Browsing by Subject "Corrosion"
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Item A preliminary investigation of the effects of environmentally assisted cracking on natural gas transmission pipelines(Texas A&M University, 2005-08-29) Curbo, Jason WayneConcepts for the development of a model to predict natural gas transmission pipeline lifetime in a corrosive environment are constructed. Primarily, the effects of environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) are explored. Tensile test specimens from a sample of API 5L X-52 pipeline were tested in a simulated groundwater solution and subsequently analyzed. The results suggested that the simulated environment ultimately reduced the ductility of the test specimens; however, no evidence of ??classical?? stress corrosion crack morphology was discovered. However, corrosion pits up to 0.75 mm (0.03 in) were revealed during metallographic analysis. A Marin factor analogy and an energy method concept are suggested and explored. Ultimately, the test data set was too small for the results to be of any directly applicable significance.Item Analytical and Experimental Assessment of an AASHTO I-girder Type I Prestressed with AFRP Tendons(2014-12-12) Cummings, Wesley DavidCorrosion induced deterioration is one of the main reason for repair and rehabilitation programs in conventional steel reinforced concrete bridge decks. Of all bridges in the United States, over 50 percent are constructed of conventional reinforced or prestressed concrete (NACE, 2013), where one in three bridges are considered structurally deficient or functionally obsolete due to corrosion of the steel reinforcement. According to NACE International (2013) the annual cost of corrosion-related maintenance for highway bridges in the U.S. is estimated at $13.6 billion. Over the past couple of decades, fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) bars have been noted by researchers and engineers as a corrosion-resistant alternative for either conventional reinforcing steel or prestressing strands. High strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, ease in placement of the bars and accelerated implementation due to light weight are the special characteristics that make these bars an appealing alternative. Up to this end, extensive research has been conducted on the structural performance of FRP reinforced concrete beams and slabs; however, less attention has been paid to FRP reinforced concrete bridge girders in composite action with the bridge deck. Accounting for the effect of composite action between the bridge girder and deck can significantly impact the structural performance of the girder including the load and deformation capacities as well as the failure mode. Therefore, separate tests of the FRP concrete beams and slabs may not be sufficient to study the structural behavior and to provide design guidelines for engineers. This thesis presents the experimental and analytical investigations on structural performance of a full-scale AASHTO I-girder Type I, reinforced and prestressed with aramid fiber reinforced polymer (AFRP) bars, where the bridge girder is composite with the deck. The major objectives of this research were to develop a reliable prestressing anchorage system, examine the constructability of the full-scale specimen, study the load and deformation capacities, determine whether or not the design criteria per AASHTO LRFD were met, and improve the performance of the specimen by adjusting the prestressing layout. The specimen was constructed at a prestressing plant in San Marcos, Texas and tested at the High Bay Structural and Material Testing Laboratory on the campus of Texas A&M University. The cross-section of the bridge girder was composed of self-consolidating concrete with a total of 24 prestressed and 8 non-prestressed AFRP bars. The bridge deck consisted of a 203 mm (8 in.) conventional steel reinforced concrete slab. A flexure test was conducted to determine the moment-curvature relationship, flexure load capacity, and failure mode. The test was conducted as a simply supported, four point bending test in order to create a region of constant moment at the center of the beam. Two shear tests were conducted to determine the shear capacity, failure mode, maximum strain in the web, and moment-curvature relationship. The shear tests were conducted as a simply supported, three point bending test with varying load placement. The results of these tests were compared to a similar study which investigated the structural performance of a conventional steel reinforced AASHTO I-girder Type I with topping deck (Trejo et al. 2008). The specimen was also analyzed analytically to determine the effect on performance of varying the prestressing ratio of the separate layers in the bottom flange of the girder. The goal of this analysis was to determine an optimal prestressing layout to improve the performance at the ultimate state, while still satisfying serviceability limits. The prestressing ratio of the layers were varied from 0 to 50 percent in 5 percent increments to study the moment and curvature at both the cracking and ultimate states, along with the available compressive stress due to prestressing at the bottom of the girder. The results of this research confirms that the experimental specimen showed adequate strength and deformation capacities, satisfying the AASHTO LRFD design criteria. Additionally, the experimental specimen showed significantly greater cracking when compared to the conventional steel reinforced specimen, which is an early warning of impending failure. It was also determined that reducing the prestressing ratio of the AFRP bars in the lower layers improves the ductility of the specimen. The moment capacity can also be improved depending on the prestressing layout. However, reducing the prestressing ratio of the bottom layers causes the cracking moment and available compressive stress at the bottom of the girder to diminish. In order to compensate for this loss, the non-prestressed bars in the web can be prestressed. The optimal prestressing layout features the bottom three layers of the specimen prestressed to 35, 40, and 45 percent of their ultimate capacity, and two of the three layers of middle bars prestressed to 50 percent of their ultimate capacity.Item Assessment of long-term corrosion resistance of recently developed post-tensioning components(2012-08) Moyer, Kevin Lee; Breen, J. E. (John Edward), 1932-; Wood, Sharon L.; Wheat, Harovel G.The forensic analysis of fourteen post-tensioned beam specimens after six years of aggressive exposure testing is the focus of this thesis. Funding for this research came from TxDOT and FHWA. Current post-tensioning materials and construction practices have been deemed inadequate due to fairly recent corrosion failures. Recently developed post-tensioning components and systems were assessed to determine their suitability to prevent durability concerns that had been found in older structures. Testing was conducted on the following variables: Strand Type, Duct Type, Duct Coupler Type, Anchorage Type, Electrically Isolated Tendons. Non-destructive and destructive testing methods were used to study the specimens and were evaluated on their effectiveness in predicting corrosion. Service life analysis was done on a structure using the strands and ducts study in the project. Galvanized duct showed substantial pitting and area loss. The majority of the plastic ducts had no observed damage. However, tendon grout chloride concentrations in most cases were extremely elevated with both galvanized and plastic ducts. This indicated that moisture had entered the duct, through either the couplers and/or grout vents. Except for strands from one specimen, the strands had minor corrosion with occasional mild pitting. The exception had heavy mild pitting confined to a small portion of the strand due to a hole in the duct. Backfill quality was good but it did not bond well with the base concrete. Therefore, moisture and chlorides entered the anchorage region. The electrically isolated tendon did not perform as well as expected. The grout chloride concentrations and level of corrosion damage were comparable to the concentrations and corrosion damage from the more conventionally protected specimens.Item At-risk wastewater pipeline identification due to flooding(2016-05) Abbott, Kristin Whitley; Faust, Kasey M.; King, Carey Wayne, 1974-; Kreitler, CharlesCorrosion is a risk to all ferrous pipelines, and the impact of moisture from major flood events in potentially corrosive soils upon the corrosion of sensitive pipeline materials has not yet been thoroughly studied. Rapidly accelerated corrosion from flooding can cause a pipeline break and lead to environmental hazards. This research seeks to quantify the risk of wastewater pipeline components to fracturing and damage from flooding to inform decision-makers. The corrosion risk to Austin Water Utility’s aged ferrous wastewater pipelines from surrounding soil through flooding is analyzed by establishing the relationships among pipeline material, age, and the surrounding soil type. First, aged ferrous wastewater pipelines in the network were isolated. Then, the Web Soil Survey from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) for Travis County and FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) were overlaid on the selected pipelines. USGS soil data was used to locate potentially corrosive soils surrounding the pipelines. Third, FIRM flood zones were overlaid on the selected soil and pipelines in order to examine the relationship between soil type, moisture, and increased corrosion potential. Three different flood zones were evaluated. The analysis shows a total of 386 pipelines, or 27.99 miles of pipelines, were identified to be at-risk.Item Corrosion Detection and Prediction Studies(2012-10-19) Nicola, SallyCorrosion is the most important mechanical integrity issues the petrochemical industry has to deal with. While significant research has been dedicated to studying corrosion, it is still the leading cause of pipeline failure in the oil and gas industry. Not only is it the main contributor to maintenance costs, but also it accounts for about 15-20% of releases from the petrochemical industry and 80% of pipeline leaks. Enormous costs are directed towards fixing corrosion in facilities across the globe every year. Corrosion has caused some of the worst incidents in the history of the industry and is still causing more incidents every year. This shows that the problem is still not clearly understood, and that the methods that are being used to control it are not sufficient. A number of methods to detect corrosion exist; however, each one of them has shortcomings that make them inapplicable in some conditions, or generally, not accurate enough. This work focuses on studying a new method to detect corrosion under insulation. This method needs to overcome at least some of the shortcomings shown by the commercial methods currently used. The main method considered in this project is X-ray computed tomography. The results from this work show that X-ray computed tomography is a promising technique for corrosion under insulation detection. Not only does it detect corrosion with high resolution, but it also does not require the insulation to be removed. It also detects both internal and external corrosion simultaneously. The second part of this research is focused on studying the behavior of erosion/corrosion through CFD. This would allow for determining the erosion/corrosion rate and when it would take place before it starts happening. Here, the operating conditions that led to erosion/corrosion (from the literature) are used on FLUENT to predict the flow hydrodynamic factors. The relationship between these factors and the rate of erosion/corrosion is studied. The results from this work show that along with the turbulence and wall shear stress, the dynamic pressure imposed by the flow on the walls also has a great effect on the erosion/corrosion rate.Item Durability testing of rapid, cement-based repair materials for transportation structures(2014-05) Garcia, Anthony Michael; Folliard, Kevin J.; Drimalas, Thanos, 1980-For repairing concrete transportation infrastructure, such as pavements and bridges, much importance is placed on early-age strength gain as this has a major impact on scheduling and opening to traffic. However, the long-term performance and durability of such repair materials are often not satisfactory, thus resulting in future repairs. This research project focuses on the evaluation of the durability of various rapid-setting cementitious materials. The binders studied in this project include calcium aluminate cement (CAC), calcium sulfoaluminate cement (CSA), Type III portland cement, alkali-activated fly ash (AAFA) , and various prepackaged concrete materials. In addition, selected CAC and CSA mixtures were further modified with the use of a styrene-butadiene latex. The durability aspects studied include freezing-and-thawing damage and the implications of air entrainment in these systems, alkali-silica reaction, sulfate attack, and permeability of the concrete matrix and potential corrosion.Item Effect of cumulative seismic damage and corrosion on life-cycle cost of reinforced concrete bridges(2009-05-15) Kumar, RameshBridge design should take into account not only safety and functionality, but also the cost effectiveness of investments throughout a bridge life-cycle. This work presents a probabilistic approach to compute the life-cycle cost (LCC) of corroding reinforced concrete (RC) bridges in earthquake prone regions. The approach is developed by combining cumulative seismic damage and damage associated to corrosion due to environmental conditions. Cumulative seismic damage is obtained from a low-cycle fatigue analysis. Chloride-induced corrosion of steel reinforcement is computed based on Fick?s second law of diffusion. The proposed methodology accounts for the uncertainties in the ground motion parameters, the distance from source, the seismic demand on the bridge, and the corrosion initiation time. The statistics of the accumulated damage and the cost of repairs throughout the bridge life-cycle are obtained by Monte-Carlo simulation. As an illustration of the proposed approach, the effect of design parameters on the life-cycle cost of an example RC bridge is studied. The results are shown to be valuable in better estimating the condition of existing bridges (i.e., total accumulated damage at any given time) and, therefore, can help schedule inspection and maintenance programs. In addition, by taking into consideration the deterioration process over a bridge life-cycle, it is possible to make an estimate of the optimum design parameters by minimizing, for example, the expected cost throughout the life of the structure.Item Evaluation of corrosion resistance of new and upcoming post-tensioning materials after long-term exposure testing(2010-12) McCool, Gregory Edward; Breen, J. E. (John Edward), 1932-; Wood, Sharon L.; Wheat, Harovel G.This thesis focuses on the forensic analysis of ten full-scale post-tensioned beam specimens after four years of aggressive exposure testing. The research was funded by FHWA and TxDOT. Post-tensioned structures have been under scrutiny due to their vulnerability to corrosion damage. Recent corrosion failures have been traced to inadequate materials and construction procedures. The purpose of this research project is to evaluate the corrosion performance of new and upcoming post-tensioning materials and systems and to determine their suitability for preventing durability issues which were found in older structures. The following variables were tested in the full-scale beam specimens: strand type, duct type, duct coupler type, anchorage type, tendon encapsulation. Non-destructive and destructive testing methods for evaluating corrosion damage were examined. Cost analysis of each material was conducted using tendon quantities from a typical post-tensioned bridge for comparison. Galvanized steel ducts performed poorly, showing substantial pitting and area loss. Plastic ducts were intact, but elevated grout chloride levels indicate that moisture was able to enter the ducts at the locations of couplers and grout vents. Strand corrosion was minor and uniform for all the types which were examined, suggesting that chloride traveled the length of the tendons through strand interstices. Stainless steel strands were nearly corrosion-free. Pourback quality was found to protect anchorages more than galvanization of bearing plates. The electrically isolated tendon did not completely prevent strand corrosion, but the system resulted in much lower chloride concentrations along the tendon than the conventional systems.Item Evaluation of Ti-6Al-4V Parts Produced with Rapid Prototyping Technology: Electron Beam Melting Machine(2014-09-29) Abdeen, DanaThe present study measured the corrosion properties of Ti-6Al-4V parts produced with Electron Beam Melting machine (EBM). Potentiodynamic and potentiostatic tests were applied on EBM Ti-6Al-4V in 3.5% mass NaCl solution, to determine the pitting potential and critical pitting temperature (CPT). A relation between pitting potential and temperature was established for EBM Ti-6Al-4V alloy by conducting potentiodynamic test under different temperatures from room temperature until 83?C. Critical pitting temperature was also measured in 3.5% mass NaCl solution of different pH of 2.0, 5.7 and 10.0, to examine the effect of aggressive conditions on the pitting corrosion of EBM alloy. Moreover, the same tests were performed on wrought Ti-6Al-4V for comparison purposes. The results showed that EBM alloy maintained its corrosion resistance as it had the same pitting potential of wrought alloy even at higher temperatures. EBM alloy did not pit when performing potentiostatic test at 800 mV vs. Saturated Calomel Electrode (SCE) even under different pH of the solution. Due to the manufacturing technique and conditions of the EBM machine, the resulted object has irregularities on the exterior surface and voids that are formed within the part which affects samples? properties like surface roughness, CPT, density and porosity. In this study, a statistically designed experiment was employed to manufacture Ti-6Al-4V samples in EBM machine under different process parameters of beam current, beam speed and offset focus. Surface roughness was measured for as-built samples. Then, a potentiostatic test was conducted under 2.40 V vs. SCE to determine the critical pitting temperature in 3.5 % mass NaCl solution for the same samples of different processing parameters. Moreover, density was measured and porosity was calculated from density values. Finally, a model equation was established in order to relate EBM?s process parameters to measured properties of surface roughness, CPT, density and porosity. It was noted that offset focus had the main influence on surface roughness more than beam current and beam speed. Changing processing parameters did not affect corrosion behavior of EBM Ti-6Al-4V as CPT did not vary widely, with a slight effect obtained from beam current and beam speed. Density and porosity were greatly affected with offset focus more than the other parameters. It can be concluded that uniform and precise roughness and porosity are not achievable through this machine, only a range of these properties can be attained.Item Investigating the Effects of Corrosion on the Fatigue Life of Welded Steel Attachments(2012-07-16) Soape, JackThe railroad industry plays a pivotal role in commerce and greatly impacts America's economy. With this in mind, they cannot afford downtime or service interruptions due to bridge or member replacement. Corrosion of bridges causes millions of dollars each year for the railroad industry in terms of maintenance and inspection. Since a large number of these bridges are steel and their service life is typically governed by fatigue of welded details, it is important to determine the interactions of the corrosion and fatigue mechanisms. While there are differing opinions on the effects of corrosion on the fatigue life of welded steel attachments, the intent of this research is to experimentally investigate the relationship between fatigue and corrosion and determine whether this relationship is beneficial, neutral, or detrimental to the fatigue behavior of welded attachments. In order to investigate the effects of corrosion on the fatigue life of welded steel attachments, a testing methodology simulating the conditions a bridge could be expected to experience during its service life is established, executed and the results evaluated. Thirty-two specimens were subjected to cycles of corrosion and interval fatigue loading at varying corrosion times and fatigue cycles. These corrosion-fatigue specimens were then compared to the five control (non-corroded) control specimens and three pre-corroded specimens. The results show that the fatigue life of welded steel attachments is not decreased by the effects of corrosion until more than half of the cross section has been reduced. Specimens subjected to a 'pre-corrosion' period occurring in the absence of fatigue loading, then subjected to cyclic fatigue loading at a later time have drastically reduced fatigue lives.Item A passive wireless sensor array for structural health monitoring(2010-05) Chen, Ye, 1986-; Neikirk, Dean P., 1957-; Alu, AndreaThis thesis summarizes ongoing work to develop low-cost, wireless, resonant sensor array that can be used to monitor corrosion in infrastructure systems. A magnetically coupled sensor array is presented and analyzed using circuit model. The array acts as a magneto-inductive waveguide and the impedance discontinuities caused by corrosion (or other defects) lead to reflection. The relationship between the relative position of defects and pass band characteristics is investigated, providing a technique to determine the location of targets. A configuration for increased sensitivity and a method for defect localization are presented.Item Performance of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) wrapped reinforced concrete elements in a corrosive environment(2006-05) Karpate, Harshda Shriram; Fowler, David W.; Jirsa, J. O. (James Otis)Corrosion presents one of the greatest threats to the durability of reinforced concrete structures, yet it is also one of the least understood components of the design process for most engineers. The nation's infrastructure is rapidly deteriorating due to years of abuse and fatigue. Therefore, several economic and reliable solutions have been developed to repair the existing damage and extend the design life of structures at risk of corrosion. One popular method for protecting concrete structures from corrosion is the use of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) composite wraps. The premise is a simple one: placing an impermeable barrier around the surface of the concrete should prevent harmful substances such as chlorides from entering and corroding the imbedded reinforcing steel. However, little is known about the long-term effectiveness in preventing corrosion in reinforced concrete structures. The FRP wrap may in fact prevent the chlorides from passing through the concrete, however, the same principle might cause chlorides to be trapped beneath the surface and accelerate corrosion. In this study, the long-term behavior of laboratory specimens exposed to an aggressive chloride-rich environment were examined. This project was designed to develop a greater understanding of the long-term effects of FRP wrapping in preventing corrosion in reinforced concrete structures. Although TxDOT project 0_1774 involves both rectangular and cylindrical specimens, the focus of this thesis is on the specific impact of FRP wraps on partially wrapped versus unwrapped columns. The specimens included in this study are comprised of a wide range of construction parameters. However, despite the multitude of varying mix designs a noticeable trend has emerged as a result of this research.Item Seismic fragility estimates for corroded reinforced concrete bridge structures with two-column bents(2009-05-15) Zhong, JinquanTo assess the losses associated with future earthquakes, seismic vulnerability functions are commonly used to correlate the damage or loss of a structure to the level of seismic intensity. A common procedure in seismic vulnerability assessment is to estimate the seismic fragility, which is defined as the conditional probability that a structure fails to meet the specific performance level for given level of seismic intensity. This dissertation proposes a methodology to estimate the fragility of corroded reinforced concrete (RC) bridges with two-column bents subject to seismic excitation. Seismic fragility functions are first developed for the RC bridges with two-column bents. All available information from science/engineering laws, numerical analysis, laboratory experiments, and field measurements has been used to construct the proper form of the fragility functions. The fragility functions are formulated, at the individual column, bent, and bridge levels, in terms of the spectral acceleration and the ratio between the peak ground velocity and the peak ground acceleration. The developed fragility functions properly account for the prevailing uncertainties in fragility estimation. The probabilistic capacity and demand models are then combined with the probabilistic models for chloride-induced corrosion and the time-dependent corrosion rate. The fragility estimates for corroded RC bridges incorporates the uncertainties in the parameters of capacity and demand models, and the inexactness (or model error) in modeling the material deterioration, structural capacity, and seismic demands. The proposed methodology is illustrated by developing the fragility functions for an example RC bridge with 11 two-column bents representing current construction in California. The developed fragility functions provide valuable information to allocate and spend available funds for the design, maintenance, and retrofitting of structures and networks. This study regarding the vulnerability of corroding RC bridges will be of direct value to those making decisions about the condition assessment, residual life, and the ability of lifeline structures to withstand future seismic demands.Item The Effect of Silica Nanoparticles on Corrosion of Steel by Molten Carbonate Eutectics(2011-08-08) Padmanaban Iyer, AshwinThe effect of silica nanoparticles on corrosion of steel by molten carbonate eutectic (42.7 percent Li2CO3, K2CO3) was investigated. The experimental design was based on static coupon immersion methodology where a coupon (material under study, in this case a rectangular stainless steel specimen of SS304 with dimensions approximately 5X20X.6mm and weight .5gm) is exposed to a static corroding environment for predetermined periods of time. The testing times were 2, 4 and 6 weeks. The temperature during testing was maintained at a constant 520C. The instantaneous corrosion rates were determined by normalizing the mass loss with respect to time and area. The mass loss was determined by descaling the corroded steel coupons using concentrated hydrochloric acid. The instantaneous corrosion rates obtained from all three times showed a reduction in corrosion of steel by molten carbonate eutectics when doped with silica 1 percent by weight in comparison to the molten base carbonate eutectics. The results showed that doping the carbonate eutectic with silica nanoparticles (1 percent by weight) reduced the corrosion of steel by half in comparison to the corrosion without doping.