Elastic buckling of cylindrical pipe linings with small imperfections subject to external pressure

Abstract

Pipe linings are increasingly being used to extend the effective lifespan of pipe systems. A common situation arises when a thin-walled cured in place (polymeric) pipe is installed in a nominally cylindrical deteriorating gravity sewer to restore hydraulic integrity. Under these circumstances the prime structural requirement on the lining is to develop sufficient buckling capacity to resist the external head of groundwater pressure that usually builds up in the pipe-lining annulus. This paper develops a simple elastic buckling criterion for these systems assuming the constraint offered by the host pipe and surrounding ground can be considered as rigid, with small geometric imperfections between the host pipe and lining. The accuracy of the results obtained from the simplified analysis is demonstrated by comparison with those derived by a fully consistent formulation. © 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.