REHAB & REPAIR
Case study: Smart Lock restores badly damaged GWM Water network The Smart Lock solution for restoring the pipe was the least disruptive, the best value for money and generated the greatest long-term benefits.
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ocated in regional Victoria, local utility GWM Water discovered that one of the network drains had been badly damaged by an external source. The drain had a diameter of 375 mm, and damage was only the top third of the pipe. The repair proposal offered up several different options with varying cost and different degrees of difficulty accompanying each. It was important to work through the different scenarios with the client and look at what was going to deliver the best value for money, cause the least disruption, and generate the greatest long-term outcome.
There was the option of setting up a bypass line over a train line, which instinctively brings with it a complete set of complications that must be worked through, as well as the planning process and time restraints. By using this methodology, there were options to restore the line by either cutting it out and replacing it in its entirety or installing a new top section of host pipe and then patching the area using a bladder in the network. The second option of patching also brought its own challenges around formation of the patch, managing the host pipe repair under inflation, and the team would still have the
bypass line to work through. The suggestion was made to rebuild the line using Smart Lock. This was something the utility had not seen or used before on its network. Smart Locks can be installed to rebuild the line under flow, in this case removing the requirement of bypassing and managing the bypass across a train line. Once GWM Water saw the way that Smart Lock works, the client realised this was the best option on this desperately needed repair. GWM Water was impressed by how the stainless-steel banded together with the silicate impregnated fiberglass to restore the pipe’s shape and build structural
CCTV footage from inside underground pipe.
The Smart Lock is an innovative solution that is quick and easy, completed in three simple stages: load, lock and leave.
48 TRENCHLESS AUSTRALASIA APRIL 2022
GWM Water discovered that one of the network drains had been badly damaged by an external source.
