Behavior of High-Density Polyethylene Pipe with Shallow Cover

In this investigation, a testing program was initiated to gain some understanding of the nature of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) as a structural material and as a buried structure. The testing program consisted of a series of parallel plate tests, a sequence of flexural tests, and field tests of buried pipes under varying backfill conditions. Parallel plate tests were conducted in accordance with ASTM D2412. The flexural testing consisted of applying two point loads to simply supported beam specimens. The field tests completed in this investigation were developed to study the response of large-diameter HDPE to concentrated loads under shallow cover. From the testing, it seems that in cases where high longitudinal stresses may be present (concentrated loads with shallow cover, uneven bedding, uplift, etc.) the pipeline designer should consider the longitudinal strength of HDPE pipes in addition to the circumferential and backfill properties. In addition, the designer must realize that when stresses exist in both directions, the Poisson’s ratio effect must be considered. This finding is supported by the longitudinal failure strains measured during the flexural tests and the field tests. In both types of tests, the pipes failed at approximately the same longitudinal strain level, approximately 1,300 microstrain. On the other hand, in the field tests, the pipes never reached the magnitude of strain associated with failure in the laboratory parallel plate tests.