• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.23-32
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• 2023

The seismic performance of buried PE pipes is reported to be favorable due to their exceptional elongation capacity at break. Although a seismic performance evaluation procedure based on the response displacement method has been summarized in Korea for fusion-bonded PE pipes, there is currently no procedure available for mechanically jointed PE pipes. This article aims to present a seismic performance evaluation procedure based on the response displacement method specifically designed for mechanically jointed PE pipes in Korea. When employing the mechanical joining method for PE pipes, it is recommended to adhere to the evaluation procedure established for segment-type pipes. This involves assessing the stress induced by the pipe, the expansion and contraction strain of the joint, and the bending angle of the pipe joint. Furthermore, the coefficient of inhomogeneity of the soil, which is necessary for estimating the axial strain of the ground, is introduced. Additionally, a computation method for determining lateral displacement and reconsolidation settlement in soil susceptible to liquefaction is proposed. As a result of the sensitivity analysis considering the typical soil condition in Korea, the mechanically jointed PE pipe with a certain quality was shown to have good structural seismic safety when soil liquefaction was not considered. This procedure serves as a valuable tool for seismic design and evaluating the seismic performance of mechanically joined buried PE pipes, which are primarily utilized for connecting small-diameter pipes.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.64-71
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• 2016

According to the urban gas business law, electrical corrosion prevention measures shall be installed to the buried gas pipelines and the pipe-to-soil potentials should be measured at the test box at least once a year. Most of the test boxes installed in urban area are usually located on the road where the vehicle travels, therefore, it is difficult to measure the CP potentials at the test boxes. That is, we need traffic control when carrying out the measurement of the CP potentials on daytime when the traffic is heavy, or we have to measure the potentials in the late night when the traffic is light. To solve these difficulties, we have studied remotely CP potential measuring method by using the patrol car. We have installed solid reference electrodes and data loggers under the test boxes on the site and received the CP potentials from the data loggers when the vehicle moves. It was difficult to send and receive the data because the data logger was located under the ground. We have applied 3 different method including 2 antenna systems to achieve best effective way in receiving the data. We have found the remote CP measuring method by using a car can save more 20 times of measuring time than conventional measuring methods.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.39-45
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• 2024

Seismic safety of expansion joints for piping systems has been underscored by water pipe ruptures and leaks resulting from the Gyeongju and Pohang earthquakes. Metal bellows in piping systems are applied to prevent damage from earthquakes and road subsidence in soft ground. Designed with a series of corrugated segments called convolutions, metal bellows exhibit flexibility to accommodate displacements. Several studies have examined variations in convolution shapes and layers based on the intended performance to be evaluated. Nonetheless, the research on the seismic performance of complex bellows having multiple corrugation heights is limited. In this study, monotonic loading tests, cyclic loading tests, and fatigue tests were conducted to evaluate the shear performance in seismic conditions, of metal bellows with variable convolution heights. Single- and triple-layer bellows were considered for the experimentation. The results reveal that triple-layer bellows exhibit larger maximum deformation and fatigue life than single-layer bellows. However, the high stiffness of triple-layer bellows in resisting internal pressure poses certain disadvantages. The convolutions are less flexible at lower displacements and experience leakage at a rate related to the variable height of the convolutions in certain conditions. At lower deformation rates, the fatigue life is rated higher as the number of layers increase. It converges to a similar fatigue life at higher deformation rates.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.265-280
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• 2020

External corrosion of buried pipes can be controlled using both coating and cathodic protection. However, deterioration of the coating can occur due to several reasons. The detection reliabilty of coating flaw detection methods is affected by interference such as metal objects connected to rectifiers and copper grids. When performing parallel direct current voltage gradient (DCVG) inspection, a sine wave form without potential reversal in voltage gradient appears in the area where the interference exists. However, this area may be not identified using existing methods. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of analyzing direction on the reliability of coating flaw detection of pipes buried in soil using a multi-electrode detector. DCVG on the buried pipe was measured along the buried pipe. This measurement parallel to the pipe was repeated. Measured data were analyzed for parallel, vertical, and diagonal directions. The reliability of coating flaw detection was improved by up to 46.4% compared to the conventional method.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.115-127
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• 2017

Coal tar-coated pipes buried in a domestic nuclear power plant have operated under the cathodic protection. This work conducted the simulation of the coating performance of these pipes using a FEM method. The pipes, being ductile cast iron have been suffered under considerably high cathodic protection condition beyond the appropriate condition. However, cathodic potential measured at the site revealed non-protected status. Converting from 3D CAD data of the power plant to appropriate type for a FEM simulation was conducted and cathodic potential under the applied voltage and current was calculated using primary and secondary current distribution and physical conditions. FEM simulation for coal tar-coated pipe without defects revealed over-protection condition if the pipes were well-coated. However, the simulation for coal tar-coated pipes with many defects predict that the coated pipes may be severely degraded. Therefore, for high risk pipes, direct examination and repair or renewal of pipes are strongly recommended.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.937-957
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• 2017

Urban roads are not only congested with vehicles and pedestrians, but also have many pipelines buried to provide convenience for inhabitants. In addition, urban inhabitants live comfortably in buildings adjacent to the road for residence, business, commerce, rest and so on. Therefore, despite the high cost of land, urban underground buildings with high land use efficiency are constantly being built. Recently, the construction of underground buildings has caused social problems such as the collapse of surrounding roads and adjacent buildings. Institutional improvement is being actively carried out to improve this. In this study, a new type of MSRC diaphragm wall was developed and a study on the construction method of underground building was carried out. It is intended to secure the underground excavation safety of underground buildings in urban areas and effectively prevent land subsidence complaints. Also, a reasonable design method of MSRC diaphragm walls using the ultimate strength design method is presented through the flexural performance Experiment.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.211-223
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• 2020

The external corrosion of buried piping can be controlled using both coating and cathodic protection. Several factors are involved in the damage and deterioration of the coating on pipes. There are many detection methods for coating defects on pipes and the direct current voltage gradient (DCVG) method is one of the most powerful methods. However, the detection reliability of DCVG can be affected by interferences such as stray current, metal objects connected to rectifiers, and copper grids. Therefore, this study focused on the interference effects of rectifiers and a copper grid on the reliability of coating flaw detection. As the length of the interference pipe connected to the rectifier increased, the reliability decreased. In contrast, as the distance between the pipe and the copper grid increased, the reliability of the coating flaw detection increased. The detection results produced by the DCVG method were discussed using current and potential simulations for a pipe with a rectifier and copper grid interference in the soil.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.372-380
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• 2022

The external corrosion control of buried pipes can be achieved by a combination of coatings and cathodic protection to maximize effectiveness. One of the factors affecting cathodic protection is the environmental soil conditions. Because soil is a kind of electrolyte, the environmental conditions of soil may be changed by the atmospheric environment. Therefore, in this study, changes in environmental soil factors by atmospheric environmental factors were monitored. In cathodic protection, on-potential and off-potential were measured from December 2021 to July 2022. The effects of external environmental factors and soil environmental factors on cathodic protection were analyzed. Changes in outdoor temperature affected soil temperature, and soil conductivity had a proportional relationship with soil humidity, but outdoor humidity and precipitation did not significantly affect humidity and conductivity of the soil. In contrast, in cathodic protection, the on-potential was affected by temperature, humidity, the conductivity of the soil, and the anode used, but the off-potential was little affected by these factors.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.213-220
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• 2023

Seismic fragility curves play a crucial role in assessing potential seismic losses and predicting structural damage caused by earthquakes. This study compares non-sampling-based methods of seismic fragility curve derivation, particularly the probabilistic seismic demand model (PSDM) and finite element reliability analysis (FERA), both of which require employing sophisticated finite element analysis to evaluate and predict structural damage caused by earthquakes. In this study, a three-dimensional finite element model of API 5L X65, a buried gas pipeline widely used in Korea, is constructed to derive seismic fragility curves. Its seismic vulnerability is assessed using nonlinear time-history analysis. PSDM and a FERA are employed to derive seismic fragility curves for comparison purposes, and the results are verified through a comparison with those from the Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS). It is observed that the fragility curves obtained from PSDM are relatively conservative, which is attributed to the assumption introduced to consider the uncertainty factors. In addition, this study provides a comprehensive comparison of seismic fragility curve derivation methods based on sophisticated finite element analysis, which may contribute to developing more accurate and efficient seismic fragility analysis.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.168-179
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• 2022

Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) occurring in underground buried pipes of API 5L X65 steel was investigated. MIC is a corrosion phenomenon caused by microorganisms in soil; it affects steel materials in wet atmosphere. The microstructure and mechanical properties resulting from MIC were analyzed by OM, SEM/EDS, and mapping. Corrosion of pipe cross section was composed of ① surface film, ② iron oxide, and ③ surface/internal microbial corrosive by-product similar to surface corrosion pattern. The surface film is an area where concentrations of C/O components are on average 65 %/16 %; the main components of Fe Oxide were measured and found to be 48Fe-42O. The MIC area is divided into surface and inner areas, where high concentrations of N of 6 %/5 % are detected, respectively, in addition to the C/O component. The high concentration of C/O components observed on pipe surfaces and cross sections is considered to be MIC due to the various bacteria present. It is assumed that this is related to the heat-shrinkable sheet, which is a corrosion-resistant coating layer that becomes the MIC by-product component. The MIC generated on the pipe surface and cross section is inferred to have a high concentration of N components. High concentrations of N components occur frequently on surface and inner regions; these regions were investigated and Na/Mg/Ca basic substances were found to have accumulated as well. Therefore, it is presumed that the corrosion of buried pipes is due to the MIC of the NRB (nitrate reducing bacteria) reaction in the soil.