Determination of the service life of sewer pipe
Corrosion of concrete sewer pipe is a 2 step process :
- For a short period of time after installation (the “incubation time” or tin) there is no significant loss of concrete cover as the pipe is too alkaline to support the activity of acid producing bacteria that are responsible for corrosion of the pipe.
- After the incubation period has ended loss of concrete begins and if local sewer environmental conditions remain unchanged, losses will accumulate at a constant rate for the remainder of the service life of the pipe, (i.e. once the mass loss starts the rate of corrosion is constant).
To determine the service life of a concrete sewer pipe at a given location it is necessary to calculate the loss of material over time and compare the predicted cumulative loss of concrete since installation with the original depth of concrete covering the sewer pipe reinforcement (the “concrete cover”). It is assumed that once the metal reinforcement of the pipe is exposed, failure of the pipe is imminent and consequently the effective service life of the pipe is at an end.
Predicting the Service Life of Concrete Sewer Pipe
Unfortunately, not all elements of the SCORe Knowledge Management System were completed. A limited number of clickable links are provided on this page.
Unfortunately, not all elements of the SCORe Knowledge Management System were completed. A limited number of clickable links are provided on this page.