Impact of erosion voids and internal corrosion on concrete pipes under traffic loads

Abstract

The disaster testing system of buried pipes developed in this work is innovatively used to examine intact pipes, internally corroded pipes without erosion voids, and internally corroded pipes with erosion voids. The measured data are verified by the finite element models. Parametric analyses are conducted to investigate the statistical relationship between the maximum principal stress on the pipe and the defect parameters, and a multiparameter formula used to predict the maximum stress on the pipes is finally derived. The results show that the corroded pipes without erosion voids have the largest circumferential bending moment. The circumferential bending moments of the bell and spigot of the pipes with erosion voids and internal corrosion decline with an increase in the width and length of the void. The parametric sensitivity analysis demonstrates that the stress on the pipes with erosion voids and internal corrosion has a positive linear relationship with the corrosion depth, a quadratic polynomial relationship with the width and length of corrosion, and a negative linear correlation with the width and length of the void. The proposed multiparameter formula can accurately predict the maximum principal stress on the pipes with erosion voids and internal corrosion. The results fully reveal the mechanism of the combined effect of corrosion and voids on the mechanical properties of concrete pipes.