• RMIT Australia
  • RMIT Global
  • RMIT Australia
  • RMIT Europe
  • RMIT Vietnam

• Students
• Alumni
• Staff

Research Repository

Back to Library

• Home
• Browse
• Search
• FAQs
• About
• Contact Us

A case study of a corroded cast iron water main on Bridge Road, Richmond Spark Eichenbaum, A, O'Keefe, D, Cole, I, Osborn, A, Law, D and Ward, L 2015, 'A case study of a corroded cast iron water main on Bridge Road, Richmond', in Proceedings of the Australasian Corrosion Association 2015 Annual Conference, Adelaide, Australia, 15-18 November 2015, pp. 1-9. Document type: Conference Paper Collection: Conference Papers Title A case study of a corroded cast iron water main on Bridge Road, Richmond Author(s) Spark Eichenbaum, A O'Keefe, D Cole, I Osborn, A Law, D Ward, L Year 2015 Conference name Corrosion and Prevention 2015 Conference location Adelaide, Australia Conference dates 15-18 November 2015 Proceedings title Proceedings of the Australasian Corrosion Association 2015 Annual Conference Publisher Australasian Corrosion Association (ACA) Place of publication Melbourne, Australia Start page 1 End page 9 Total pages 9 Abstract Corrosion of cast iron water pipes, particularly localized pitting corrosion, can propagate leaks and bursts of pipelines which can lead to expensive repairs or replacement. One of the primary mechanisms which cause localized pitting corrosion within potable water networks is microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) due to the action of biofilms on the pipe surface. City West Water (CWW), one of the four water companies servicing Melbourne, conducts an ongoing condition assessment program of its potable water pipelines. One of the non destructive testing technologies CWW uses as part of this program on its critical water mains to assess extent of corrosion is magnetic flux leakage (MFL). The information from this program feeds back into CWW's asset management risk model and subsequently the water mains renewal program. In December 2014, a section of water main located at Bridge Rd in Richmond, Victoria was excavated as part of the condition assessment program. Soil samples and samples of the corrosion product from this in service pipeline were taken for further investigations to identify the microbial species present. From these samples microbial DNA was extracted and amplified which was confirmed via spectrophotometry and DNA gel electrophoresis. There is potential for these techniques to be expanded to a new non destructive testing technique for infrastructure to determine the presence of MIC. By comparing MFL results, soil analysis data and the early stage microbial data, the aim of this investigation is to give a more complete understanding of the environment surrounding a pipe and how this may contribute ultimately to pipe failure as a result of corrosion. A better understanding of the environment and condition of pipelines through a range of non destructive testing and how this correlates with the corrosion mechanisms occurring could lead to strategies for improved durability design and maintenance. Subjects Materials Engineering not elsewhere classified Keyword(s) Localised corrosion Magnetic flux leakage Molecular microbiology Soil Water pipeline Copyright notice © 2015 Australian Corrosion Association ISBN 9781510822573 Related Links Link Description http://www.proceedings.com/24290.html Link to Published Version   Versions Version Filter Type Wed, 13 Sep 2017, 14:06:30 EST Filtered Full Citation counts: Cited 0 times in Scopus Article Access Statistics: 109 Abstract Views  -  Detailed Statistics Created: Wed, 13 Sep 2017, 13:04:00 EST by Catalyst Administrator