| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
Materials Science & Technology 2019
|
| Symposium
|
Failure Analysis: Industry Specific Failures
|
| Presentation Title |
Failure of Underground ABS Dry Compressed Air Piping |
| Author(s) |
Joseph Lemberg, Jared Schwartz, Steven MacLean |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Joseph Lemberg |
| Abstract Scope |
Two underground, dry, compressed air pipes manufactured from acrylonitile butadiene styrene (ABS) failed within four days of each other at a facility. The piping had been in service for at least a decade. Smooth, divot-like breaches were observed in the two failed pipes, suggesting a non-dynamic failure mode. Mechanical damage was observed on the outer surfaces of the pipes in close proximity to the through-wall breaches. It was determined that the breaches developed as a consequence of the recirculation of leaking air near foreign bodies (e.g., rocks or concrete). The recirculated air acting on the outside surface of the pipes led to material erosion and ultimately pipe failure. As a result of the observed pipe erosion, contamination of the piping surface or manufacturing defects in the piping could not be ruled out as contributing factors to the pipe failures. |