Dallas, TX

White Rock North, Water Transmission Main Failure Investigation

Scope/Solutions

The White Rock North Water Transmission Main is a 17 mi, 84 in. dia. prestressed concrete cylinder pipeline, embedded cylinder type, which delivers approximately 200 million gallons per day of treated water. SGH was hired as a subconsultant to Halff Engineers to perform a failure investigation of the transmission main after a pipe segment ruptured.

SGH performed a failure investigation involving the following:

  • Hydraulic analysis
  • Soil and geotechnical tests
  • Corrosion potential surveys
  • Stress analysis of pipe
  • Chemical and petrographic analysis of mortar coating
  • Scan electron microscopy/energy dispersion spectroscopy of mortar coating
  • Mechanical testing and metallurgical analysis of prestressing wire and steel cylinder
  • Inspection of failed and adjacent pipes

SGH also determined that carbonation of the mortar coating was extensive and variable around the pipe circumference and that the likely primary cause of the rupture of the pipe was carbonation of the mortar coating from acidic groundwater.

Project Summary

Icon: completion-date

2002

Completion Date
Solutions
Failure Investigation | Repair & Rehabilitation
Services
Advanced Analysis | Applied Science & Research
Markets
Infrastructure & Transportation
Client(s)
Halff Associates, Inc.
Specialized Capabilities
Buried Infrastructure | Failure Analysis | Physical Testing | Materials Science | Microscopy

Key team members

Mehdi Zarghamee
Consulting Principal
781.907.9203 mszarghamee@sgh.com
Rasko Ojdrovic
Senior Principal
781.907.9231 rpojdrovic@sgh.com

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