Pipe Repair and Reinforcement
Pipe Repair and Reinforcement with FRP
The repair and reinforcing with carbon fiber, by deterioration product which is generated in the internal structure of pipes thereof, either in steel pipes, mainly caused by corrosion in pipes and concrete or reinforced concrete is mainly generated frequently caused by carbonation, sulfates, etc..
Traditional repairs
Among the most common alternative pipe repair, must replace the complete section of the pipe. Beside the installation of non-structural coating (which provide a corrosion barrier on the inner wall of the tube, but provides no structural reinforcement or restores steel damaged by corrosion) and structural coatings such as reinforced shotcrete (additional reinforcing steel is installed in the wall of the lance tube and concrete, which significantly reduces the hydraulic capacity of the tube, in addition to be prone to cracking and consequently vulnerable to damage by corrosion) and steel jackets (whose thickness depends on the degree of corrosion of steel, also the space between it and the tube is filled with mortar decreasing the internal diameter of the tube).
Innovative and effective repair of pipelines
Based coating FRP: Compound carbon fiber material thus is not subject to corrosion, is it light and thin and therefore almost no reduction in the internal diameter of tube with high resistance is generated voltage, is applied to the inner face of the pipe with quick installation, forming a barrier and therefore interrupting the process of corrosion of steel.
No maintenance, addition restores or increases the structural strength of both longitudinal and transverse reinforcement damaged tube, becoming a highly qualified plumbing repair solution.
Types FRP based coating in the repair of piping :
- PipeWrap saturated with epoxy resin at the site of the work and can mold to complex geometries such as horizontal curves , vertical , connections, etc. .
- PipeMedic is a rolled laminated plate requiring no on site saturation its elastic memory and generates diametral pressure inside of the tube , which allows its application to pipes of various diameters .
As mentioned above , this composite material is formed by reinforcing fibers embedded in a matrix of epoxy resin which protects the fiber and provides a means for uniform load distribution , resulting in a high strength reinforcement and quality used safely in the repair of pipelines .
Repair of concrete pipes , using carbon fiber allows :
- Maintain hydraulic pipe capacity saving considerable reductions inside diameter of the pipe.
Reducing inoperative time due to piping installation is much faster than other types of structural coating.
Reduced maintenance because the material is not affected by corrosion.
Finally, the economic cost to repair pipes with carbon fiber reinforcement is less than required with traditional repair techniques .