ABSTRACT
Over time corrosion and fatigue occur in metal pipe work, particularly if exposed to hostile environmental conditions. Defects can cause leaks or failures that can result in a mass loss of product, expensive reconstruction work, damage to the local and global environment and human harm. For example, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has reported that in the U.S.A. alone incidents of pipeline failure that have caused hospitalization or death have occurred 64 times a year on average over the last 20 years (PHMSA 2007).
