Glass fiber reinforced thermosetting polymer plastic (GRP) is widely used in the construction industries due to the advantages of their superior mechanical and physical characteristics. Most of pipes are installed for long-term purposes and they should be safely installed in consideration of installation conditions because there are unexpected various terrestrial loading conditions. In this paper, we present the result of investigation for 253 days pertaining to the structural behavior of flexible pipes buried underground. From the buried test results, we predicted long-term, up to 60 years, ring deflection of GRP pipes buried underground based on the method suggested by the existing literature. It was found that the GRP flexible pipe is appropriate because 5% ring deflection limitation of 60 years could be satisfied.

Recently, underground pipes are utilized in various fields of applications such as sewer lines, drain lines, water mains, gas lines, telephone and electrical conduits, culverts, oil lines, etc. Most of pipes are installed for long-term purposes and they should be safely installed in consideration of installation conditions because there are unexpected various terrestrial loading conditions. In this paper, we present the result of investigation pertaining to the structural behavior of glass fiber reinforced thermosetting polymer plastic (GFRP) flexible pipes buried underground. The mechanical properties of the GFRP flexible pipes produced in the domestic manufacturer are determined and the results are reported in this paper. In addition, ring deflection is measured by the field tests and the finite element analysis (FEA) is also conducted to simulate the structural behavior of GFRP pipes buried underground. From the field test results, we predicted long-term, up to 50 years, ring deflection of GFRP pipes buried underground based on the method suggested by the existing literature. It was found that the GFRP flexible pipe to be used for cooling water intake system in the nuclear power plant is appropriate because 5% ring deflection limitation for 50 years could be satisfied.