Interacting Threats Mitigated: Carbon Composite System’s Ability to Restore/Increase Pipeline Strength

Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRPs), a qualified structural building material for several industries, have recently demonstrated additional validation in pressure pipeline applications. With validated durability’s of their own, glass and carbon fiber reinforced polymers (GFRP and CFRP) have demonstrated significant ability to prevent and arrest corrosion in steel and concrete applications while increasing/renewing structural capacities of corroding elements. Although other coatings prevent deterioration of ferrous materials, CFRP and GRFP applications can reinforce and/or effectively replace the pipeline using the existing pipe as a composite form. GFRP and CFRP applications have proven ability in external applications of dented and artificially corroded pressure pipelines with interacting threats of girth and seam welds. The repair systems received cyclic loading up to 72% of the specified minimum yield strength and tested beyond 100,000 and 370,000 pressure cycles without failure for dents and simulated corrosion, respectively. This paper will provide a quick overview of relevant testing on GFRP and CFRP application for corrosion mitigation/rehabilitation with more detail on the recent validation of FRP applications for dented and corroded pressure pipes.