Beyond the Wires - A Sustainable Approach to Prestressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe Management

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Broken prestressing wires have been emphasized as a basis for the management of Prestressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe (PCCP) by the industry. The approach includes evaluating broken wires, establishing a threshold level of broken wires for repair, and repairing only sections that exceed the threshold.

While evaluating wire breaks are an important part of PCCP management, it is important to acknowledge additional factors beyond wire breaks. By acknowledging additional condition factors, limitations of wire break assessment, and considering other rehabilitation approaches, there may be a more sustainable PCCP management approach. The approach may reduce risk and be more sustainable in terms of costs.