Tried. And True? Rethinking the Industry Standard for Assessing PVC Pipe Fatigue

Accurately assessing polyvinyl chloride pipe durability is important to our clients. More than 40 million tons of the viscoelastic, lightweight material is estimated to be in use in water distribution and conveyance systems. As our infrastructure ages, the estimated fatigue of these pipes directly affects pipe replacement and capital investment decisions.

Our David McPherson takes a closer look at the current methods for determining PVC pipe fatigue. In his Journal of American Water Works Association article, “Distortions from a Simplified Approach to Fatigue Analysis in PVC Pipes,” he notes which types of systems the current method works in and where it does not. He offers suggestions and recommendations for improving the current procedure and where new approaches provide a higher value.

If PVC pipe life and material fatigue is a current concern, feel free to David.McPherson [at] hdrinc.com (start up a conversation) with us today.