History of the Regulations

 

49 CFR 192 Effective Date January 13, 2000 per Amendment #88

 

§192.309  Repair of steel pipe.

 

(a)  Each imperfection or damage that impairs the serviceability of a length of steel pipe must be repaired or removed.  If a repair is made by grinding, the remaining wall thickness must at least be equal to either:

(1)  The minimum thickness required by the tolerances in the specification to which the pipe was manufactured; or

(2)  The nominal wall thickness required for the design pressure of the pipeline.

(b)  Each of the following dents must be removed from steel pipe to be operated at a pressure that produces a hoop stress of 20 percent, or more, of SMYS: Each of the following dents must be removed from steel pipe to be operated at a pressure that produces a hoop stress of 20 percent, or more, of SMYS, unless the dent is repaired by a method that reliable engineering tests and analyses show can permanently restore the serviceability of the pipe:

(1)  A dent that contains a stress concentrator such as a scratch, gouge, groove, or arc burn.

(2)  A dent that affects the longitudinal weld or a circumferential weld.

(3)  In pipe to be operated at a pressure that produces a hoop stress of 40 percent or more of SMYS, a dent that has a depth of -

(i)  More than ¼ inch (6.4 millimeters) in pipe 12 3/4 inches (324 millimeters) or less in outer diameter; or

(ii)  More than 2 percent of the nominal pipe diameter in pipe over 12 3/4 inches (324 millimeters) in outer diameter.

For the purpose of this section a "dent" is a depression that produces a gross disturbance in the curvature of the pipe wall without reducing the pipe-wall thickness.  The depth of a dent is measured as the gap between the lowest point of the dent and a prolongation of the original contour of the pipe.

(c)  Each arc burn on steel pipe to be operated at a pressure that produces a hoop stress of 40 percent, or more, of SMYS must be repaired or removed.  If a repair is made by grinding, the arc burn must be completely removed and the remaining wall thickness must be at least equal to either:

(1)  The minimum wall thickness required by the tolerance in the specification to which the pipe was manufactured; or

(2)  The nominal wall thickness required for the design pressure of the pipeline.

(d)  A gouge, groove, arc burn, or dent may not be repaired by insert patching or by pounding out.

(e)  Each gouge, groove, arc burn, or dent that is removed from a length of pipe must be removed by cutting out the damaged portion as a cylinder.

 

[Part - 192 - Org, Aug. 19, 1970, as amended by Amdt. 192-3, 35 FR 17659, November 17, 1970; Amdt. 192-85, 63 FR 37500, July 13, 1998; Amdt. 192-88, 64 FR 69660, December 14, 1999]