Articles

CFRP Pipe Repair: How To Ensure Success

Casey A. Sturrup and Brian J. Toney

Lining damaged pipes with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) can be an efficient and
reliable fix, but one that can go awry without quality assurance and control.

Numerous articles have been written describing the condition of existing infrastructure and
the importance of maintaining critical services during our current times (Antoniewicz and
Radzinski). A major segment of infrastructure is piping. Piping concerns exist for many
industries (e.g., drinking water, wastewater, power generation) and keeping water moving is
critical for not only emergency services but for maintaining the flow of life for all. Downtime
for repairs and replacements of piping is expensive, disruptive, and time-consuming. One
technology being used in the piping industry is lining existing pipes with carbon fiber
reinforced polymer (CFRP).

Pipe lining is a well-established process with many references available explaining the
materials and techniques used. What is not as well-known are the quality control measures
required to ensure a successful installation. All the planned advantages of pipe lining (e.g., less
excavation, shortened time out of service, less disruption to above-ground operations) can
quickly evaporate if the work is not performed correctly. Accurate quality assurance/quality
l ll f df
control (QA/QC) allows for greater engineering certainty and faster pipe reopening.

CFRP Lining Technology

U.S. universities began researching the use of CFRP for civil and structural applications in the
late 1980s. The next decade saw CFRP gain acceptance for the strengthening of building
components within the engineering and construction industries. CFRP was first used for the
strengthening of large-diameter underground prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) in the
late 1990s. By the early 2000s, various municipal utilities began experimental use of CFRP
lining for degraded PCCP; and by 2009, several utilities had begun to issue contracts for
installation of CFRP liners for renewal projects (Zarghamee).

Utilities then
sought a
consensus
standard for the
design and
installation of
CFRP renewal
and
Table 1. CFRP Attributes » strengthening of
their PCCP lines.
In response, the
American Water Works Association (AWWA) approved the development of a standard (AWWA
C305) and assigned the responsibility to the AWWA Standards Committee on Concrete
Pressure Pipe (Zarghamee).

There are many advantages to the repairing and/or strengthening of existing piping with CFRP.
See Table 1 for a listing of CFRP attributes.

For information on the design and installation of CFRP, please see AWWA, Zarghamee 2019,
Zarghamee 2017, Zarghamee 2013, and Zarghamee 2016.

QA/QC

CFRP linings are used in cracked, damaged, or leaking prestressed concrete pipes to act as a
“pipe within a pipe” to extend the life span of the existing pipe and to get it back in service
without extensive downtime or cost. Because of the varying design requirements, engineers
work closely with clients to determine the properties of the material when being applied in
either new lay-ups/configurations or existing tried-and-true systems. Lay-up configuration can
vary by the number of plies, weave direction, and/or inclusion of a bidirectional glass fiber
reinforcement.

For every section of pipe that is repaired, there is a suite of tests that must be completed to
ensure that the installed product meets the design requirements before being put into service,
with the tests falling into two categories — chemical testing and physical testing — both of
which are required to fully understand the as-installed materials. As further described below,
chemical testing is performed on samples of the installed material mainly to investigate the
degree of cure, while physical testing is performed in the field and laboratory on the as-
installed materials and on field-prepared witness samples.
Chemical Testing

Two-part structural epoxies are shipped to the construction site as two separate liquid
components: Part A (resin) and Part B (hardener). Once mixed, the parts react to form a solid
epoxy polymer. Because of this, the degree of reaction (or “cure”) is of primary importance
because it relates directly to mechanical strength and performance of the installed system.
Because the degree of curing testing can be correlated with physical properties, and because it
can be performed with much less cost and disruption than physical testing, it is often used as
a primary QA/QC measure once correlated to physical testing results.

Every time a molecule of Part A and Part B reacts, they release a certain amount of heat.
Therefore, the degree of cure can be determined by measuring the heat released by a partially
cured sample while it is forced to fully cure. This can be accomplished using a differential
scanning calorimeter (DSC). A DSC has a calibrated furnace capable of heating a sample
(forcing full cure), while also measuring the sample’s heat output. ASTM E2160 describes the
method for determining degree of cure of an epoxy using DSC.

Loading a sample into a DSC »

Glass transition temperature is another important property of epoxy that should be

considered. A rubber ball will bounce at room temperature but is brittle and will shatter if cold
enough. There is a small temperature range at which the ball goes from bouncy to brittle. That
temperature is defined as the glass transition temperature (Tg). This is different from freezing,
as the rubber doesn’t go from a liquid to a solid but instead from a rubbery solid to a brittle
solid.

Epoxy and other polymers behave in a similar manner, except these materials are intended to
operate as a rigid solid (belo the Tg) As an epo c res the glass transition temperat re
operate as a rigid solid (below the Tg). As an epoxy cures, the glass transition temperature
increases, meaning it becomes a rigid solid at higher temperatures. The epoxy cure reaction
slows dramatically once the epoxy transitions from a rubber to a brittle solid. Therefore, the
epoxy will cure until the glass transition temperature reaches that of its environment and then
slows severely. As a result, if a CFRP liner is cured at 80°F but put into service at 100°F, the
epoxy may temporarily soften. Because of this, pipe liner epoxies should be cured until the
glass transition temperature is above the operating temperature. ASTM E2160 describes a
method for determining the glass transition temperature of epoxies using DSC.

Physical Testing

Physical testing is performed in the field on the as-installed CFRP and on test/witness panels
made in the field with the material installed in the pipe so that the panels are a true
representation of the carbon fiber material and epoxy used in the system. The relevant
properties tested include, but aren’t limited to, tensile, shear, flexure, and adhesion.

It is necessary that physical testing be completed in parallel with chemical testing for
correlation to the DSC testing. Not only does the degree of cure need to be determined, but
physical testing is needed to determine if the liner is in fact strong enough to be put into
service. To determine strength, destructive physical testing on components of the CFRP lay-up
and the assembled system must be completed. Physical testing is performed utilizing universal
testing machines equipped with sensors and data acquisition software, as well as custom-
made fixtures to test assemblies.

ASTM D3039 tensile test with extensometers »

The physical testing performed to ensure high quality of the installed pipe includes tensile
testing of the witness panels to determine the carbon fiber material’s ultimate strength and
testing of the witness panels to determine the carbon fiber material s ultimate strength and
modulus of elasticity following ASTM D3039. Sectioned pieces of the witness panel are gripped
in a universal tester and pulled until failure, with extensometers recording strain data.
Multilayer tension tests are also performed to determine how tensile properties are affected
with additional layers.

To be sure that the pipe lining will not debond from the substrate, pull-off/adhesion testing
per ASTM D4541 must also be performed. To test the bond strength, a small test dolly is
applied to the surface and then pulled off while measuring the force required to do so. These
tests can be performed in the field while the lining is being installed (and then patched), as
well as conducted in the laboratory to verify lay-up or to trial new lay-ups.

Single- or double-lap shear testing is performed to determine shear strength of the fibers
bonded to a substrate following ASTM D3165 and ASTM D3528, respectively. Two pieces of in-
plane substrate are separated by a known gap over which the CFRP system is installed. These
two pieces are then pulled apart in tension, recording force and deflection to determine shear
strength.

Flexural tests per ASTM D6272 are conducted to determine the behavior of both the inner and
outer layers of a multilayer composite, with either side in tension or compression. A four-point
flexure fixture is set up, and the lay-up cross section is flexed while recording load and
deflection at midpoint with a deflectometer.

Hydrostatic burst testing, utilizing a precisely developed procedure, is a pressure test on a full
liner lay-up formed to the pipe diameter of the composite system. This testing involves
pressurizing a panel with water to determine at what pressure, strain, and deflection the
system will leak. This testing replicates how the system will behave if over-pressurized and
whether the lining will perform acceptably or if remediation is required.
ASTM D2412 parallel plate testing of hoop sections »

Crushing of large hoop sections of the liner per ASTM D2412 determines the stresses of full
pipe sections, as well as their strains and deflections under load. A ring of CFRP is stood on
end and instrumented with strain gauges, string potentiometers, and deflectometers; it is then
loaded in compression between two parallel plates until failure. This testing replicates how the
system will behave if compressed. All these tests have been performed to optimize the design
of these CFRP repairs. If proven that a liner can withstand the suite of physical tests utilizing
fewer layers, it will save time and money during installation while still being strong enough to
be put into service. If the system does not meet QA/QC standards, engineers will need to start
over, requiring a redesign of the repair.

“If proven that a liner can withstand the suite of

physical tests utilizing fewer layers, it will save time
and money during installation while still being
strong enough to be put into service.”

The Takeaway

CFRP pipe lining has proven to be a valuable piping repair technology. Compared to
conventional excavation-type repairs, it requires less excavation and disruption to above-
ground operations as well as shorter time out of service However without a thorough and
ground operations, as well as shorter time out of service. However, without a thorough and
accurate QA/QC program, all the positive CFRP returns can quickly vanish if the work is not
performed correctly. Accurate QA/QC allows for greater engineering certainty and faster pipe
reopening. A CFRP repair that does not have the required strength will require extensive and
expensive rework.

About The Authors

Casey A. Sturrup is a project consultant at Simpson Gumpertz &

Heger. Sturrup specializes in the design of nonstandard testing
procedures and material testing analysis. He focuses on performing
physical tests and data acquisition on various construction materials
and building mockup models. He has eight years of experience at SGH
solving multifaceted problems, including extensive work with CFRP,
utilizing destructive and nondestructive techniques.

Casey A. Sturrup »

Brian J. Toney is a project consultant at Simpson Gumpertz & Heger.

Toney provides analytical and polymer chemistry expertise for a
variety of projects, including failure investigations, rehabilitation, and
new designs. He has six years of experience at SGH solving a wide
range of complex material issues. With his broad expertise, he
performs comprehensive investigations of many materials and
systems, including extensive work with CFRP structural liners.

Brian J. Toney »