Heather McLeod

MSc Civil Engineering, 2008

Research: Ground Movements when Pipe Bursting in Clay

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During static pipe bursting, a conical bursting head is pulled through an existing pipe, breaking it, enlarging the cavity, and pulling a replacement pipe into place. Issues of interest during pipe bursting include ground movements resulting from enlargement of the soil cavity around the old pipe, which can damage other infrastructure in the vicinity.

Heather McLeod conducted three experiments replacing clay pipes in Illinois and she monitored replacement of five sewers at the RCMP Academy in Ottawa to measure the magnitude and pattern of surface movements. This provides information on vertical movements (uplift) as well as forward and lateral ground deformations. Each of these is associated with different types of potential distress in other infrastructure (overlying pavements, other pipes, or foundations nearby).

Heather used a servo-controlled total station and Particle Image Velocimetry (with assistance from Dr Andy Take) to establish the pattern of vertical and lateral soil movements when replacing rigid pipes buried in clay soils. The data is being used by PhD student Kazi Rahman who is developing three dimensional modeling techniques using ABAQUS to improve predictive methods for ground movements associated with Pipe Bursting.

Support from Marathon Drilling and TT Technologies

Pipe bursting operations were provided by Canadian trenchless contactor Marathon Drilling and US trenchless equipment developer and supplier TT Technologies.

Download Complete Research Summary (PDF 263KB)

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