Laying the pipework for smart cities

A new type of pipe, based on research funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), can stretch, bend and compress, and may withstand disasters, such as earthquakes and floods.

Engineers designed a first-of-its-kind performance test, using the NSF-funded Earthquake Engineering Simulation facility at Cornell University in collaboration with UC Berkeley and University of Cambridge.

The researchers buried the pipe in 80 tons of dirt and simulated an earthquake. This was the first use of advanced sensors to monitor underground infrastructure. The new sensors measured strain, temperature, movement and leakage. Engineers need testbeds like this to design infrastructure that keeps water, power and telecommunications running when disaster strikes.

The data collected could help lay the pipework for smarter, more resilient cities. That’s NSF support in action -- helping engineers take it to the limit to make “pipe dreams” come true.