Abstract
For the last 3 decades, unplasticised polyvinyl chloride (uPVC) pipes have been used for pressure and non-pressure applications within the water industry. In most applications the product has been highly satisfactory, but some premature failures have occurred particularly in large diameter thick walled pipes.
During the early days of water distribution systems operation in Al-Jubail excessive premature pipe failures occurred. The causes for these failures included 30% material defects, 57% installation defects, 7% operational and 6% unknown factors. uPVC pipes used for sewerage purposes, and fittings used in Riyadh also showed failures during the preliminary period of operation. The major reasons for failures were material defects (improper pipe extrusion), and poor installation practices.
These pipe failures could be minimized by strict compliance to standards and specifications applicable to pipe manufacture and installation. Important aspects of the standard methods including Saudi Arabian Standard (SAS), American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM), British Standards (BS), and Deutsche Institute for Normung (DIN) are reviewed in this paper. The suitability of the international standards in the light of the harsh climatic conditions as well as the soil characteristics of the gulf region will be specifically discussed. Attempt will be made to present some guide lines and recommendations on selection of material, processing procedures, and installation practices, in order to improve the uPVC pipe performance in the Gulf region.
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