Evaluation of Asbestos Cement Pipe Condition

The project investigates the deterioration of the AC pipes in their operation environment and the correlation between deterioration and likely contributing factors. An asset management framework, which assists the Water Corporation’s capital planning and helps target the available capital to areas of replacement, has been developed based on the outcomes of the investigation. The objectives are accomplished in two aspects: (1) archive data analysis to establish correlation between environmental conditions and failure rates of AC pipes, and (2) laboratory experimentation to establish an understanding of the deterioration mechanisms of the AC pipes. Finally, it is found that the pipe service life, which was originally estimated to be around 80 years, is discovered to be closer to 50 years. According to the framework outcomes, more than half of the towns in WA will need to undertake major AC pipe replacement program within the next 10 years