Plant Tours' PII Demos Drive Home Best Practices
(StormWaterSolutions.com) – Post-installation inspection demos at ACPA member plants generate excellent feedback
As post-installation inspection (PII) of underground storm systems becomes accepted practice in municipalities across the nation, the American Concrete Pipe Assn. (ACPA) has stepped up its efforts to provide hands-on experience and tools to contractors, consulting engineers and Department of Transportation personnel.
Dozens of post-installation inspection demonstrations have been hosted by members of the ACPA, attracting hundreds of participants in several states.
These demos typically include three key components led by industry experts:
- Detailed overview of post installation inspection and reinforced concrete pipe evaluation procedures;
- Introduction to, and overview of, robotic video and laser profiling analysis; and
- Plant tours.
Presentation topics typically include proper gasket and joint installation, identifying and repairing minor pipe damage, and each state DOT’s pipe inspection expectations.
During most tours of concrete pipe plants, viewing stations are set up to allow participants to observe reinforcement cage production, cage delivery, pipe removal from the floor, rounding ring removal, the pipe production machine, pipe production cycle, removal of the pipe to kiln cars, tip out, deburring, stenciling, quality control, yarding, a three-edge bearing (3EB) test and autogenous healing.
At a recent plant tour in Maryland, four units of pipe were intentionally cracked (to 0.01 and ultimate) a month earlier at the autogenous healing display. The pipes were displayed bell down on mastic sealant and filled with water. By the time of the demonstration, the units were almost completely healed.
The ACPA has urged storm system owners to conduct post-installation inspections on all types of pipe systems as a commonsense approach to quality assurance.
The association has developed a PII Demonstration Tool Kit for its members that includes sample PowerPoint presentations, how-to notes for key demonstration components and plant tour suggestions.