Pipeline response to blasting in rock

Technical Report · Sun Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991

OSTI ID:6814472

Esparza, E D ^[1]

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1. Southwest Research Inst., San Antonio, TX (United States)

Twenty-one highway construction blasts were used to record pipeline data from production shots that consisted of small explosive arrays with delays among the explosive holes. A 30-in pipe section and a 12-in. pipeline in the vicinity of the highway construction work were instrumented with strain gages. The data provided an opportunity to determine if the estimating equations and techniques developed with soil data could be modified and applied to real world blasting situations in rock. The construction shots were fired in a solid rock area through which trenches for the pipes had been cut, and the pipes installed with a soil and fragmented rock backfill. Maxi pipe stresses induced by the blasts were computed from strains in circumferential and longitudinal directions. Analysis of these stresses and comparisons with soil blasting equations revealed that the single-point source equation provided a realistic upper-bound estimate of max stress to be expected in bench type construction blasting. However, additional work is required in model scale and actual scale experiments. Delays are also discussed. Analysis of ground vibration data was also performed. Several particle velocity prediction equations are reviewed, as well as problems in relating peak particle velocity data to pipe stress data. Use of pipe stress data to develop safe blasting criteria for buried pipelines is advocated instead of traditional peak particle velocity.

• Research Organization: American Gas Association, Inc., Arlington, VA (United States). Pipeline Research Committee; Southwest Research Inst., San Antonio, TX (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: AGA; American Gas Association, Inc., Arlington, VA (United States)
• OSTI ID: 6814472
• Report Number(s): AGA-93007084; CNN: Project PR 15-712; Project 06-1609
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
032000* -- Natural Gas-- Transport
Handling
& Storage
42 ENGINEERING
420205 -- Engineering-- Transport & Storage Facilities-- (1980-)
CONSTRUCTION
DATA
DOCUMENT TYPES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
EXPLOSIVE FRACTURING
FIELD TESTS
FRACTURING
GROUND MOTION
INFORMATION
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MOTION
NATURAL GAS DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS
NUMERICAL DATA
PIPELINES
PROGRESS REPORT
ROADS
SOILS
STRAIN GAGES
STRESSES
TESTING
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES