Making better pipes
Making better pipes - Vinyl Council Australia
| Recent innovation in pipe design has led to the availability of new products such as modified PVC (PVC-M) and oriented PVC (PVC-O) pipes. |
| PVC-O: This material is made by re-aligning the PVC molecules through a process of bi-axial orientation. This greatly enhances the circumferential strength of the pipe, improving its performance in conveying liquids under pressure such as potable water. The new molecule orientation also means the wall thickness of PVC-O pipe is reduced by up to 50 per cent, yet the same pressure rating is maintained as that of traditional PVC pipe. In other words, PVC-O has a larger bore and improved flow rates. Impact strength is similarly enhanced, resulting in a virtually unbreakable product. PVC-O has been developed and produced in Australia since the early 1980s. Over the last 5 years, the process has been converted to an on-line continuous one by a local company recognised as a world leader in this technology. |
| PVC-M: Modified PVC (PVC-M) is similar in composition to the traditional PVC pressure pipe. The difference is that an improved impact modifier has been added which induces a ductile response and thus changes the fracture characteristics of the finished product. This enhanced toughness enables PVC-M to be manufactured with a thinner wall with subsequent material savings and improved hydraulic properties. PVC-M was introduced to the water industry in the United Kingdom about 10 years ago. They were first produced in New Zealand in 1996 and have been used in Australia since 1997. |
