The Investigation, Assessment and Design of a Rehabilitation Solution following the Failure of an Asbestos Cement Force Main in Israel

Following failure of a 50″ Asbestos Cement force main in Tel Aviv, Israel, a failure analysis was undertaken to determine the cause of failure and the risk of further incidents. This identified the possibility of further catastrophic bursts of the force main. Fully structural rehabilitation was designed using a hybrid reinforced concrete and ferrocement approach in order to meet all of the engineering needs as well as achieving a practical solution with minimum disruption in a densely-populated urban area. An above-ground bypass pipeline was necessary, and the location of this bypass necessitated a careful campaign by the Client and the Project Manager to develop a positive relationship with a hostile community. The project was successfully completed within the planned time and budget and a key constraint, avoiding pumping of sewage to the sea, was met.