Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the Degree of Magister Technologiae: Civil Engineering, Durban University of Technology, 2013. / The urgent need to rehabilitate or replace ageing deteriorated buried potable water pipeline networks is one of the many critical service utility provision challenges faced within the municipalities in South Africa. The majority of these unreliable deteriorated pipeline networks consist of un-dipped (not coated with bitumen) AC piping which have long passed their planned economic and technical lifespan. Traditionally, the open trenching method has been utilised for the replacement of aged and deteriorated piping. However, this traditional open trenching method has shown to be expensive and difficult to implement, particularly in congested high traffic use urban areas. The need to rehabilitate or replace the ageing deteriorated buried potable water pipelines in South Africa, taking into account the above mentioned expensive factors has a solution. This solution is termed ‘trenchless technology’ and sometimes also termed ‘no dig’. Recent advancements in trenchless technologies now include innovative methods such as pipe bursting, close-fit lining and sliplining. Close-fit compact pipe manufactured by Wavin Overseas B.V. was newly introduced in South Africa in 2010 for the rehabilitation of deteriorated pipelines. These trenchless methods require further research into their technical application merits, drawbacks and costs in relation to the traditional open trenching method in order to determine which method is more expensive and also least suitable. Traditionally, the ‘total cost’ associated with pipe rehabilitation or replacement projects consisted only of the direct costs. The indirect and socio-economic inconvenience costs were often ignored and resulted in costly expenses to the municipalities. However, this research will show that these indirect and socio-economic inconvenience costs must form part of the total cost of a project as it assists with the successful completion of the project without expensive unforeseen costs to the municipalities. In addition, this research will provide insight as to which indirect and socio-economic inconveniences are dominantly experienced by the public. To achieve this, a quantitative socio-economic survey questionnaire was developed. This questionnaire was aimed at residents and business owners who were affected during a project of this nature. This research study will serve as a support tool to municipalities of South Africa when selecting a pipe rehabilitation or replacement method. This support tool will provide key technical merits and drawbacks of the traditional open trenching method, pipe bursting method, close-fit compact pipe method and sliplining method. In addition, this research study will compare the ‘total cost’ of the traditional open trenching method against the trenchless pipe bursting method. The decision making process lies in the hands of the municipal technical managers. Therefore, their knowledge and experience of up to date information on trenchless methods (as well as the traditional open trenching method) is vitally important. This research provides insight as to the knowledge and experience of technical municipal staff on trenchless methods, its application and use in South Africa. A quantitative survey questionnaire was developed by the researcher. This questionnaire was aimed at technical staff in the water departments of district and local municipalities of South Africa. The results of the above questionnaire surveys formed part of the eThekwini Water and Sanitation (EWS) Feasibility study funded by the Dutch Government. When comparing the costs of the trenchless pipe bursting method against the traditional open trenching method, the results revealed that trenchless methods are undoubtedly cheaper and far less disruptive to the public. The results of the socio-economic survey revealed that trenchless methods were preferred by the public since it was less disturbing and the hindrances experienced were also far less than the traditional open trenching method. The results of the technical municipal survey questionnaire revealed that at least 50% of municipal technical staff of South Africa are not adequately informed about trenchless methods, its application and technical merits and drawbacks respectively. This survey questionnaire revealed that South Africa may be advancing over the years on the use of trenchless methods, however, more educating in the form of training, seminars and other methods of marketing must be undertaken starting at a municipal level.

This research investigates the mechanism of transgranular stress corrosion cracking (TGSCC) on fuel transmission pipelines. This research proposes that in near-neutral pH environments, hydrogen can be generated by the dissociation of carbonic acid and the reaction of metal ions with bicarbonate solutions, significantly increasing the available hydrogen for diffusion into the pipeline steel. This research has shown that TGSCC of pipeline steels is possible in simple groundwater solutions containing bicarbonate ions and carbon dioxide. Microstructural characterization coupled with hydrogen permeation indicates that the level of strain in the microstructure has the most influence on hydrogen diffusivity. Hydrogen accumulation occurs preferentially in at high energy discontinuous interfaces such as inclusion interfaces. It was determined that a stress concentration is required to facilitate sufficient hydrogen accumulation in the pipeline steel in order to initiate TGSCC. It was discovered that these stress concentrations develop from inclusions falling out of the pipeline surface. Slow strain rate tests found that TGSCC occurred in a wide range of compositions and temperatures as long as near-neutral conditions were maintained. Microcracks ahead of the crack tip provide evidence of hydrogen in these cracking processes. Morphology of these microcracks indicates that cracks propagate by the coalescence of microcracks with the main crack tip. Further research findings, scientific impact, and potential future work are also discussed.

Thesis (M. Eng.), Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1999. / Bibliography: p. 204-205.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 355-372).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2007. / Dr. J. David Frost, Committee Chair ; Dr. G. Wayne Clough, Committee Co-Chair ; Dr. William F. Marcuson III, Committee Member ; Dr. Paul W. Mayne, Committee Member ; Dr. Susan Burns, Committee Member.

Sveriges kommunala spillvattenledningsnät står idag inför en enorm utmaning, då eftersattunderhåll i kombination med klimatförändringar kommer kräva stora framtida investeringaroch tidskrävande analyser. Detta examensarbete har utförts med målet att förenkla dettastundande förnyelsearbete. Som metod har en enkät utformats, och besvarats av totalt 84kommuner, med syftet att presentera en lägesbild. Vidare har ett artificiellt neuralt nätverkutvecklats, och tillämpats på data från Täby kommun, med syftet att förutspå vilkaspillvattenledningar i ett ledningsnät som har behov av förnyelse. Resultatet visar att det finns ett stort förbättringsbehov i det strategiska förnyelsearbetet.Störst behov, och potential, finns i hantering och insamling av data, där artificiella neuralanätverk kan tillämpas och utnyttjas som ett effektivt och intelligent verktyg. Det artificiellaneurala nätverket som utvecklats, och tillämpats, i detta examensarbete uppnådde en högprecision (93 %), och beräknade att Täby kommun har ca 10-20 spillvattenledningar medoupptäckt förnyelsebehov. Detta bör dock tas med viss reservation pga. bristandedatakvalitet. Avslutningsvis kan konstateras att lösningen för framtidens ledningsförnyelserelateradeproblem och utmaningar, ligger i förmågan att effektivt och intelligent samla in, struktureraoch analysera data om ledningsnäten. Artificiella neurala nätverk är ett verktyg som kanoch bör användas för detta ändamål då man, med hjälp av artificiell intelligens, kan göraprecisa analyser och skapa helhetsbilder över ledningsnät, vilket kan spara bådefinansiella, temporala och personella resurser. / Aging sewer systems and deferred maintenance pose one of the greatest challenges toSwedish municipal infrastructure in the future. This degree project has been completedwith the aim to develop a method with which to sufficiently solve these future challenges,and help decision makers to properly invest in the networks, and optimise the pipe renewalprocess. As a methodology, a survey has been created, and answered by 84representatives from various municipalities and water and waste organisations, in order topresent a deeper understanding of the current situation in Sweden. Furthermore, anartificial neural network has been developed, and trained with data from Täby municipality,with the purpose of predicting which pipes in a sewer network that need to be renewed. The results show that there is a great need for improvement in the strategic renewalplanning. The greatest need, and potential, is found in the collection and processing ofdata, where artificial neural networks can be applied as a highly efficient and intelligenttool, which is proven by the high accuracy (93 %) and strong ability to predict pipes withrenewal needs (ca 10-20 pipes for Täby municipality) that the neural network developedfor this degree project showed. It is, however, important to emphasize that the quality ofthe obtained data from Täby was relatively low, and that the results therefore has to beviewed with some skepticism. It is nevertheless reasonable to assume that artificial intelligence, and more specifically,artificial neural networks, will play an important role in tackling future challenges related tostrategic asset management and renewal planning for underground sewer infrastructure.The main solution lies in the ability to efficiently and intelligently collect, structure, andprocess data, and this is a field where artificial neural networks, as made evident by thisdegree project, certainly have abilities to flourish and contribute to savings in bothfinancial, temporal and human resources.

The various aspects of the 3D cellular confinement systems (geocells) subjected to static loading are comprehensively studied with the help of experimental and numerical studies. The performances of the geocells were separately studied in both sand and clay beds. Laboratory tests were performed on single as well as multiple cells. The behavior of 3D-cells made of different materials such as Novel polymeric alloy, geogrids and bamboo were compared. Moreover, the performances of the geocells were compared with other forms of geosynthetic reinforcements namely, geogrids and the combination of geocells and geogrids. In addition to comprehensive experimental study, 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional numerical modelling efforts are also presented. A Realistic approach of modelling the geocells in 3D framework has been proposed; which considers the actual curvature of the geocell pockets. An Analytical equation has been proposed to estimate the increase in the bearing capacity of the geocell reinforced soft clay beds. Similarly, a set of equations to estimate the stress and strains on the surface of the geocells subjected to compressive loading were also proposed. A case study highlighting the innovative use of the geocell foundation to support the embankment on soft settled red mud has been documented in the thesis. A new and emerging application of geocell to protect underground utilities and the buried pipelines has been proposed. At the end, behavior of the geocell under cyclic loading has also been discussed. Firstly, laboratory model tests were performed to understand the behavior of the geocells in sand and clay beds. Test results of unreinforced, geogrid reinforced, geocell reinforced, and geocell reinforced with additional planar geogrid at the base of the geocell cases were compared separately for sand and clay beds. Results revealed that the use of geocells increases the ultimate bearing capacity of the sand bed by 2.9 times and clay bed by 3.6 times. Provision of the basal geogrid increases the ultimate load carrying capacity of the sand and clay bed by about 3.6 times and 4.9 times, respectively. Besides increasing the load carrying capacity, provision of the planar geogrid at the base of the cellular mattress arrests the surface heaving and prevents the rotational failure of the footing. Geocells contribute to the load carrying capacity of the foundation bed, even at very low settlements. In addition, the effect of infill materials on the performance of the geocell was also studied. Three different infill materials, namely aggregate, sand and local red soil were used in the study. Results suggest that the performance of the geocell was not heavily influenced by the infill materials. Out of which aggregate found to be slightly better than other two infill materials. Further, 2-dimensional numerical studies using FLAC2D (Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua in 2D) were carried out to validate the experimental findings. The equivalent composite approach was used to model the geocells in 2-dimensional framework. The results obtained from the FLAC2D were in good agreement with the experimental results. However, in the sand bed, FLAC2D overestimated the bearing pressure by 15% to 20% at higher settlements. In addition, the joint strength and the wall deformation characteristics of the geocells were studied at the single cell level. The study helps to understand the causes for the failure of the single cell in a cellular confinement system. Experimental studies were conducted on single cells with cell pockets filled up with three different infill materials, namely, silty clay, sand and the aggregates. The results of the experimental study revealed that the deformation of the geocell wall decreases with the increase in the friction angle of the infill material. Measured strain values were found to be in the range of 0.64% to 1.34% for different infill materials corresponding to the maximum applied bearing pressure of 290 kPa. Experimental results were also validated using FLAC3D. Findings from the numerical studies were in accordance with the experimental results. A simple analytical model based on the theory of thin cylinders was also proposed to calculate the accumulated strain of the geocell wall. This model operates under a simple elastic solution framework. The proposed model slightly overestimates the strains as compared to experimental and numerical values. A realistic approach of modelling the geocells in 3-dimensional (3D) framework has been proposed. Numerical simulations have been carried out by forming the actual 3D honeycomb shape of the geocells using the finite difference package FLAC3D. Geocells were modeled using the geogrid structural element available in the FLAC 3D with the inclusion of the interface element. Geocells, foundation soil and the infill soil were modeled with the different material model to match the real case scenario. The Mohr Colombo model was used to simulate the behavior of the sand bed while modified Cam clay was used to simulate the behavior of the clay bed. It was found that the geocells distribute the load in lateral direction to a relatively shallow depth as compared to unreinforced case. More than 50% reduction in the stress in the presence of geocells and more than 70% reduction in the stress in the presence geocells with basal geogrid were observed in sand and clay beds. The numerical model was also validated with the experimental studies and the results were found to be in good agreement with each other. The validated numerical model was used to study the influence of various properties of the geocells on the performance of the reinforced foundation beds. The performance of the foundation bed was directly influenced by the modulus and the height of the geocells. Similarly, the pocket size of the geocell inversely affected the performance of the reinforced beds. The geocell with textured surface yielded better performance than the geocell with smooth surface. A case history of the construction of a 3 m high embankment on the geocell foundation over the soft settled red mud has been documented. Red mud is a waste product from the Bayer process of Aluminium industry. The reported embankment is located in Lanjigharh (Orissa) in India. The geotechnical problems of the site, the design of the geocell foundation based on experimental investigation and the construction sequences of the geocell foundations in the field are discussed. Based on the experimental studies, an analytical model was also developed to estimate the load carrying capacity of the soft clay bed reinforced with geocell and the combination of geocell and geogrid. The solution was established by superimposing the three mechanisms viz. lateral resistance effect, vertical stress dispersion effect and the membrane effect. By knowing the pressure applied on the geocell, tensile strength of the geogrid and the limiting settlement, the increment in the load carrying capacity can be calculated. The analytical model was validated with the experimental results and the results were found to be in good agreement with each other. The results of the experimental and analytical studies revealed that the use of the combination of geocell and the geogrid is always beneficial than using the geocell alone. Hence, the combination of geocell and geogrid was recommended to stabilize the embankment base in Lanjigharh. Over 15,000 mof embankment base was stabilized using geocell foundation. The foundation work was completed within 15 days using locally available labors and the equipment. Construction of the embankment on the geocell foundation has already been completed. The constructed embankment has already sustained two monsoon rains without any cracks and seepage. Like Aluminum tailings (redmud), geocell foundations can also be used in various other mine tailings like zinc, copper etc. Geocell foundation can offer potential solutions to storage problems faced by various mining industries. The thesis also proposes a potential alternative to the geocells in the form of bamboocells in order to suit the Indian scenario. Indian has the 2nd largest source of bamboo in the world. The areas particularly rich in bamboo are the North Eastern States, the Western Ghats, Chattisgarh and Andaman Nicobar Islands. The tensile strength and surface roughness of the bamboo was found to be 9 times and 3 times higher than geocell materials. In order to use the bamboo effectively, 3D cells (similar to geocells) and 2D grids (similar to geogrids) are formed using bamboo known as bamboocells and bamboogrids respectively. The idea behind forming bamboocells is to extract the additional confining effect on the encapsulated soil by virtue of its 3-dimensional shape. The laboratory investigations were performed on a clay bed reinforced with natural (bamboo) and commercial (geosynthetics) reinforcement materials. The performance of bamboocells and bamboogrids reinforced clay beds were compared with the clay bed reinforced with geocells and geogrids. The ultimate bearing capacity of the bamboocell and bamboogrid reinforced clay bed was found to be 1.3 times that of reinforced with geocell and geogrid. The settlement of the clay bed was reduced by 97% due to the insertion of the combination of the bamboocell and bamboogrid as compared to the unreinforced clay bed. The bamboo was treated chemically to increase the durability. The performance of the bamboo was reduced by 15-20% after the chemical treatment; still the performance was better than its geosynthetic counterparts. Analytical studies revealed that the 3% of the ultimate tensile strength of the bamboogrid was mobilized while resisting the footing load. The study also explored the new and innovative applications of the geocells to protect underground utilities and buried pipelines. The laboratory model tests and the numerical studies were performed on small diameter PVC pipes, buried in geocell reinforced sand beds. In addition to geocells, the efficacy of only geogrid and geocell with additional basal geogrid cases were also studied. A PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) pipe with external diameter 75 mm and thickness 1.4 mm was used in the experiments. The vehicle tire contact pressure was simulated by applying the pressure on the top of the bed with the help of a steel plate. Results suggest that the use of geocells with additional basal geogrid considerably reduces the deformation of the pipe as compared to other types of reinforcements. Further, the depth of placement of pipe was also varied between 1B to 2B (B is the width of loading plate) below the plate in the presence of geocell with additional basal geogrid. More than 50% reduction in the pressure and more than 40% reduction in the strain values were observed in the presence of reinforcements at different depths as compared to the unreinforced beds. Further, experimental results were validated with 3-dimensional numerical studies using 3D FLAC. Good agreement in the measured pipe stain values were observed between the experimental and numerical studies. In addition, the results of the 1-g model tests were scaled up to the prototype case of the shallow buried pipeline below the pavement using the appropriate scaling laws. The efficacy of the geocells was also studied under the action of cyclic loading. The laboratory cyclic plate load tests were performed in soft clay bed by considering the three different cases, namely, unreinforced, geocell reinforced and geocell with additional basal geogrid reinforced. The coefficient of elastic uniform compression (Cu) was evaluated from the cyclic plate load tests for the different cases. The Cu value was found to increase in the presence of geocell reinforcement. The maximum increase in the Cu value was obtained for the case of the clay bed reinforced with the combination of geocell and the geogrid. The results of the laboratory model tests were extrapolated to prototype foundation supporting the low frequency reciprocating machine. The results revealed that, in the presence of the combination of geocell and the geogrid the natural frequency of the foundation-soil system increases by 4 times and the amplitude of the vibration reduces by 92%.