Seismic Resilience of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Renewed Riveted Steel Pipe Using Finite Element Modeling

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) was designed per AWWA C305-18 Standard to renew sections of 90, 70, and 52-in. diameter riveted steel penstock pipes at a power plant in a seismically active area of California. The primary purpose of the CFRP lining was in 2018 not only to increase the structural capacity of the riveted steel pipe but also increased durability, strength, and corrosion resistance for the pipe. For the design of CFRP renewal, AWWA C305-18 Standard focuses on primary structural loads applied on the pipe but does not consider seismic resiliency In the present study, the seismic resiliency of CFRP liner renewed 90-in. riveted steel pipes was modeled using finite element modeling (FEM). Seismic performance of pipe samples was simulated using permanent ground deformation (PGD) obtained using American Lifeline Alliance 2005 (ALA) guidelines. The seismic resilience of the pipeline depends on the loading direction. In this study, the ground deformation (movement) was considered normal to the pipe axis. The three modes of failure of the renewed pipe for the load resistance factor design (LRFD): (1) tension rupture, (2) local buckling due to compression, and (3) general buckling were investigated and are discussed. This work shows that CFRP lining designed per AWWA C305-18 Standard increased the seismic resilience of a damaged or even an undamaged steel pipe, in addition to the other benefits identified above.