Case Study: Pipe Bridge Reinforcement Stops Two Towns Being Cut Off For Replacement

Case Study Data

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Site
Pipe bridge
Location
United Kingdom
Repair Type
Pipe reinforcement
Defect
Heavy corrosion caused by low-quality protective tape

Products Used

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Liquid Metal Epoxy Coating
Epoxy coating painted onto pipes to create a new, metallic and hard wearing outer surface over the original structure

SylWrap CR Pipe Repair Bandage
Composite repair wrap incorporated with corrosion inhibitors to strengthen and protect pipelines in aggressive environments

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

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The pipe bridge was made up of two gravity fed 300mm diameter steel pipes carried by an iron structure between two brick abutments. It passed above a vital path through countryside connecting two towns in the United Kingdom.

This path was the only safe passage for foot traffic between the towns. It was used heavily every day by people walking, running, cycling, and even travelling on horseback from one town to the other.

To shut the route for any period of time would effectively cut the two towns off from each other for anyone who did not drive – which was the issue facing the water company responsible for the pipe bridge when it came to dealing with the heavily corroded structure.

A previous attempt to reinforce the pipes had been made several years earlier. Unfortunately, a low-quality protective tape was used. It only succeeded in trapping water and condensation against the steel, worsening corrosion.

Replacing the bridge would involve re-routing wastewater, safe removal and disposal of the two pipes, installation of their replacements, and several site surveys after completion to sign the new structure off as safe.

It was estimated replacement could take up to one month, during which time the path between the towns would have to be fully closed – a situation untenable to residents who relied on it.

Using the Sylmasta Pipe Refurbishment System instead allowed the water company to reinforce and strengthen both pipes in under five days whilst the route remained open to the public.

Each pipe was refurbished separately. The original protective tape was removed from the first pipe, which was then painted with Liquid Metal Epoxy Coating. Three 2mm thick coatings of Liquid Metal were applied, curing to form a new metallic outer surface 6mm thick around the weakened pipe.

The shield created by Liquid Metal both protected the weakened metalwork from external corrosion and would contain future leaks should the original pipe become breached from inside.

To further reinforce the pipe, it was wrapped with four layers of black-coloured SylWrap CR Corrosion Protection Wrap. SylWrap CR is a specialist composite repair bandage incorporated with highly effective corrosion inhibitors.

SylWrap CR was applied whilst the final coating of Liquid Metal remained tacky to improve adhesion between the wrap and the pipe. Within minutes, the water-activated resin in SylWrap CR began to set as it was wrapped and smoothed around the pipework. It cured to form a rock-hard, impact resistant shell.

Once the first pipe on the bridge had undergone reinforcement, the process was repeated on the second. Throughout the whole repair, foot traffic continued to use the path except for two brief closures when the team were applying Liquid Metal and SylWrap CR directly overhead.

Not only did reinforcement of the pipe bridge limit disruption between the towns, but it also cost far less than total replacement of the two structures.

By the time the project was completed, everyone from the water company to residents of the two towns were pleased that a SylWrap repair had taken place instead of replacement.