Chris Demartini Brisbane City Council Co Authors: Bruce Hansen & Dallas Lee Brisbane Coty Council The Brisbane City Council (BCC) is the largest Local Government organisation in Australia and owns approximately 2500km of stormwater pipeline. This pipe network is continually growing with the construction of new and relief drainage by Council and private developers. The problem of premature cracking in small diameter (< 900mm) reinforced concrete drainage pipes was first brought to the Council's attention when an audit of subdivisions was undertaken. Video pictures revealed extensive cracking in stormwater lines, even though many of the pipes had been installed only a few months earlier. As the design life of a concrete pipe should be around 80-100 years, this evidence of wide spread premature cracking is a real concern, with long term asset management implications. As a result of these findings a detailed investigation of the construction and design practices used in stormwater pipeline installation was undertaken. A comparison of the modern construction equipment used with the general design live load clearly showed that during construction, pipes could be subjected to loads far in excess of that typically designed for. Since this investigation Council has consulted with the manufacturing industry, become involved in the development of improved design aids and has modified its pipe supply contract, in an effort to facilitate the better management of these assets. Input into the revision of AS3725 has also led to more emphasis on construction loads. Download the complete story as a Word Document BACK TO