Professor Melchers' research contributes to creating a better understanding of the corrosion of steel in marine environments. In particular, it addresses a big issue for the water industry worldwide; the corrosion of mooring chains and wire rope for offshore platforms, and the exterior corrosion of cast iron water pipes. In 2006 the International Ship Structures Committee adopted Melchers' corrosion models for the condition assessment of aged ship structures. His research throws new light on the influence of bacteria and water pollution in relation to the severity of corrosion. Mathematical models have been developed for general corrosion and offered completely new interpretations of the statistics of maximum pit depth, which is especially important for pipelines, as any leak can be disastrous. These mathematical models also help to predict when corrosion may occur, allowing for efficient planning of resources. With the world becoming increasingly reliant on concrete sea structures to meet its energy and resources needs, Professor Melchers and his team are also investigating corrosion of reinforced concrete in the marine environment. Reinforced concrete is used in the construction of advanced marine structures such as offshore drilling platforms, superspan bridges and undersea tunnels. In conjunction with all the leading Water Authorities in Australia, Professor Melchers is developing a model for the loss of concrete on the inside walls of concrete sewer pipes. Used in almost all major cities, these pipes are increasingly at risk. The water industry is very concerned about their remaining life and is keen to hear about innovations to make them less prone to failure. The mathematical models developed so far will help to resolve this issue.
Robert Melchers has not published a dataset on rdl-hub yet. Their raw data, if attached to any publication, appears in Publications.
