Experimental Investigation on Corrosion Effect on Mechanical Properties of Buried Metal Pipes

Abstract

Corrosion has been found to be the most predominant cause for failures of buried metal pipes. A review of published literature on pipe corrosion reveals that little research has been undertaken on the effect of corrosion on mechanical properties of pipe materials and almost no research has been conducted on corrosion effect on fracture toughness. The intention of this paper is to present a comprehensive test program designed to investigate the effect of corrosion on mechanical properties of metals in soil. Two types of metals, namely, cast iron and steel, are tested under corrosion in three different environments. A relationship between corrosion and deterioration of mechanical property of metals is developed. It is found in the paper that the more acidic the environment is, the more corrosion the metal undergoes and that the corrosion reduces both the tensile strength and fracture toughness of the metal. The results presented in the paper can contribute to the body of knowledge of corrosion behavior and its effect on mechanical properties of metals in soil environment, which in turn enable more accurate prediction of failures of buried metal pipes.

Improving pipe failure predictions: Factors affecting pipe failure in drinking water networks

“…Corrosion and chemical degradation deteriorates pipes and affects their material integrity through pipe wall thinning, and functional integrity through pipe displacement affecting joints (Vreeburg et al, 2013). Chemical degradation of metal pipes is well documented (Babovic et al, 2002;Folkman, 2018;Hou et al, 2016;Makar et al, 2001;Rajani and Tesfamariam, 2004;Wasim et al, 2018) and rates of failures vary between geographic region. For example Folkman's (2018) US study found that 28% of all pipe failures were caused by corrosion, with iron pipes having the highest failure rate, whilst Babovic et al, (2002) found 48% of iron pipe failures in a study in Denmark were a result of corrosion.…”

A Non-Linear Model for Corrosion Fatigue Lifetime Based on Continuum Damage Mechanics

“…The effect of corrosion on fatigue properties, on the other hand, is far more influential. It can be translated into S-N curves obtained from pre-corroded specimens as described in related researches (17)(18)(19)(20). A timedependent interpolation between S-N curves in absence and presence of different degrees of corrosion then allows to describe the coupled effect of corrosion and fatigue.…”

Reinforcement of Composite Pipelines for Multipurpose Transportation

“…The analysis of the cases of pipelines premature failure indicates that one of the main reasons of their destruction is the impact of corrosion [11], including electrocorrosion [12]. One of the ways to increase the service life of pipeline systems is via both external and internal reinforcement of a pipeline with polymer composite materials, most importantly fiberglass.…”