Industrial
Fibreglass
Fabricators
Maskell Productions Ltd.
16th March 2010
Flowtite Pipe
• Introduction
• Features and Benefits
• Standards and Testing
• Manufacturing
• Quality Control
• Applications
• Conclusions
Topics
• One of Australasia’s largest and
most experienced industrial
fibreglass fabricators.
• Manufacture a wide range of
industrial fibreglass products
including piping systems, tanks,
air pollution systems and
associated equipment, all in
fibreglass (FRP/GRP).
• Completing projects in the
fibreglass field for over 40 years
(since 1968) and are experienced
throughout Australasia.
Introduction
Maskell Productions Ltd
• Distribute Flowtite pipes throughout Australasia.
Introduction
• Water transmission and distribution
(potable and raw water)
• Sanitary sewerage collection and
outfalls
• Storm sewers and drainage
• Sea water intake, outfalls and
cooling water lines
• Circulating water, make-up and
blowdown lines for power plants
• Penstock lines for mini-
hydroelectric power plants
• Industrial effluents
Flowtite pipes are used in
numerous applications:
Break down of GRP
Fibreglass
• Modern glass fibre was invented in 1938 by Russell Games-Slayter
of Owens-Corning
• Glass is kept molten in a large vat and then drawn through die’s to
produce fibres which are bundled into rovings.
• The fibreglass is then used as a reinforcement in plastic products.
Resin - GRP Resins are broadly classified into the following types:
• Polyester: Patented by DuPont in 1936 these are some of the oldest
and most common resins, they are economical and provide good
long term corrosion resistance.
• Vinyl Ester: a range of hybrid resins developed by Dow chemicals in
the 1970’s that have improved chemical and heat resistance. Mainly
used for industrial chemical industry for strong acids and oxidising
chemicals.
• Epoxy Resins: Initially developed in 1936 and licenced to Ciba now
Huntsman/Ashland Chemicals. Specifically for high strength
applications where adhesive strength is critical. Also used where
curing under water is required.
History of Industrial GRP
• The first GRP products were airplane parts developed by Owens-
Corning in 1942 as part of the war effort.
• In 1964 the first underground fuel storage tank was installed in
Chicago. It was uncovered in 1985 and test samples were sent
away for analysis and showed that the properties exceeded those
required for new tanks under UL standards. Tha tank is still in
service.
• The first GRP pipes were produced by a number of manufacturers
starting in the 1960’s. The first pipes were filament wound
(explanation to follow)
• In 1977 Veroc Technologies develops a continuous pipe
manufacturing process that allows pipe to be manufactured in large
diameters up to 4m at rates of 10m/hr
Advantages of GRP pipe
• GRP pipes are designed for a long
maintenance free life
- Minimum design life 50 years
- In aggressive conditions
• Projected life time for GRP is much
greater than for many “traditional
materials”.
• GRP pipes have been in successful
continuous use for at least 40 years
• GRP will not corrode like other
pipe materials.
Features & Benefits
• Economical
• Corrosion-resistant material
• Choice of jointing techniques both RIKA rubber seal
joint and permanent welded joint (butt and strap)
• Stringent performance standards
• Extremely smooth bore
• Long standard lengths
• Light weight
• High technology pipe manufacturing platform
Economical
• Pipe competitive with other commonly used materials
• No corrosion surveys required
• Low installation cost
• Low operating (pumping) costs
Features & Benefits
Corrosion-resistant material
• Long service life.
• No need for linings, coatings, cathodic protection or other forms
of corrosion protection.
• Low maintenance costs.
• Hydraulic characteristics essentially constant over time.
Features & Benefits
Long standard lengths (20 and 40 feet)
• Fewer joints reduces installation time
• Special lengths from 1 to 40 feet
Light weight (1/4 weight of ductile iron and 1/10 weight of concrete pipe)
• Low transport costs (nestable).
• Avoids need for expensive pipe handling equipment.
Extremely smooth bore
• Low friction loss means less pumping energy needed, lower operating cost.
• Allows flatter grades, less excavation for gravity flow.
• Minimal slime build-up can help lower cleaning costs.
Features & Benefits
Proven jointing system
The standard Flowtite joint makes use of the REKA elastomeric gasket, proven over more than 75 years.
• Simple design allows rapid assembly and faster pipeline installation.
• Precision manufacture ensures a secure pipeline
• Angular deflection at joint accommodates differential settlement
• Angular deflection at joint can be used to eliminate small bends.
Fabricated fittings
• Almost any configuration possible.
• Fittings fabricated to meet exact project requirements
• Design not limited by standard fittings
• Fittings spooled together to eliminate joints and reduce installation time.
Standards and Testing
Qualification Testing
All standards call for manufacturer to demonstrate compliance
with minimum performance requirements. Most important:
• Long-term ring bending
• Long-term pressure
• Strain corrosion (sewer)
• Joint
Flowtite pipe has been rigorously tested to verify conformance to:
• AWWA C950 - Pressure Water Pipe
• ASTM D3517 - Pressure Pipe
• ASTM D3262 - Non-Pressure Sewer Pipe
• ASTM D3754 - Sewer & Industrial Pressure Pipe
Standards and Testing
Strain Corrosion
Strain corrosion testing for GRP pipe used in sewer applications
is carried out in accordance with ASTM D3681.
Standards and Testing
Strain Corrosion
• 10,000 hours minimum exposure.
• Requires a minimum of 18 ring samples of the pipe to be deflected to
various levels and held constant.
• To simulate a buried septic sewer condition, strained rings are
exposed at the invert of the interior surface to 1.0N (5% by weight)
sulfuric acid.
• Minimum Factor of Safety of 1.5 applied to 50-year value.
Design allowable
100 101 102 103 104 105 50 years
Extrapolation
Log Time
Test Results
Log Deflection
(strain)
ScvFactor of safety =
1.5
Standards and Testing
Strain Corrosion Test Results
Standards and Testing
Long-term sustained pressure
• Carried out in accordance with ASTM D2992
• 10,000 hours minimum
• Requires minimum of 18 failure samples evenly
distributed over three log cycles of time
• Minimum factor of safety of 1.8 applied to 50-year value
xx x
xx
xx
x xx x x
Log Pressure
(strain)
HDS
PN
Log time 50 years
Factor of safety = 1.8
Flowtite pipe has been tested and approved for the conveyance
of potable water, meeting many of the world’s leading
certification and testing institutes’ criteria, including:
• NSF (Standard No. 61) – United States
• TZW – Germany
• Lyonnaise des Eaux
• WRC – United Kingdom
Standards and Testing
Potable Water
These standards require the flexible joints to withstand
hydrostatic testing in configurations that simulate exaggerated
in-use conditions.
Standards and Testing
AWWA & ASTM Standards apply to GRP
pipe joint performance.
• 2 x PN at maximum allowable angular deflection
• 2 x PN with lateral withdrawal of spigot from joint
• 2 x PN with spigot shear loaded
• 12 psi vacuum
Weight
Standards and Testing
• Pipe deflected under constant load.
• Aqueous environment.
• Minimum factor of safety of 1.5 applied to 50-year value.
Long Term Ring Bending
Standards and Testing
Strain Corrosion
Effect of long-term acid exposure on pipe life
Quality Control
Precision manufacturing yields reliable performance
• All manufacturing plants all work to the same
specifications and high standards of quality.
• ISO 9002
• Flowtite pipe manufactured at 15 worldwide
facilities.
Quality Control
Maskell maintain an extensive in-house and on-site
quality assurance system which is:
• ISO9001 Accredited, externally audited, license
QEC6641.
• Project specific quality plans where required or in-
house QA system.
• Inspection and Test Plans (ITP’s) for projects
utilised.
• Work Method Statements and Process Manuals
for manufacturing in-house and on-site work.
Manufacture – Filament Wound Pipe
Provides the highest strength pipe
• A mandrel of fixed diameter and
length is used to form the pipe.
• Fibreglass is wound onto the
mandrel through a bath of resin at a
fixed angle.
• Pipe can be designed to withstand
both axial and hoop stress and the
diameter is infinitely variable.
• Process suited to short runs up to
500m
Manufacture – Continuous pipe
State-of-the-art manufacturing
• The most advanced process for
manufacturing large diameter GRP pipe
is Flowtite's continuously advancing
mandrel process.
• The output of an E1 winder at capacity is
approximately 24m/hr based on average
900mm diameter, 10 Bar pressure pipe.
Manufacture
Materials
Raw materials are delivered with
vendor certification demonstrating
their compliance with Flowtite
quality requirements.
• All raw materials are sample
tested prior to their use.
• Tests ensure that the pipe
materials comply with the
specifications as stated.
Manufacture
Joints and Couplings
The standard jointing system is a Flowtite
coupling which utilizes an elastomeric REKA
gasket for sealing. The REKA gasket sits in a
precision-machined groove in each end of the
coupling and seats and seals against a calibrated
spigot surface. The REKA gasket has been
proven in use for more than 75 years.
Couplings are produced with tightly controlled
dimensions. For this, Flowtite Technology has
developed a special machine that mills grooves in
coupling cylinders using diamond-tipped tools.
Manufacture
Quality Control
Batch sampling is performed for:
• Stiffness
• Deflection without damage to failure
• Composition (LOI)
• Circumferential and axial properties
- Strength: tensile and flexural
- Modulus
Tests on100% of all pipe produced:
• Hydrotest to 2xPN
• Visual inspection
• Cure - Barcol hardness
• Dimensional verification: Wall thickness, Outside diameter, Length
Trenchless Applications
Sleeving
GRP pipe can be manufactured to suit any
diameter of existing pipe.
Pipe can be supplied to site in any required
length.
GRP pipe can be designed to take
structural/earth loads if the host pipe is failing.
Trenchless Applications
Pipe Jointing
•Integrated coupling in large bore thick walled
pipe
•Using Stainless steel band type coupling over
O ring seals in pipe ends, flush with OD of pipe
•External coupling with slide lugs
•Butt and strap joints in fibreglass
Couplings for Potable Water Supply City of Leipzig
Relining DN 900 PN 10
Trenchless Applications
•Elasticity = reduced point loading and risk
of rupture
•High compressive strength
•Parallel pipe ends
•High dimensional accuracy
•Smooth even non absorbing surface
•Tested fatigue strength under cyclic load
•Approved installations under European,
Canadian and US railroad tracks
•High corrosion resistance
POLYCRETE and GRP Jacking
Pipe, Advantages:
Applications
32 Bar GRP pipe
The Pungwe-Mutare Water Supply Project in
Zimbabwe incorporates 71.4km of Flowtite pipe
and 7,896 couplings; all manufactured to strict
performance standards.
High-performance pipe
Projects such as this power plant in Argentina
call for long-lasting, high-performance pipe.
The excellent flow factor of Flowtite pipe will
allow the delivery of cooling water at high rates
for many years.
Applications
The ultimate test of corrosion resistance
Desalination plants at Al-Madinah, Yanbu, Al-Khobar
and several other locations in Saudi Arabia utilize
Flowtite pipe in an extremely corrosive environment.
Easy installation
One of the most important sanitary projects under
development in Argentina is the sanitary sewerage
collection system in the city of Santiago del Estero.
The main line of the sewer is 8000m in length, with
pipe diameters ranging from DN800 to DN1000.
Applications
Longest pipe sections
In Cottbus, Germany, a project to reclaim open-cast
mines, Flowtite pipe carries acidic water from coal
pits. At 21m per length, these corrosion-resistant
sections of DN800 Flowtite pipe were the longest
single lengths of pipe transported to site.
Easy installation
Lightness of Flowtite pipe was important for
the penstock project in Todtnau, Germany.
In nearly impassable rough wilderness,
transportation of the pipes and placing them
in the trench was greatly eased by the low
weight of the GRP material.
Applications
Weight savings translates to lower cost
For this water supply project in Norway, the
light weight of Flowtite pipe allowed the use
of less expensive equipment and made the
job move quickly.
Conclusion
• Flowtite filament wound GRP pipe is
manufactured to the highest standards and offers
a first class consistent and reliable pipe material
• Flowtite filament wound GRP pipe is the right
choice for the majority of civil engineering
pipeline projects
• Compared to other materials GRP has
- Longer life
- Lower maintenance
- Better performance
- More versatility
- Faster reliable installation