Method of treating a pipe and product produced thereby

In a method of increasing the ductile fracture propagation resistance of a pipe made of a metal which is subject to ductile fracture propagation as a result of carrying fluid under pressure by helically wrapping the pipe with a high tensile strength material, the improvement comprising:

• encapsulating a plurality of continuous, high strength nonmetallic fibers in a curable viscous material, and
• wrapping said fibers substantially along the entire length of the pipe under a limited tension which is less than a tension which would cause a prestress in the pipe to a thickness sufficient to define a means for preventing the ductile fracture propagation,
• wherein said fibers weigh less than half as much as a ductile fracture propagation preventing means made of steel and having an equal ductile fracture propagation preventing capability, said fibers are non-corrodible to protect the pipe from the atmosphere, soil and chemicals, said fibers are electrically non-conductive to protect the pipe from galvanic and cathodic corrosion, and said curable viscous material is deformable to absorb the energy of impacts.

In a pipeline carrying fluid under pressure including pipe made of a metal which is subject to ductile fracture propagation in a predetermined direction as a result of carrying said fluid under pressure, the pipe having means for preventing said ductile fracture propagation, and said preventing means including a reinforcing wrapping on the pipe, the improvement comprising:

• said reinforcing wrapping extending substantially the entire length of the pipe and including a plurality of continuous, high strength nonmetallic fibers wrapped helically around the pipe under a limited tension which is less than a wrapping tension which would cause a prestress in the pipe, said fibers being parallel to one another, said fibers weighing less than half as much as a ductile fracture propagation preventing means made of steel and having an equal ductile fracture propagation preventing capability, said fibers being non-corrodible to protect the pipe from the atmosphere, soil and chemicals, and said fibers being electrically non-conductive to protect the pipe from galvanic and cathodic corrosion;
• and
• said reinforcing wrapping further including a curable viscous matrix encapsulating said fibers to define a continuous composite material, said curable viscous matrix being deformable to absorb the energy of impacts.