What is the meaning of the designations PE80, PE100 & PE100-RC?

PE80 and PE100 meaning

The designations PE80 and PE100 are based on the long-term strength of the respective materials, known as the minimum required strength (MRS) in accordance with ISO 12162.

The designations are:

Minimum Required Strength (MRS)

The MRS is determined by performing regression analysis in accordance with ISO 9080 on the test data from the results of long-term pressure testing. The regression analysis allows for the prediction of the minimum strength for a specific service lifetime. The data is extrapolated to predict the minimum strength at 20°C and at the specified 50 year design lifetime. Full details of the analysis can be found in ISO 9080 .

What is PE100-RC?

PE100-RC is a variant of PE100 that has higher resistance to slow crack growth (SCG) than conventional PE100. The RC stands for Resistant to Cracking. PE100-RC has the same MRS as conventional PE100, and also the same resistance to environmental stress cracking and rapid crack propagation. The preformance requirements for PE100-RC are the same as for PE100 except for the SCG resistance, for which there is a higher requirement. For example the notched pipe test (ISO 13479) requires a perfomance of >500 hours for conventional PE100 but >8760 hours for PE100-RC. Annex C of EN 12201-1:2024 provides more information on SCG resistance requirements for PE100-RC.

Slow crack growth in plastic pipes is caused by high point loading, for example impingement of hard materials in bedding or backfill; of fragments of the replaced pipe when using pipe bursting or pipe splitting methods for online replacement; or of hard particles such as gravels in soils where directional drilling installation takes place.

As a result, PE100-RC can be installed under far harsher conditions than conventional PE100 pipes, including:

• Trenchless laying using directional drilling amongst other techniques, where there is a risk of creating notches in the outer surface of the pipe.
• Installation in open trenches with no sand bed where the extracted soil is reused directly as backfill; This type of installation not only saves a considerable amount of time compared to conventional methods, it can also produce substantial savings in terms of total installation cost of around 20% to 50%, easily covering the extra cost of the PE100-RC pipes.

The designation PE100-RC is defined through extensive testing to ensure that the required level of slow crack growth resistance is achieved. The current applicable tests for PE100-RC, in addition to those for conventional PE100, are:

• ISO18488:2015     Determination of Strain Hardening Modulus in relation to     slow crack growth. Test method.
• ISO18489:2015     Determination of resistance to slow crack growth under cyclic loading - Cracked Round Bar test method
• ISO13479:2022     Determination of resistance to crack propagation. Test method for slow crack growth on notched pipes.

An additional test for environmental stress crack resistance is also applied to PE100-RC:

• ISO16770:2019      Determination of environmental stress cracking (ESC) of polyethylene. Full-notch creep test.

References

• ISO 9080:2012 Plastics piping and ducting systems - determination of long term hydrostatic strength of thermoplastics materials in pipe form by extrapolation.
• EN ISO 12162:2009 Thermoplastics materials for pipes and fittings for pressure applications - Classification and designation - overall Service (Design) coefficient.

• EN 12201-1:2024  Plastics piping systems for water supply and for drains and sewers under pressure - Polyethylene (PE) - Part 1: General.

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