Papers
Plastic Pipes Conference Association # 2016 Berlin
John Fishburne
The United States water industry relies heavily on American Water Works Association (AWWA) Standards publications for product ratings, design parameters, and guidance on installation methodologies. In September 2015, AWWA published Standard C906-15 covering 4” – 65” polyethylene pressure pipe for waterworks applications. The previous standard was significantly revised in response to the global prevalence of PE4710/PE100 HDPE pipe compounds. Publication of AWWA C906-15 completed an unusually exhaustive standard development process that was initiated at AWWA in 2005 and taken up in earnest by the full Polyolefin Pressure Pipe & Fittings Committee during 2008.
The improved performance capabilities of the latest generation of polyethylene pipe compounds particularly challenged the US water industry’s understanding of the relevance of the ratio between the Hydrostatic Design Basis (HDB) and the Hydrostatic Design Strength (HDS) as a single proportional measure of safety for pressure pipelines. Work at AWWA addressed tenacious US perceptions that the safety factor for thermoplastic pipe is simply the inverse of the “design factor” (HDS:HDB) and established that PE4710/PE100 compounds rated to AWWA 906-15 are more resistant to sustained static loads than their predecessors. Work to establish AWWA requirements for the latest generation of polyethylene pipe compounds revealed the US water industry’s educational legacy in rigid, elastic materials, and relied upon European experience with PE100, the ISO designation for the latest generation of PE pipe compounds.
The Chair of the AWWA Standards Committee responsible for AWWA C906 reviewed the expert rationale that quantified inherent minimum safety factors for HDPE piping against failure due to surge, fatigue oxidation, and sustained load that supported the approval of the standard. Organizations that participate in the US water market will be interested to fully understand the points debated during the formal development cycle, as the exhaustive process to approve AWWA C906 revealed much about the state of sustainable pipeline engineering and construction thought in the United States and the implications for water main break and leakage rate trends for pressure water pipelines.
Related papers
Author(s) : James F. Mason, Akshay Ponda, Hermann van Laak, Tobias Bauer
The long-term strength of unplasticized polyamide 12 (PA-U12) has been characterized using standard methods for plastic pressure pipe during the qualification process for use in buried piping systems for natural gas delivery operating at low ambient temperatures, usually less than 20 to 30°C at pressures...
Author(s) : Jiyong Park, JaeHyuck Han, YoungGu Kim, Eunjin Park
This study investigates the influence of various parameters on polymer design to determine the slow crack growth. HDPE(High Density Polyethylene) materials with different molecular weight distribution and comonomer content for PE100-RC pipe were investigated with cracked round bar test. The cracked round bar test...
Author(s) : Amster Howard
This paper focuses on the confusing plethora of choices that a design engineer in the United States faces when selecting installation instructions for buried pressure thermoplastic pipelines. For polyethylene pipe, the decision is between AWWA Manual M55, ASTM D2774, ASTM F1668, the PPI Handbook, MAB-3, PE Field...
Author(s) : Jay Parvez, Richard Nichols
All thermoplastic and thermoset pipes must consider the impacts of cyclic loading on overall performance. Since its first use, PVC pipes have been tested for its resilience to such loading. As testing evolved over time, the method to determine cyclic capacity for gasketed PVC pipes has improved. Previously, the...
Author(s) : J. Lahoz
An investigation project was launched in 2020 to clarify the relationships between the processing conditions and the design lifetime of PVC-U 250 pipes. Ca/Zn stabilized pressure pipes were extruded with different processing temperatures and characterized by their DSC B-onset temperature and degree of gelation. Their...
Author(s) : Ludo Debever, Peter Sejersen
The Circular Economy Action Plan is a major building block of Europe’s Green Deal, the European Climate Change strategy. It has far-reaching consequences for the entire EU industrial fabric and its business models. The EU’s transition from a linear to a circular economy aims to reduce on natural resources and pave...
Author(s) : Dr. Ricky Selle
Structural behavior of flexible plastic manholes is very different from rigid concrete products. Although this is state-of-the-art knowledge, no international or EN standard exists on structural design of these products. Therefore, traditional soil models and soil pressure coefficients are usually applied if...
Author(s) : Guido Quesada
Spigot bevels (also referred to as chamfers) for plastic pipe joints using elastomeric seals are well-known and often prescribed in standards such as ISO 1452 for PVC-U and 16422 for PVC-O. The most common type of bevel is a simple straight cut at a 15° angle with respect to the pipe axis, leaving approximately 50%...
Author(s) : Guido Quesada, Mark Weih
The Plastic Retainer Ring (PRR) gasket is an old friend of pipe joints, and it is still used among other sealing solutions developed more recently. With origins traced back to the end of the 1960s, it is recognized among the first solutions developed for gasketed plastic pipe joints. It is very likely to have...
Author(s) : Dipl. Ing. Rainer Vießmann
The production of PVC pipes is mainly produced on counter rotating twin screw extruders as the PVC Dryblend material is readily available in powder form. Whereas PVC granules, mainly processed on single screw extruders, play a minor role in pipe production for economic reasons. The design of the extruder screws has a...
Author(s) : Andreas Moerman, Flip van der Valk, Mirjam Blokker KWR, Tjakko Haaijer, Jan Vreeburg,
Drinking water companies with ageing networks are facing vast amounts of drinking water network reconstructions during the coming decades. This development coincides with the energy transition, which puts pressure on the available space underground. These external drivers give drinking water companies an opportunity...
Author(s) : Bruce Mowry, PhD, P.E., Brian Dorwart, P.G., P.E., David Mancini, Bryan Fletcher, Roger Williams, P.E., Rene Brito, EIT, Arnelio Alfonso, P.E .
The City of Miami Beach owns and operates a 54-inch sanitary sewage PCCP force main (FM) that was built in 1977. This FM is the only transmission pipeline for conveying about 22 million gallons per day (MGD) of raw sewage to the wastewater treatment plant. In 2012, the City identified structural deficiencies in the...
Author(s) : Joe Babcanec, P.E., Dan Currence, P.E.
The newly released Drainage Handbook provides complete guidance on corrugated polyolefin pipe. Perhaps the biggest contribution this new handbook makes to the advancement of both HDPE and PP corrugated plastic pipe is the design procedure presented. The design procedure reflects the industry’s recommended practice...
Author(s) : James F. Mason, Akshay Ponda, Hermann van Laak, Buc Slay
The effects of liquid hydrocarbons on long term strength of pipe grade thermoplastic resins is an important consideration when designing pressure pipe for use in the oil and gas industry. There is an extensive body of work going back several decades descri bing these effects for pipe grade polyethylenes, and all...
Author(s) : Gerald Pinter, Johannes Wiener, Florian Arbeiter, Abhishek Tiwari, Otmar Kolednik
For pipe applications, catastrophic failure due to crack growth has to be prevented by all means. Techniques to develop new and even tougher pipe materials are explored in this contribution. The aim is to create a multi-layer architecture, that exhibits high toughness as well as damage tolerance towards sharp notches....
Author(s) : White G. Jee, Wes Long, Marcello Russo
In 2018, the North American HDPE pressure pipe market experienced unprecedented demand and growth especially in the region of the Permian basin in west Texas. 1 As aninnovative means of increasing HDPE pipe supply in this region, the first modular mobile extrusion plant was moved to Pecos, TX. Using custom designed...
Author(s) : Dustin Langston
The design and installation of polyethylene systems can be complex, specifically due to the many applications and environmental conditions that surround those systems. Online design tools have been developed to address this complexity and the various factors that must be considered. These online tools used widely in...
Author(s) : Guido Quesada
An important breakthrough for belled PVC pipe was made around 2006, when the first versions an integral joint restraint were released, after about two years in development. This type of restraint comprises a casing, usually made of metal such as ductile iron or stainless steel, a rubber seal, and a “C” grip ring,...
Author(s) : Amster Howard
Deeper pipe burial, less expensive and environmentally friendly backfill, uniform language for contractors and inspectors, simplified installations for smaller pipe, and allowable construction in poor soil conditions are highlights in the latest edition of AWWA M55 and all benefit the users of HDPE pressure pipe. This...
Author(s) : Hua Ye, Sun Jin, Wei Ruoqi
As a safe, clean, low-carbon and reliable energy source, nuclear power, together with hydropower and coal power, constitutes the three pillars of the world's energy supply and play an important role in the world's energy structure.With the strong support of national policies, China's nuclear energy has entered a new...
Members of the Association
