Written by John Feary Tuesday, 15 December 2009 00:00
MUCH of the discussion about combating infrastructure corrosion focuses on new technology materials but Curtin University’s Professor Rolf Gubner wants to get the message out that appropriate project design, materials selection and post-construction treatment programs could save billions of dollars each year.
"I think that we could cut the cost of corrosion by a third by just really applying what we know," Prof Gubner, the university's Chevron-Woodside Chair in Corrosion Engineering and director of the Western Australian Corrosion Research Group (WACRG), says.
Applying straightforward engineering principles plays an important role by choosing the right materials and avoiding corrosion traps such as crevices. Bridges were once built with lots of rivets but modern box formations encourage the water to flow off the structure and are much easier to access for inspection and maintenance.
One of the key areas of need is the proper certification of workers involved in anti-corrosion work. For instance, Australia does not require the applicators of protective coatings to hold any formal qualifications even though training courses have been developed by the Australasian Corrosion Association.
"In other countries, the legislation is that you have to have certification if you want to paint a bridge for the government, for instance," Prof Gubner says.
"If you haven't got the certification, we're not letting you anywhere near our bridge."
A further example is the street lamps on the highways and streets all around us. In most cases, the connection between the ground plate and the lamp post is set at or beneath soil level. Whenever the ground gets wet, water gets in the crevices between the plates and hastens corrosion.
In more corrosion-conscious Europe, the metal street lamp is generally set in an inverted cone of concrete and sealed with a rubber cap.
In Australia, unfortunately, because design engineers don't want an unsightly connection box above ground, or the people installing it just don't care, the safe life of the post is reduced by a factor of 10.
Ultimately, education is the key, Prof Gubner says.
"I think we need to get more active in respect to getting the thought of asset preservation out into the general public."
With the support of industry partners Chevron, Woodside and BHP Billiton, WACRG is beginning to offer corrosion units as options in all its engineering degrees. However, Prof Gubner wants to go much further, pushing for the inclusion of corrosion as part of the high school science curriculum.
