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 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.
