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91194
LONG-TERM PERFORMANCE PREDICTION FOR PE PIPES

ISBN: 9781583215784
Pages: 162
Published: 2008

Price: $269.00

Polyethylene (PE) pipe has been in use for water service in Europe since the 1950s, in Australia since the late 1970s, and in the US since the late 1980s. European utilities that participated in the study claim that PE pipe has the lowest failure rate of any pipe type used in water service.

In an attempt to assess the long-term field performance of PE water pipes, this study investigates rates, types, and reasons for PE pipe failures, and provides failure prediction models.

The study found that inadequate pipe installation and joint preparation practices or third-party damage are responsible for most PE pipe failures, such as circumferential fractures and failures in joints or fittings. Under normal service loading conditions, PE pipe has a very low failure rate.

One type of failure attributed to normal service loading conditions is slow crack growth failure, which occurs in some older PE pipe materials. This type of failure is extremely rare in newer PE formulations.    

The report provides models that predict service lifetimes and failure probabilities for PE pipe. These models showed reasonable agreement within the 95% confidence limits for actual failure rates.

The report describes PE pipe manufacturing processes, failure mechanisms, performance standards, fracture properties, test results, and failure-prediction model development.