McCarthy, Ketan Kamat, Daniel Mascarenas, Samuel Mohnacs

Project Deliverables & Reports:

View ARPA-E's program description

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Seismic Evaluation of Hazard-Resistant Lifelines: Fusible PVC Pipe and Fittings

Brad Wham — Sun, 18 Jul 2021 17:03:45 +0000

Seismic Evaluation of Hazard-Resistant Lifelines: Fusible PVC Pipe and Fittings Brad Wham Sun, 07/18/2021 - 11:03

Project Title: Seismic Evaluation of Hazard-Resistant Lifelines: Fusible PVC Pipe and Fittings

Industry Partners: Aegion Corportation - Underground Solutions Inc.

CIEST Personnel: Cory Ihnotic, Jessica Ramos, D.K Anderson, David Balcells

Primary Investigator: Prof. Brad Wham

Year: 2021

Project Summary: The intent of this study is to impose external loading conditions to test specimens that are representative of the significant deformations possible during earthquake-induced ground motions such as landsliding, fault rupture, and liquefaction-induced lateral spreading, characterizing the pipeline system capacity. This testing program seeks to define the seismic response of fusible PVC (fPVC) pipeline systems with both fused connections and external couplings, illustrating procedures and best practices for conducting full-scale tests and interpreting laboratory results. Thirteen large-scale tests were performed on 6-in. diameter DR18 (PC235) fusible PVC pipe (C900) with three different connection types. Test specimens were subjected to tension, compression, cyclic, and four point bending tests, determining the ultimate load capacity for each system in both axial and transverse directions.

Link to report: /center/ciest/sites/default/files/attached-files/240724_ciest-ugs_fusible_report_to_be_published.pdf

The intent of this study is to impose external loading conditions to test specimens that are representative of the significant deformations possible during earthquake-induced ground motions such as landsliding, fault rupture, and liquefaction-induced lateral spreading, characterizing the pipeline system capacity.

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