FIELD TEST FOR ESTIMATING SERVICE LIFE OF CORRUGATED METAL PIPE CULVERTS

IN 1959 THE CALIFORNIA DIVISION OF HIGHWAYS REPORTED ON FINDINGS OF A CORROSION SURVEY OF 7,000 CORRUGATED METAL CULVERTS LOCATED IN ONE AREA OF CALIFORNIA. BASED ON THOSE DATA SUPPLEMENTED BY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION COLLECTED DURING STATEWIDE INVESTIGATIONS, A SURVEY TECHNIQUE HAS BEEN DEVELOPED TO ESTIMATE THE CORROSION POTENTIAL OF PROPOSED CULVERT SITES. THE RESULTS OF THE 1959 STUDY INDICATED THAT THE CORROSION RATE OF METAL CULVERTS WAS A VARIABLE DEPENDING ON THE ENVIRONMENT, WITH CERTAIN FACTORS EXERTING GREATER INFLUENCE THAN OTHERS. IT WAS THEREFORE CONSIDERED WORTHWHILE TO ATTEMPT TO DETERMINE THE RELATIVE INFLUENCE OF THE INDIVIDUAL FACTORS THAT COMPRISE THE CORROSION ENVIRONMENTS. BY UTILIZING THE INFORMATION FROM THE FIRST STUDY AND SUPPLEMENTING IT WITH DATA FROM DIFFERENT TYPES OF WATERSHEDS LOCATED IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE STATE, IT HAS BEEN OBSERVED THAT THE MAJOR FACTORS INFLUENCING THE CORROSION RATE ARE THE HYDROGEN ION CONCENTRATION (PH) AND THE ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY OF THE SOIL AND WATERS. A STANDARD TEST METHOD HAS BEEN DEVELOPED AND IS REPORTED IN DETAIL. IT IS RELATIVELY SIMPLE TO PERFORM, TAKING ABOUT 5 MIN FOR WATER AND NOT MORE THAN 20 MIN FOR SOILS. AS A CHECK ON THE TEST METHOD, IT HAS BEEN FOUND TO CORRELATE WITH THE PUBLISHED CORROSION RATES OF METAL PIPE REPORTED BY THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS IN ITS NATIONWIDE STUDIES. /HRB/

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbproceedings/41/41-017.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 41, pp 255-272, 7 FIG, 1 TAB, 14 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.
• Authors:
  • BEATON, J L
  • Stratfull, R F
• Publication Date: 1962

Media Info

• Monograph Title: Proceedings of the 41st Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board, Washington, D.C., January 8-12, 1962
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Proceedings
  • Volume: 41
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Conduits; Corrosion; Corrosion tests; Corrugated metal culverts; Corrugated pipe culverts; Electrical resistivity; Environment; Flexible structures; pH value; Pipe culverts; Soils; Water
• Uncontrolled Terms: Corrosive environments
• Old TRIS Terms: Flexible conduits; Resistivity
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00217133
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jan 24 1972 12:00AM