Recognized by Engineering News Record as being one of the top 20 engineering innovations in the last 125 years
, 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 pipe is a thermoplastic, which is manufactured using an extrusion process. PVC pipe offers many benefits/features some of which are listed below:
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.
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.
Light Weight: 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.
Flexibility: While PVC pipes are made from rigid (unplasticized) PVC compound, the pipe itself has the ability to yield under loading without fracturing.
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.
Abrasion/Wear Resistance: PVC pipes exhibit outstanding resistance to wear and abrasion.
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.
Coefficient of Friction: PVC pipes provide smoother wall surfaces that reduce fluid friction and resistance to flow.
Water Quality: PVC pressure pipes do not adversely alter water quality. There are no corrosion by-products with PVC pipe.
Environmental Benefit: PVC pipe is efficient to manufacture and transport, using less non-renewable resources than competing materials.
CertainTeed has earned a reputation as a premier building materials manufacturer for more than 100 years. For every part of the building, CertainTeed offers a quality line of roofing, vinyl and fiber cement siding, pvc trim, sheathing, fence, railing, decking, foundation, windows, insulation, drywall and performance wallboards, ceilings, and pipe products for both residential and commercial building applications.
