Corrosion is one of the greatest challenges facing infrastructure in water and wastewater facilities.
Chemical exposure, high humidity and confined atmospheric conditions accelerate material degradation. Industrial handrails and guardrails in these settings are critical safety components, and premature corrosion can lead to costly replacement, operational disruption and compliance risk.
To better understand long term material performance under these conditions, Moddex installed six test rigs in a live Sydney Water underground sewerage pit, and six years on our results are validating. The program forms part of a broader R&D strategy focused on continuous innovation and performance benchmarking in real world applications.
The Live Site Installation
In 2019, six material test rigs were installed approximately 40 metres below ground in a live Sydney Water sewerage pit in Bondi. The environment is enclosed and highly corrosive. Each assembly simulates a Moddex Tuffrail® stanchion commonly used in such environments, complete with connectors, mount plates and pipe sections.
The testing focuses on Moddex’s three core material types, including:
- Aluminium with raw finish
- Aluminium with specialist powder coated finishes
- Aluminium with 25-micron anodised finish
- 316 grade stainless steel with mill finish
“Installing these rigs 40 metres below ground allows us to observe true long term behaviour under some of the most aggressive conditions available,” Moddex Sales Director Joe Rowland said.
Beyond Laboratory Testing
While laboratory and marine and salt testing remain important components of material validation, live site exposure provides a more comprehensive understanding of how materials and finishes respond to the combined chemical and environmental factors unique to wastewater infrastructure.
“The challenge isn’t testing one variable in isolation; it’s understanding how multiple chemical and environmental factors interact over time,” Joe said. “But replicating the exact combination of chemicals and atmospheric conditions found in an underground sewer pit is nearly impossible outside of the real environment.”
Period photographic updates are received from the Sydney Water team to document condition and performance over time, building a longitudinal record of behaviour in situ.
Early Observations and Long Term Impact
After six years of continuous exposure, early observations continue to reinforce the superior performance of 316 grade stainless steel in these environments, while ongoing monitoring is providing valuable insight into alternative finishes and coatings.
“This is a logical next step beyond laboratory testing,” Joe said. “When materials are being specified for wastewater infrastructure, performance confidence matters and live site exposure strengthens that confidence by validating behaviour in real operating environments.”
In corrosive environments where lifecycle cost and durability are critical, long term validation supports more informed design and specification decisions.
“Real world testing is about building a feedback loop into product development as every observation informs how we refine systems moving forward,” Joe added. “Corrosion doesn’t pause once installation is complete. Understanding how materials behave over time is fundamental to designing infrastructure that lasts.”
Learn more about Industrial Handrail for Water Industries in our whitepaper.
