A new engineering approach to predict the long-term hydrostatic strength of unplasticized poly(vinyl chloride) pipes

Extruded polymer pipes are qualified using pressurized pipe tests. With these tests the long-term hydrostatic strength is determined by subjecting the pipes to an internal pressure, while measuring the time-to-failure. Although these tests can be accelerated (at higher temperatures), they remain time consuming and require a spacious experimental setup. To circumvent this costly method a model based approach is proposed by which the long-term hydrostatic strength is predicted. Using short term measurements, the input parameters for this approach can be determined. In this engineering approach the effects of physical aging are included. The approach is capable to quantitatively predict the (long-term) failure time of pipe sections under internal pressure.