Failure Mode and the Prevention and Control Technology of Buried PE Pipeline in Service: State of the Art and Perspectives

Table 1

Comparisons of main performances between steel and PE pipes [45, 46].

Performances	Steel pipes	PE pipes
Mechanical properties	Poor ductility, toughness and resistance to fast crack transmission, poor seismic performance	Good ductility, toughness and resistance to fast crack transmission ability, good seismic performance
Anticorrosion performance	Risks of the corrosion protection and joint weld treatment in the humid environment	Excellent performance
Service life	Depend on anticorrosion	Easy to creep deformation
Fire hazard	Low (nonflame retardant material)	High (combustion-supporting material)
Construction technologies	Slow welding, large smoke, difficult transportation and lifting	Thermal fusion welding or electric fusion welding, fast construction speed, light material, easy transportation and lifting
Hydraulic interference	Rigid interfaces are affected	Rigid interfaces are affected
Thermal expansion and cold contraction	Need to design expansion joints	Need to design expansion joints