Corrosion-based failure analysis of steel saltwater pipes: A Hong Kong case study

Effective functioning of saltwater supply system is essential to Hong Kong government agencies. However, it has been frequently observed that steel saltwater pipes suffered from severe internal corrosion and consequently early burst accidents, which may cause high economic loss and safety concerns to the public. Therefore, by taking a sample saltwater pipe made of DN450 mild steel with internal and external walls coated with fusion bonded epoxy in Hong Kong, this paper investigates the root causes and failure mechanism for the internal corrosion of this failed steel saltwater pipe through laboratory experiments and numerical simulation analysis. Two hypotheses are proposed and validated: (1) cathodic delamination of the epoxy lining, and (2) delamination of the epoxy lining due to external mechanical loads. The results verify that the sample saltwater pipe failed due to the cathodic delamination of the epoxy lining, and the electrochemical corrosion of the inner pipe wall. Moreover, it can be concluded that external mechanical load has few significant impacts on the damage of the epoxy lining for this sample pipe. This study exemplifies the importance of an in-depth analysis on the internal corrosion of steel water pipes, especially in a highly-corrosive internal environment.