Failure Analysis of Firefighting Pipe: Case Study

The failure of a component does not mean necessarily the fracture of this component, but also distortion, wear and corrosion are considered forms of failures. A leakage from a fire water pipe which was a part of firefighting system. The cause of leakage is a corrosion pit which penetrated the pipe thickness within only three months which considered relatively high corrosion rate. Investigations revealed inappropriate treatment of this localized corrosion, aggressive attack of corrosion to grain boundaries and existence of microorganisms initiated and accelerated the corrosion rate. It was investigated by visual examination, macro- and micro-structure, chemical analysis of the part and the sea water. Also, bacterial analysis was investigated.