Factors Affecting Steel Water-Transmission Pipe Failure and Pipe-Failure Mechanisms

Abstract

Water-transmission main (WTM) failures transporting a much greater volume of water cause flooding roads, the inconvenience of daily activities, and economic loss. However, few studies have investigated factors affecting failure in steel WTMs and failure mechanisms based on field data. This study aimed to (1) evaluate the primary factors affecting a break rate of steel WTMs by statistical correlation analysis, (2) establish failure mechanisms of the influential factors with the steel WTM, and (3) quantify the failure causes based on the historical break data. It was found that water alkalinity, along with pipe age, significantly affected steel pipe deterioration, while other factors such as external load contributed to a lesser extent, which differs from previous studies based on small iron or plastic pipes. Additionally, this study proposed the holistic model for chemistry-based mechanisms between the key factors and steel pipe deterioration. The failure cause analysis also determined corrosion as the highest failure cause (52%). These findings will contribute to understanding steel pipe-failure mechanisms and extending the service life of steel WTMs.