Journal Published Online: 28 April 2025
Volume 48, Issue 5

Developing Soil Internal Erosion Indicator to Quantify Soil Internal Erosion around Defective Buried Pipes under Water Exfiltration

CODEN: GTJODJ

Abstract

Sinkholes caused by soil internal erosion around defective buried pipes pose a major threat to the safety of communities. The lack of test device to quantify soil erosion around defective pipes has hindered effective mitigation efforts. This study presents a self-designed soil internal erosion indicator to bridge this gap that includes five subsystems: a pressurized water supply system; soil erosion simulator system; eroded soil collection system; data collection system; and water recirculation system. Eleven experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of pipe internal pressure (P), maximum soil particle size (MPS), orifice size (Dh), and Proctor compaction (i.e., density, PC) on soil internal erosion under exfiltration conditions. Key findings from this study are that soil erosion progresses through three phases—initial, developing, and finish; pipe internal pressure moderately affects erosion across all phases; MPS plays a significant role; soil erosion stopped at a certain point when the ratio of orifice size to MPS is between 6.35 and 14.94 and a stable soil arch was formed; larger orifice sizes create larger erosion cavities; and Proctor compaction has minimal effect. These findings can help improve strategies for preventing soil internal erosion around defective pipes, which will enhance infrastructure safety and sustainability.

Author Information

Abegaz, Ruth
Department of Mechanical, Environmental, and Civil Engineering, Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX, USA
Wang, Fei
Richard A. Rula School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA
Xu, Jun
Department of Mechanical, Environmental, and Civil Engineering, Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX, USA
Pierce, Trevor
Department of Mechanical, Environmental, and Civil Engineering, Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX, USA
Moody, Matthew
Department of Mechanical, Environmental, and Civil Engineering, Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX, USA
Pages: 19
Price: $25.00
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Details
Stock #: GTJ20240122
ISSN: 0149-6115
DOI: 10.1520/GTJ20240122