Quantifying Resistance of Reinforced Concrete Pipe Joints to Water Infiltration

Abstract

Hydrostatic joint performance for infiltration is a key design requirement for a reinforced concrete pipe (RCP) to withstand in situ groundwater pressure. However, current standards and test methods adopted by RCP manufacturers do not adequately consider this requirement, leading to higher risk of leaky joints. Moreover, existing in-field evaluation methods conducted during pipe installation commissioning have several limitations. Although RCP joint leakage highly depends on the installation quality, both the ultimate capacity and operating resistance against infiltration of commonly used joints and gasket profiles are still unknown. The authors have recently developed a new test method to evaluate RCP joint performance against infiltration. This paper analyzes the data collected from 85 full-scale infiltration tests measuring the ultimate and operating capacity of RCP ranging from 600 to 1,200 mm in diameter. The analysis demonstrates that critical parameters including the joint gap, gasket mass, annular space influence ratio, and time-dependent behavior significantly affect the RCP resistance to infiltration. The large testing program confirms that the new test method is simple, robust, safe, and reliable for measuring the infiltration capacity of RCP joints. Thus, it can be considered for routine quality control testing.