Pipeline failure (through hole) due to lightning 1

[CostasV]

According to the article "Pipeline Failure Results from Lightning Strike: Act of Mother Nature?" , a through hole in a 4.8 mm wall thickness, underground pipe, can be attributed to lightning strike.
Is it only me who finds this explanation groundless?
If a lightning hits a metallic object, it will cause only surface marks to the paint or the coating, since the current will spread to the whole surface of the object. It is well known than when lightning hits a car (auto steel sheet is about 1 mm) or metallic poles, there will be no penetrating of the steel. And if the underground pipe was hit by lightning, it would receive only a fraction of the total current.

Is there a way that a lighting could make this hole to a buried pipe?

 

[LittleInch]

May be, but if there was a leak it would get blown out of the way or just lost when they dug it up to get to the pipe.

I agree it seems a bit fantastical, but is feasible IMHO.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[austsa]

I know of 2-3 cases attributed to lightning. By memory, the steel surface is quite clean (i.e. free from corrosion), damage found after a lightning storm, damage at or near 12 o'clock of pipe, out in open terrain. Damage not as big as Figure 2.4.3 in Dehn's Lightning Protection Guide (

https://www.dehn-international.com/...blitzplaner/bpl2015/lpg_2015_e_complete.pdf).

 

[itsmoked]

austsa; Was that on buried pipe or surface lays?

Keith Cress
kcress -

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[austsa]

Buried pipe.