CONTECH Written

Written

Course Information
With the continued growth of infrastructure in America, the need for trusted pipe solutions in the sewer industry continues to pose challenges to designers and owners alike. The forecast for storm and sanitary sewer pipe is estimated to surpass $8 billion by 2026, equivalent to more than 700 million linear feet of pipe installation (The Freedonia Group, n.d.). Many of these new installations will be tested to ensure joint integrity.

This article focuses on items typical in sanitary sewers in collection systems and larger, which typically is 8-inch diameter or greater. For diameters 30 inches and larger, the ability to test systems becomes more difficult and can make some test methods impractical. Joint testing is dominated on the sanitary side of the industry, but there’s a growing trend to test critical storm sewers, especially in locations with high groundwater or contaminated soils. For the sake of this article, most references will be for sanitary sewers.

Author
Andrew M. JenkinsLearning Objectives
This article focuses on the unique considerations required for three-sided, prefabricated concrete structures installed below grade along with general site considerations for bridge construction. At the conclusion of this article, the reader should be able to:

• Understand the basic methods of testing installed sewer pipe joints.

• Identify the most-common ASTM specifications referenced in sewer pipe joint testing.

• Compare the various methods of testing installed sewer pipe joints.

• Recognize the challenges and limitations associated with testing large-diameter sewers.