"Joint” collaboration: why destructive assessment post failure can synergize failure registration

“Pipe barrels consistently receive more attention than joints, when it comes to failure analyses and strategic planning [1]. Given that the number of pipe joints equals the number of pipe barrels, there is a need to understand this blind spot better. In the joint research program involving ten Dutch and one Flemish drinking water utilities, there is an increasing interest in identifying techniques that can perform non-destructive evaluation of joints and appurtenances [2]. Prior to inventorying the different techniques, it is important to understand how joints fail and identifying what needs to be measured to evaluate the joint condition. In the present study, this has been tackled by a two-pronged approach: analysis of registered failures and destructive evaluation of joints/appurtenances that were harvested from field.
This paper attempts to provide insights in how (frequently) joints fail, with extra focus on polyvinylchloride (PVC) and asbestos cement (AC), the two materials that dominate in the Netherlands. The study is top-down in nature, with the starting point being incidents in the real world. Our study emphasizes why drinking water utilities should consider investing in destructive assessment following failures, to ensure the efficacy of failure registration, in particular the subjective aspects.”

(Citation: Dash, A., Vreeburg, J.H.G. – “Joint” collaboration: why destructive assessment post failure can synergize failure registration – 19th Computing and Control for the Water Industry Conference, 4-7 September 2023)