Laboratory Study on Geosynthetic Protection of Buried Steel-Reinforced HDPE Pipes from Static Loading

Geosynthetic layers above a pipe can potentially reduce the deflection and strain in the pipe attributable to static loads. This paper discusses the laboratory results of shallowly buried steel-reinforced high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes subjected to static loads with or without geogrid. In the testing, static loads were applied to a steel plate seated on the ground with a 0.61-m-diameter steel-reinforced HDPE pipe buried in a compacted-sand trench. Four static loading tests were run with two different base courses and geogrids inside and above the trench. The test section was instrumented to record pipe deflections, earth pressures, and strains in the pipe wall and geogrid. Installation deflections were monitored and compared with a theoretical model. The measured earth pressures were compared with those estimated by the current AASHTO live-load distribution method. Reduced deflections and strains of the pipe were recorded as a result of the geogrid reinforcement. The type of base course also affected the performance of the shallowly buried pipe. The important finding of this study is that the geogrid reduced the longitudinal strains in the plastic shell of the buried pipe subjected to surface static loading. (C) 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.