Development of experimental test setup to evaluate abrasion characteristics of drainage pipes

The longevity of drainage pipes is dependent on the material properties of the pipe, the surrounding load, the abrasive characteristics of the effluent, and the frequency, velocity, and quantity of the effluent that flows through the pipe. Each of these parameters has impacts on the age-related abrasive decrease in the wall thickness of the drainage pipe. Traditionally, the rotating pipe test is used to assess the vulnerability of drainage pipes to abrasion. To simulate more realistically the natural environment of drainage pipes, we designed an abrasion test that keeps the drainage pipe at variable slope with respect to the horizontal and continuously pumps abrasive slurry through the pipe for 30days. The time dependent change in wall thickness of a cellulose fiber reinforced cement pipe was simultaneously compared to the change in wall thickness of a steel-reinforced concrete pipe. The wall thickness of the fiber reinforced cement pipe decreased approximately 5 times faster than the thickness of the steel-reinforced cement pipe.