World Water Day, declared by the UN General Assembly, has been celebrated on March 22 since 1992. Clean drinking water is the right of every person, but we must also remember the importance of drainage, hygienic toilets and general cleanliness as part of global development and well-being. As a material, concrete has offered sustainable solutions for this for over 100 years.
The challenges of climate change are met by developing new systems for the delay and management of thunderstorms. Concrete solutions can withstand environmental stresses as well as heavy loads, for example under traffic lanes.
More than 100 years of service life of concrete proven in real sites
The products of the concrete industry are proven to be the most durable solutions for both house and infrastructure construction, they retain their structural and functional properties throughout the building's lifetime. SVU (Svensk Vatten Utveckling), a Swedish association established for the development of municipal water supply, has recently published an independent report[1], which confirms the view of the good preservation and durability of concrete pipes and shows that authorities, contractors and end users can trust the durable drainage systems offered by the concrete industry, which in practice have been found to last at least 100 years.
The results of the Swedish research presented in the report are confirmed by observations from other countries, as concrete drainage systems that have been in operation for over 100 years can be found in different parts of Europe. As an example, the picture shows a concrete pipe excavated in Norwich, England, which was installed in place in 1891.
To confirm this, the report presents real objects where good and long-lasting durability properties have been found in real objects. Sewage systems have been videotaped in Sweden, and at the same time it has been established that a significant proportion of the concrete pipelines built more than a hundred years ago are still in working order. In cities such as Stockholm and Malmö, which have relied on concrete products for more than a hundred years, even the normally maintained original drainage systems are still functional. According to the report, the technical development of high-quality concrete pipelines and the resulting strong increase in market share in the 1960s and 70s promises an even longer service life for sewer systems as a whole. Based on the results of the report, the concrete industry could challenge other product solutions for comparison, if there were solutions made of other materials of a similar age.
Modern concrete pipes and wells include a lot of development work and innovation, which is not necessarily visible when viewed visually. Concrete materials have been continuously developed, as have manufacturing methods, reinforcement solutions, surface treatments and joint solutions. This development of concrete pipes and wells has been proven to produce even more durable products, states the report.
Climate change creates new challenges for which sustainable and sustainable drainage solutions are developed, the most important thing in this development work is the cooperation between different parties (such as manufacturers, contractors, authorities and representatives of water supply organizations). When the drainage system is properly designed and installed, potential problems are avoided and a real service life of 100 to 150 years is achieved by choosing concrete drainage products as the solution.
The durability and load-bearing capacity of traditional concrete pipes is constantly improved by utilizing new raw materials and developing production technology. The geometry of the pipes is also being developed to optimize the flow properties.
Research report
The aim of the research report has been to develop the maintainability of piping systems and to increase the service life through various measures. The current water, sewage and storm water systems have been carefully studied and analyzed in order to obtain sufficient information as a basis for future development work. At the same time, a lot of further research needs have been identified, but with regard to concrete pipes and wells, they were already found to have demonstrated their long-term durability and shelf life in practice, and these properties have been found to be further developed in new product solutions.
The Swedish research report "Framtidens därnavala VA-ledningssystem" can be downloaded free of charge from: http://www.svensktvatten.se/contentassets/0dfc8061928d4757a8f816f66486b31e/svur_18-10a.pdf
[1] Framtidens därna VA-ledningssystem (Future sustainable water and sewage system) – Helena Mårtensson, Annika Malm, Bror Sederholm, Jan-Henrik Sällström, Jan Trägårdh – Svenskt Vatten Utveckling, 2018-10
Ari Mantila division manager