Jeff Mason of U.S. Pipe, and the University of California, Berkeley team standing in front of a 48-inch HDSS restrained joint ductile iron pipe test assembly.

U.S. Pipe has always been an industry leader in innovation. Not just for new pipe designs, but to ensure those designs are built to last the test of time. Time, however, can really push things to their breaking point.

To ensure that our designs are up to the challenge of time, U.S. Pipe staff recently participated in a workshop at the Center for Smart Infrastructure (CSI) at the University of California (UC), Berkeley. The Center for Smart Infrastructure was formed in 2021 as a collaboration between UC Berkeley and the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), that applies cutting-edge technology to tackle infrastructure challenges caused by climate change, aging systems, and natural hazards.

This workshop took our 48” HDSS restrained joint ductile iron pipe and submitted it to an abusive bending test. The goal of this test was to measure the performance of a pipeline that was subjected to severe ground deformations like the pipeline would experience during a landslide or a seismic event.

As expected, the HDSS joint performed exceptionally well. The testing apparatus that is used to test pipelines is designed to test to the breaking point, so it is extremely powerful. However, it was not powerful enough to break the HDSS joint. The testing apparatus reached the maximum force it could apply, 406 kips. A “kip” is equal to 1,000 pounds of force. Meaning the HDSS joint withstood 406,000 lbs. of force! Never breaking.

One comment from the attendees was “I guess this is the type of resiliency we should be putting in the ground”.

CSI uses this testing method on other types of pipe materials, like PVC and foreign ductile iron pipes.

You can read about the various other testing they have done here: https://smartinfrastructure.berkeley.edu/research/publications/
In addition to the product testing, there were presentations given by both UC Berkeley and various utilities on the innovative technologies they are exploring to better serve the water sector. Examples included: fiber optic applications for pipeline monitoring, real-time hazard response mapping, and various AI and machine learning applications.

It was an honor to work with such brilliant professionals and engineers to work on creating a truly resilient future for our water infrastructure. U.S. Pipe plans to continue our partnership with the Center for both product testing and market collaboration opportunities.