STRUCTURAL EFFICIENCY

Reinforced concrete pipes are designed and manufactured with Considerable "inbuilt" structural strength. Compared to flexible pipes, concrete pipes are far less dependent on the surrounding soil & compaction for the load carrying capacity.

HYDRAULIC EFFICIENCY

In terms of Manning's "n" the roughness coefficient of concrete pipes is 0.012 as compared to 0.024 for corrugated metal. For long pipelines, this difference could result in greater diameter for corrugated metal pipes than for concrete pipes if equal discharge is to be achieved.

ABRASION RESISTANCE

Most culverts and stormwater lines carry stones, silt and/or debris which can be very abrasive to the inside of pipes. The concrete in Hume large diameter reinforced concrete pipe is highly compacted resulting in a dense material that provides good resistance to abrasive elements carried through the lines.

CORROSION RESISTANCE

With over 30 years of proven performance in stormwater lines and culverts, Hume's reinforced concrete pipes production techniques produce dense, high strength and low permeability concrete providing an alkaline environment for the steel reinforcement. This eliminates the danger of corrosion to which corrugated metal pipes are susceptible.

DURABILITY

The durability of concrete pipes is greatly improved by the following characteristic. In the presence of moisture, the concrete strength increases during the service life of the pipes.

Minor cracks resulting from normal deflections are sealed by lime deposits carried from the body of the concrete reacting with CO2 at points of minor leakage. This process is referred to as autogenous healing of cracks.

ECONOMY

The laying of precast concrete pipes compared to in situ concrete conduits requires fewer skills and eliminates the need for formwork. For in situ works, it is necessary to keep trenches open for long periods while waiting for concrete to cure. These factors contribute to a relative reduction in total installed cost for precast concrete pipes.