Reference: 15/WM/04/11 ISBN: 1 84057 786 X Published Date: 26/08/2015 The water industry has a significant stock of PVC-U, PVC-O and PVC-A pressure mains some of which are now approaching the end of their 50 year design life. Additionally, early generation PVC-U mains have been shown to have a higher failure rate than anticipated.
This report sets out a description of the failure mechanisms of PVC pipes, reasons for their premature failure and describes the various methods of testing the mechanical characteristics of existing PVC pipe materials.
The report also investigates the various NDT methods that could be used to assess the condition of these pipes and provides guidance on future avenues of research that could be pursued in this area. |