Hydraulic Infrastructure Maintenance Research
“Guidance for Selecting and Using Alternative Maintenance Methods to Avoid Full Pipe
Replacement”
Potential Product Summary Document
Description
The purpose of this research item is to determine effectiveness of innovative (alternative)
maintenance methods to reduce the number of pipes that need full replacement. For those
methods that are effective this work will include preparing a guidance instructions for the
methods. The work includes:
1. Review appendix 1 in this document “Appendix 1 – Mn/DOT Innovative
Maintenance Ideas”
2. Conduct field investigations where each of these techniques has been installed on
projects (possible contact: Jon Bergstrand, Duluth)
a. “Urethane foam or other expanding foam”
b. “Link Pipe brand stainless steel and PVC expansion bands”
c. ‘HDPE strips or 3/16" steel half bands anchored to the concrete pipe from
inside with "tar" or urethane foam seals.’ (See Appendix 1)
d. “Coating the ends of concrete pipe sections with closed cell foam or other
expansive material”. This applies to maintenance for a full pipe
replacement.
3. Evaluate “shotcrete retrofit” for steel corrugated culverts (research project P200301).
4. Conduct literature search for completed evaluations of any of the above methods
5. Prepare maintenance guidance instructions for the methods that proved to be
effective in the previous steps.
Sources (Research and Mn/DOT Experts):
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Research Problem Statement I09PS01
Research P2003-01 -- Repair of Metal Culverts - Phase II
Jon Bergstrand, Transp Specialist, Duluth District
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Appendix 1 – Mn/DOT Innovative Maintenance Ideas
Note: the “Coating the ends of concrete pipe sections” below is a pre-construction or
construction procedure and not a maintenance procedure (except in the case of a full pipe
replacement). It may reduce future maintenance needs for a pipe
Some ideas from Mn/DOT experts for sleeving pipes with different products to avoid full
blown pipe replacement for separated concrete pipes including:

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Urethane foam or other expanding foam to fill road voids where pipe separation
has been a problem but has been repaired with mortaring or other repair so that
the source of the problem is corrected.
Link Pipe brand stainless steel and PVC expansion bands. This has been has been
tried on some projects.
HDPE strips or 3/16 " steel half bands anchored to the concrete pipe from inside
with "tar" or urethane foam seals. If the steel bands are used the band and bolts
also serve to reduce or eliminate further movement. This was tried successfully in
one installation, for 3 years.
This is an idea for initial construction of a pipe (or pipe full-replacement maintenance) to
help reduce future maintenance of the pipe:

Coating the ends of concrete pipe sections with closed cell foam or other
expansive material. If the pipe separation is due to freeze thaw cycles, and an
expansive material takes up and rebounds upon expansion and contraction, maybe
the sections would not separate as when you have the action working on nonexpansive material, such as concrete.
Note:
There are locations where the neoprene rubber repair has been done across the country
that may be evaluated. Link Pipes PVC repair is listed as an approved repair in FHWA's
"Culvert Repair Manual" which is available for download from them.
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