As you heat the frozen pipe and the ice plug begins to melt, you want the water to be able to flow through. Running water through the pipe, as cold as it is, will help melt ice in the pipe.

Why pipes burst. When water freezes, it expands in volume by about 9 percent. ... Second, it creates a constant flow of water through pipes and that makes freezing much less likely.

Scientists at the University of Washington have re-created the distinctive spiral shapes of shark intestines in 3D-printed pipes in order to study the unique fluid flow inside the spirals.

This way, engineers can figure out where the water needs to flow below ground in tunnels, on the surface in covered trenches or in pressurized pipes, or above ground on walls or arcades.

Transported through pipes, shear-thickening fluids, such as cornstarch in water or certain concretes, should theoretically solidify when subjected to high pressures. However, this is not observed ...