DURABILITY OF DRAINAGE STRUCTURES

The study evaluated various culvert materials and coatings for durability. The primary emphasis of the evaluation was on corrosion of metal pipes and loss of aggregates in reinforced-concrete pipes. The design of culvert installations in Maine are primarily on relatively flat grades; thus erosion and abrasion are generally not a problem. Culverts installed by the Construction and Maintenance divisions of the Maine Department of Transportation throughout the years and experimentally installed culverts were evaluated for durability. Those culverts installed by the Construction and Maintenance divisions were asbestos-bonded bituminous-coated corrugated metal pipes, asbestos-cement pipes, clad-aluminum alloy culvert pipes, aluminum-alloy structural plate pipes, bituminous coated with paved invert corrugated metal pipes and corrugated metal pipes (steel), and reinforced-concrete pipes. Those culverts installed experimentally were aluminum-coated corrugated metal pipes, aluminum-zinc-coated corrugated metal pipes, polymeric-coated corrugated metal pipes, and post-epoxy-coated corrugated metal pipes. Estimated service life was determined for corrugated metal metal pipe (steel), bituminous coated with paved invert corrugated metal pipe (steel), reinforced-concrete pipe, and alluminum-alloy corrugated metal pipe. For those culvert pipes installed experimentally, no estimated metal pipe. For those culvert pipes installed experimentally, no estimated service life was determined,