Method of the Mechanical Properties Evaluation of Polyethylene Gas Pipelines with Portable Hardness Testers

This article is devoted to the study of means and methods for non-destructive testing mechanical properties of polyethylene gas pipelines that have been in operation for 25–55 years. In order to assess mechanical properties, stress at yield was chosen as a key parameter. Stress at yield is determined from the results of tensile tests and is associated with the limiting circumferential (hoop) stress, determined from the results of tests for short-term pressure. Tensile tests require sample cutting and the shutdown of pipelines’ service. To solve this problem of nondestructive testing of pipelines, tests were carried out using the methods of Shore, Leeb and dynamic instrumental indentation. According to the test results, it was revealed that the correlation coefficient between the values of stress at yield and hardness, obtained by the method of dynamic instrumental indentation, is 0.98 which confirms the possibility of the evaluation of the mechanical properties of pipelines by the method of dynamic instrumental indentation.