A currently ongoing research project (Durability of Pipe Materials in Soils; RP 2020-22) has developed a pipe material selection software in Excel. This software enables estimation of the service life of pipes made from different materials based on their anticipated exposure conditions. Exposure data (e.g., soil pH and resistivity) can be provided either directly by the user or are obtained from a linked GIS database that is integrated within the developed software. The linked GIS database is used to automatically compute the anticipated exposure condition corresponding with GPS coordinates input by the user for a given project. The culvert pipe materials commonly used by NCDOT have been included in the software: reinforced concrete, galvanized steel, aluminized steel, cast iron, mild steel, aluminum alloy, and polymeric pipes. It is anticipated that the software will be ready for use by the summer of 2021. The research team identified enhancements to the software including integrating NCDOT's structural requirements, estimate service life and addressing the effects on subsurface mitigation.
The work proposed herein aims to address these current shortcomings of the current work. The final product of the proposed research will include: (i) An upgraded pipe selection guide software that integrates structural requirements, repair and rehabilitation methods, and mitigation strategies into a unified pipe selection guide, and (ii) provisions accounting for the effects of various repair and rehabilitation methods on the service life of the pipe materials.
