Predicting the Remaining Life of Asbestos Cement Pipe with Acoustic Wall Thickness Testing

Introduced as a building material in the mid-1900s, asbestos cement pipe makes up approximately 18% of all water mains in North America. Although its use declined in the 1980s after health concerns began to arise, a large amount of asbestos cement water pipe remains in service in many municipalities. While many have chosen to remove all asbestos cement mains from service, the combination of budget constraints and the complexity of its removal means the remaining pipes must be systematically prioritized. Remaining service life calculations based on the physical condition of the pipe are of significant value in this prioritization process. Prediction of pipe failure involves three core components: assessing the main's current physical condition, predicting how the condition will change, and determining the condition in which it will fail. This paper presents a simple yet effective method specific to asbestos cement pipe, with a focus on structural failure of the pipe wall.