Published Resources Details
Conference Paper
- Title
- The Barwon Ovoid Sewer Aqueduct - Finest Reinforced Concrete Construction to Historic Ruin
- In
- Engineering Heritage Victoria, Speakers Programme
- Imprint
- 16 November 2017
- Url
- https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/Event/barwon-ovoid-sewer-aqueduct-finest-reinforced-concrete-construction-historic-ruin
- Abstract
The Barwon Ovoid Sewer Aqueduct is an impressive 756m long structure spanning across the Barwon River and its flood plain at Breakwater, Geelong.
Constructed between 1913 and 1915 as part of Geelong's first sewerage scheme, it carried the ovoid main sewer towards the ocean outfall at Black Rock. At the time of its construction it was described in the English Concrete & Constructional Engineering Journal as 'one of the finest reinforced concrete constructions in Australia'. Now, 100 years later, it is an historic ruin.
The session will discuss the design and fabrication of the Aqueduct, the history of it's repairs and the efforts in place to prevent its demolition.
Attendees will gain an understanding of the Considère reinforcing system used for the construction of the aqueduct, why the precast pipes have survived better than the rest of the structure and how none of the engineering investigations have been able to predict when failure will occur.