Advanced Sensing Technology Deployed for Earthquake-Resistant Pipe Tested for Fault Rupture Interaction
July 12, 2026: Researchers at the Center for Smart Infrastructure (CSI) testing lab conducted an assessment of a buried pipe subjected to the extreme conditions found in landslides or earthquake fault rupture zones. Advanced sensing technology that was deployed for the testing included distributed fiber optic sensors on the pipe and surrounding soil, and an overhead LiDAR scanner captured progressive movement of the fault rupture area after each testing increment. Strain gauges at critical pipe cross-sections captured real-time strain changes during the test.
By analyzing the advanced sensor data that was collected from the pipe and surrounding soil, researchers aim to gain a deeper understanding of the forces, displacements, and limitations of the pipe’s overall structure based on the failure conditions, shedding light on its performance and potential vulnerabilities under emergent events.
The test was conducted as part of the CEC-funded OpenSRA2 project, in collaboration with Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
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TAC visits CSI lab
July 11, 2025: The OpenSRA 2 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) is composed of technical experts from utility organizations, regulators, and consultants, and they provide feedback and input on the project's direction. The TAC recently met and was briefed by the project team about the project's progress. The meeting included a tour of the CSI lab, where the OpenSRA2 large-scale testing task will be performed.
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CEC visits CSI lab
October 15, 2024: The UC Berkeley Center for Smart Infrastructure (CSI) hosted a visit by the California Energy Commission (CEC) on October 7, 2024. Kenichi Soga and Matt DeJong, co-directors of CSI and co-PIs on the OpenSRA 2 project, provided a guided tour for Pooya Khodaparast, CEC’s Commission Agreement Manager (CAM) on the OpenSRA 2 project. The OpenSRA 2 project scope includes embedded sensing technologies in the large-scale laboratory, where the split-basin testing device will be used to bring a buried pipeline to failure.
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2024 PEER Researchers' Workshop
The workshop goal was to disseminate information about research funded or supported by PEER, and to develop interaction between projects across disciplines. Progress on the OpenSRA 2 project was presented on August 16, 2024, to the audience of researchers from academic institutions located in the western US, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, California Department of Transportation (CalTrans), California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES), and the California Geological Survey (CGS).
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“OpenSRA - Phase 2: Performance Based Earthquake Engineering Assessment Tool for Gas Storage and Transmission Systems” - Kenichi Soga
CEC awards $3 million to integrate advanced technologies for enhanced risk assessment
April 2, 2024: A UC Berkeley engineering research team led by Professor Kenichi Soga was recently granted $3 million by the California Energy Commission to enhance the seismic risk assessment of natural gas storage and pipeline infrastructure. Over three years, the team will use remote and embedded sensing technology and advanced data management and analysis techniques to monitor gas infrastructure continuously. These methods will be integrated into OpenSRA, an open-source software tool for monitoring and risk assessment, enabling predictive modeling and data analytics even in uncertain conditions. Effective usage of this tool is expected to increase the safety and resilience of natural gas storage, piping, and infrastructure systems by enabling regulators and owners to focus seismic mitigation efforts on the most vulnerable components.
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