CHAPTER I - POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC) PIPE

CHAPTER I

POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC) PIPE

A Product of Modern Technology

© Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association, 2001

HANDBOOK OF PVC PIPE

CHAPTER I

POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC) PIPE

During the 20th century a truly revolutionary advancement in pipeline

materials engineering occurred. The revolution was born in polymer science
and has, through many decades of technological refinement, been accelerating.
The polymer that has achieved front-runner status throughout this pipe
revolution is polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
Recognized by Engineering News Record as being one of the top 125
engineering innovations, the desirable combination of chemical resistance,
long-term strength, and high stiffness accounts for PVC having become a
popular pipe material for many pressure and non-pressure applications. The use
and availability of PVC pipe has grown steadily since the 1950s. PVC has
become the dominant pipe material for such major markets as the pressure and
non-pressure sanitary sewer market and the pressure water distribution market.
In North America each year, the total installed length of PVC water and
sanitary sewer pipe exceeds that of any alternative piping material. Much of
this handbook is devoted to the proper application of PVC pipe within these
major markets.
In addition, more recent technological advancements have allowed the PVC
pipe industry to expand production to include larger pipe diameters and allow
for more efficient use of materials. As a result, PVC pipe has been

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 CHAPTER I - POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC) PIPE

successfully introduced to several other buried pipe markets, which include

gravity storm sewers, highway drainage, agricultural drainage, and the large
diameter pressure transmission pipe market.

PVC: AN ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTIC

PVC is part of a large, complex, and constantly developing group of
materials known as plastics. Plastic materials, like metals and other pipeline
materials, possess a wide range of properties that lend themselves to
particular applications. Structurally, plastic materials used for pipe
fabrication can exhibit properties ranging from soft and flexible to hard and
rigid.
Plastic pipe materials may be divided into two basic groups,
thermoplastic and thermosetting. Thermoplastics, as the name implies,
soften whenever heated and harden when cooled. They can be formed and
reformed repeatedly, but the reprocessing steps must be controlled and
limited to insure retention of original performance properties. PVC is a
thermoplastic, which is manufactured using an extrusion process as
described in Chapter IV. The ability to be reheated and reformed also
enables PVC pipes to be manufactured with a post-extrusion, heat-formed
bell end for jointing. PVC fittings are generally made in an injection
molding process or fabricated through the assembly of molded or extruded
parts. Chapter IV describes both manufacturing processes.
Thermosetting plastics go through a soft plastic stage only once, then
harden irreversibly, and cannot again be softened without incurring
permanent damage. Some of the more common thermosetting plastics used
for pipe are glass-fiber-reinforced thermosetting resin and cross-linked
polyethylene.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Polyvinyl chloride was discovered in the waning years of the nineteenth
century. Its birth was not particularly glamorous. Scientists observing a
newly created organic chemical gas, vinyl chloride (C2H3Cl), discovered
that when exposed to sunlight this gaseous material reacted strangely. The
chemical reaction, which ensued, resulted in the creation of an off-white ac-
cumulation of solid material in the bottom of their test tubes. The scientists
had observed simple polymerization or the basic creation of a new plastic
material, polyvinyl chloride.

© Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association, 2001

HANDBOOK OF PVC PIPE

Subsequent investigation of the new polymer at first created great ex-

citement and, somewhat later, great disappointment. The scientists were
astonished by the incredible new plastic material, which seemed nearly inert
to most chemicals and, in fact, virtually indestructible. However, they soon
found the material so resistant to change that they were forced to concede
that it could not be easily formed or processed into useful applications. Soon
thereafter, PVC was termed another of science's great discoveries without an
apparent application, and the world forgot about the unique new plastic.
Not until the 1920s did curiosity again bring polyvinyl chloride into the
limelight. Scientists in Europe and America launched an extended
campaign, which eventually brought PVC plastics to the modern world.
Technology evolved worldwide, but particularly in Germany, for the use of
PVC in its unplasticized, rigid form. In 1931, PVC compounds were
developed by German scientists who proceeded to produce millions of
pounds, some of it for pipes. Through continued service today, several of
these earliest PVC pipelines provide testimony to PVC's outstanding
durability.
In large part, the PVC pipe industry was born out of a necessity created
by World War II. German scientists and engineers turned to PVC as a pipe
material to quickly restore essential water and wastewater pipelines in cities
damaged by Allied bombings.
In the pre-war period, and to some extent during the war, PVC
processing was largely carried out on machinery developed for rubber or
celluloid. Even immediately after the war, the technology remained fairly
primitive and the processing machinery was not engineered specifically for
PVC. In the 1950s and 1960s, the two decades following the war, there were
considerable advances in PVC technology, both in formulation and
processing. The development of more effective stabilizers, lubricants and
processing aids, together with processing machinery engineered specifically
for PVC, allowed for increasing success in the extrusion of quality, rigid
(unplasticized) PVC pipe. The result was that PVC pipe began competing
with traditional products in a number of major markets including: gas
distribution; sewer and drainage; water distribution; electrical conduit;
chemical processing; and drain, waste, and vent plumbing.
PVC pipe's success in North America parallels that which occurred in
Europe. Since its introduction in North America in 1951, PVC has become
the largest volume plastic piping material. In 1955, the year the American

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 CHAPTER I - POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC) PIPE

Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) organized a group to write

plastic pipe standards, North American plastic pipe shipments were just
under 40 million pounds. By 1968, North American PVC pipe sales
surpassed 200 million pounds annually.
Figure 1.1 charts the PVC pipe industry's progress and growth from the
mid-seventies for North America and the world. The PVC pipe industry's
growth rate has been nothing short of phenomenal. The factors behind the
product's success and rapid growth are continuing advancements in pro-
cessing technology; improved joining materials; continuing standardization
programs; improved quality control testing; and continuing and increasing
understanding and acceptance by designers, contractors, and purchasing
agents.

FIGURE 1.1
PVC PIPE AND FITTINGS INDUSTRY GROWTH

25
PVC Pipe and Fittings Shipments (lbs)

20

Worldwide
15
(Billions)

10

5 USA & Canada

0
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Year

A RATIONAL CHOICE
The range of useful properties afforded by PVC makes it one of the most
versatile of all pipe materials, a fact attested to by the variety of applications
and markets served by PVC pipes. The rationale for specifying or using

© Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association, 2001

HANDBOOK OF PVC PIPE

PVC pipe is justified on the basis of any or several of the following

attributes.
Corrosion Resistance: PVC pipes are non-conductors of electricity
and immune to electrochemical reactions caused by acids, bases, and salts
that cause corrosion in metals. This characteristic exists on both the inside
and outside of PVC pipe. Consequently, PVC pipe is frequently cost
effective in applications where soil is aggressive. PVC pipe can be expected
to outlast alternative pipes without the need for protective coatings or liners.

Chemical Resistance: PVC pipes exhibit resistance to a wide range of

chemical reagents in temperatures up to 140°F and are resistant to chemicals
normally found or used in homes. Some industrial applications will warrant
an evaluation of chemical resistance. The chemical resistance quality of
PVC is further evidenced by its frequent usage as a protective liner for other
pipe materials.
Strength to Weight Ratio, Light Weight: PVC pipes offer a
tremendous weight advantage that is a particularly important safety aspect.
The material's ability to be handled more easily minimizes worker injury
and facilitates lower cost installation and transportation. A person can easily
carry two 20-foot lengths of 4-inch PVC pipe, but could carry less than 5
feet of 4-inch iron pipe with the same effort.

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 CHAPTER I - POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC) PIPE

Flexibility: PVC pipe's resistance to fracture is an extremely important

performance advantage. While PVC pipes are made from rigid
(unplasticized) PVC compound, the pipe itself has the ability to yield under
loading without fracturing. The modulus of elasticity of PVC is a major
advantage for buried applications, particularly where soil movement or
vibration is anticipated. In pressure applications, PVC's modulus of
elasticity also reduces the magnitude of pressure surges (i.e., water
hammer).
Long-Term Tensile Strength: PVC pipe compounds are formulated to
attain long-term tensile strength. The long-term hydrostatic design basis
(HDB) for PVC is two or more times greater than that for other common
thermoplastic pipe materials.
Watertight Joints: A major advantage for nearly all piping
applications is joint tightness. PVC pipes are available with deep insertion,
push-together gasketed joints. Gasketed PVC pipe joints have consistently
out-performed those of traditional pipe products in actual service. They are
simple and easy to assemble and can be filled, tested, and placed in service
immediately after assembly.
Abrasion/Wear Resistance: PVC pipes exhibit outstanding resistance
to wear and abrasion. PVC pipe has proven more durable than metal,
concrete, and clay pipe for the transport of abrasive slurries.
Impact Strength: Under normal conditions, PVC pipes possess
relatively high resistance to impact damage when compared to pipes made
from clay, concrete, and most other conventional materials. Even though
PVC pipes do exhibit a reduction in impact strength at very low
temperatures, the impact strength remains more than adequate, usually
exceeding that of alternate pipe materials.
Coefficient of Friction: PVC pipes provide smoother wall surfaces that
reduce fluid friction and resistance to flow. This hydraulic smoothness
inhibits slime buildup in sewers and virtually eliminates tuberculation and
encrustation in water distribution mains. The end results are significantly
lower maintenance costs and more efficient initial pipeline design.
Longer Lengths: PVC pipe generally is available in lengths of either
13 feet or 20 feet. This reduces the number of joints required as compared
with other pipe products. Fewer joints allow for faster, more efficient
installation, less hydraulic friction, and fewer opportunities for leakage.

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HANDBOOK OF PVC PIPE

Water Quality: PVC pipe’s non-corrosive nature and resistance to

chemical attack also renders it non-reactive with drinking water. PVC pres-
sure pipes do not adversely alter water quality. There are no corrosion by-
products with PVC pipe. PVC water pipes have been tested extensively us-
ing aggressive waters to verify their safety advantage.
Thermal Insulation: PVC has lower thermal conductivity than
traditional pipe materials. This characteristic makes PVC pipe desirable for
a variety of thermal insulation applications.

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 CHAPTER I - POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC) PIPE

Flame Resistance: PVC pipe is difficult to ignite and will not continue
burning in the absence of an external ignition source. The spontaneous ig-
nition temperature is 850°F, which is well above that of most construction
materials. PVC pipe is sometimes referred to as self-extinguishing because
the products of combustion immediately combine with any available oxy-
gen, thus starving the flame.
Environmental Benefit: PVC, as a raw material, is energy efficient to
process. More than half of the raw material used in production of resin is
provided by salt, of which there is virtually unlimited supply. Similarly,
PVC pipe is efficient to manufacture and transport, using less non-
renewable resources than competing materials. However, a complete
evaluation of benefit recognizes the entire life cycle of the product, from
manufacture to disposal. Given the durable nature of the material, the long
life afforded by PVC pipe essentially eliminates the question of disposal.
Nevertheless, PVC is recyclable, with existing markets for recycled
material, and new ones continually developing.
Favorable Cost: PVC pipe is competitive with other pipes, particularly
when installation and life cycle operating costs are taken into consideration.

PVC PIPE TECHNOLOGY

Notwithstanding current advantages afforded by PVC pipe, the industry
is continuing to improve upon the technology. Through research and
development, the PVC pipe industry is striving to make the best possible
pipe and fittings products. With the ability to draw from PVC pipe's
worldwide experience, and with the opportunity to learn from the
shortcomings of predecessor pipe products, the PVC pipe industry will
maintain its product's advantages and work toward the betterment of those
advantages. PVC pipe is a product of modern technology, offering reliable
and durable service to a variety of consumers (i.e., contractors, engineers,
operators, industries, utilities, and irrigation districts). PVC pipe is a tried
and proven performer, a credit to PVC's inherently superior characteristics
and thorough engineering design.

© Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association, 2001

HANDBOOK OF PVC PIPE

CHAPTER I

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Structural Plastics Design Manual,

ASCE Manual No. 63 (1984).

2. Bulkey, Charles W., Robert G. Morin and Alan J. Stockwell, "Vinyl Polymers and
Copolymers," Modern Plastics Encyclopedia 1968, v. 45: No. 14A (Oct. 1968), p.
336.

3. Committee on Resin Statistics, the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI), “Facts &
Figures of the U.S. Plastics Industry,” Washington, DC, (1997).

4. Henson, J. H. L. and A. Whelan, Developments in PVC Technology, National

College of Rubber Technology, London (Feb. 1973).

5. McJunkin, Frederick E. and Charles S. Pineo, Role of Plastic Pipe in Community

Water Supplies in Developing Countries, Agency for International Development,
(1971).

6. Modern Plastics, McGraw-Hill Publications, New York, (Jan. annually).

7. Penn, W. S., PVC Technology, Wiley Interscience, A Division of John Wiley and
Sons, Inc., New York (1967).

8. World PVC Demand, SRI International (1989).

9. Engineering News Record, McGraw Hill Companies, Inc. (October 18, 1999).

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© Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association, 2001