CORROSION OF CORRUGATED METAL CULVERTS IN CALIFORNIA
THE HISTORY OF CORRUGATED METAL CULVERT PIPES UNDER CALIFORNIA HIGHWAYS HAS BEEN PUNCTUATED WITH PREDICTIONS OF SERVICE LIFE VARYING FROM 10 TO 100 YEARS. THESE PREDICTIONS OF THE ANTICIPATED SERVICE LIFE OF SUCH PIPE, AS EMPLOYED IN HIGHWAY DRAINAGE STRUCTURES, WERE NOT MADE WITHOUT SOME FOUNDATION OF FIELD EXPERIENCE. HOWEVER, THE RESULTS OF INSPECTING APPROXIMATELY 7,000 METAL CULVERTS IN A PORTION OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA INDICATED THAT THE PREVIOUSLY ESTIMATED SERVICE LIFE OF 10 OR 100 YEARS WOULD DEPEND ON THE FUNDAMENTAL FACTORS OF ABRASION AND CORROSION AS THESE INFLUENCES DEVELOP IN THE GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION IN WHICH THE EXPERIENCE WAS ACCUMULATED. ALTOGETHER THIS SURVEY INDICATED THAT SPECIFIC TYPES OF RUST ACCOMPANIED ACCELERATED CORROSION AND THAT THE ONLY RELIABLE METHOD OF EVALUATING SERVICE LIFE BY COMPARATIVE CULVERT INSPECTION WAS TO ESTIMATE THE ACTUAL LOSS OF CULVERT METAL. THE THICKNESS OR THE TYPE OF RUST FORMED ON THE CULVERT CANNOT BE USED AS A CRITERION OF SEVERE CORROSION BECAUSE THE APPEARANCE OF THE CORROSION PRODUCTS VARIES IN RELATION TO THE GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION. IN SPECIFIC LOCATIONS, HOWEVER, THE TYPE OR THICKNESS OF THE RUST CAN BE EMPLOYED TO INDICATE SOMETHING OF THE GENERAL MAGNITUDE OF CORROSION IN CULVERTS. IN PRACTICE, RAPID FIELD INSPECTION CAN BE IMPLEMENTED BY STRIKING THE CULVERT WITH A GEOLOGIST'S PICK AND THEN ESTIMATING THE REMAINING METAL THICKNESS FROM THE PENETRATION OR REBOUND OF THE PICK. IN COASTAL, AND LATER, OTHER GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS, IT WAS OBSERVED THAT ACCELERATED CORROSION WAS APPARENTLY LINKED TO THE PRESENCE OF ANAEROBIC BACTERIA IN THE WATERSHED. THIS FACTOR HAS NOW BEEN CORRELATED BY THE DATA ACCUMULATED THROUGH THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE WATERSHED SOIL TYPES TO THE PRESENCE OF SULFATE-REDUCING OR RELATED BACTERIA, WHICH RELEASE HYDROGEN SULFIDE TO THE SOIL, OR TO THE DRAINAGE WATERS FROM SUCH SOILS. THE RESEARCH PROGRAM COVERING THE CAUSES OF CORROSION TO METAL CULVERTS IS CONTINUING, AS IT IS OBVIOUSLY PRUDENT TO DEVELOP LABORATORY OR FIELD TESTS TO PREDICT WHETHER OR NOT A SPECIFIC LOCATION IS FAVORABLE TO AN ECONOMICAL LIFE FOR METAL CULVERT INSTALLATION. /AUTHOR/
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Supplemental Notes:
- No 223, pp 1-13, 10 FIG, 1 TAB, 13 REF Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
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Authors:
- BEATON, J L
- Stratfull, R F
- Publication Date: 1959
Media Info
- Media Type: Digital/other
- Pagination: 13p
- Monograph Title: Embedded flexible metal pipe culverts
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Serial:
- Highway Research Board Bulletin
- Issue Number: 223
- Publisher: Highway Research Board
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Abrasions; Corrosion; Corrugated metal culverts; Forecasting; Hydrogen sulfide; Research; Rusting; Service life; Surface drainage; Thickness
- Old TRIS Terms: Anaerobic processes; Highway drainage
- Subject Areas: Design; Geotechnology; Highways; Hydraulics and Hydrology; Materials; Research;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00216652
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS, TRB
- Created Date: Sep 16 1994 12:00AM