CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION
POLYETHYLENE ... Why Polyethylene
STANDARDS
RAW MATERIAL SPECIFICATIONS
DESIGN CONSIDERATION OF A PIPELINE SYSTEM
Long term resistance to hydrostatic pressure
Flexibility - Deformation
Hydraulic Flow characteristics
Environmental - Chemical resistance
Leak-free jolntlng methods
Long term resistance to hydrostatic pressure

 Al -Matin Water Pipes

...

 Al -Matin Water Pipes

polyethylene
For 50 years, Polyethylene (PE) has been
used to transport fluids. Its ability to withstand
harsh chemicals without corroding and leak
tight installations has made PE the ideal
material for the gas industry. The continuing
improvement of Polyethylene materials
resulted in rapid growth of usage of PE in
both water and gas industries since the early
1970s. Polyethylene is now the material of
choice form many water and gas utilities
worldwide. This has not come by chance, PE
is superb in resisting corrosion; in addition, butt
welded PE joints offer leak free connections
which out-perform any competing material
in reliability and longevity, not to mention
savings on installation costs and duration. The
improvement in PE materials has resulted in
the water industry adopting it for it pressure
transmission networks. The improvements
are mainly the development of PE80 and
 Al -Matin Water Pipes

Pe100.
PE100 will be the basis of the discussion in this
catalogue, some reference will be made to
Pe80.


,
.
,
.
.
, PE80 PE100
. PE80

polyethylene
Why Use Polyethylene for Pipes?
Polyethylene systems offer significant
advantages over ductile iron, steel and
cement systems:
Corrosion Resistance: Polyethylene is
basically chemically inert . Systems do not
rust nor corrode and resist chemical attacks
from aggressive soils . No protective layer or
finishing process is required.
Leak Tight: Butt fused joints create a
homogeneous system , the fusion weld is as
strong as the pipe . Therefore , unlike ring type
joints or other mechanical jointing systems ,
there is no risk of leakage resulting from joint
distortion.
Optimum flow rates: Smooth inside pipe
surface allow for a high Hazen-Williams C
factor. C remains constant throughout the
 Al -Matin Water Pipes

lifetime of the system due to an innate high

resistance to scale and biological build-up.
Polyethylene is biologically inert.
Excellent Water Hammer Characteristics to
withstand Surges: the inherent properties of
Polyethylene allows the system to significantly
lower the effects of surges compared to PVC
and Ductile Iron systems.
Flexibility: allows PE pipes to be coiled and
supplied in lengths of up to 200m for small
diameter
pipes. This feature is one of the many
contributors to cost savings during
installation.
Resistance to Geological Conditions: A
Polyethylene system has inherent resistance
to ground temperature fluctuations and
earth instability.
High strain allowance virtually eliminates
failure due to freezing pipes.
REDUCED INSTALLATION COSTS


Long track record approaching 50 years

worldwide

:
:
,
.
:
,

,
.
:
:
( )C 200
.
:
.
: .

.
PVC .


s tandards
Al - Matin Pipes are manufactured to full compliance with one or more of the standards
listed below :

ISO 4427:1996
prEN12201 :2001
DIN 8074:1999

10 Al -Matin Water Pipes

abc

ISO 4427:1996
prEN12201 :2001
DIN 8074:1999

11

cde

raw material

specifications

PE 100
Black HDPE for Pressure Pipes
DESCRIPTION
PE 100 is a black high density polyethylene designed for gas and water pressure pipes.
PE 100 contains minimum 2% of well dispersed, fine particle size Carbon Black and stabilizers
to ensure excellent weathering resistance and long-term stability.
PE 100 shows excellent resistance to rapid crack propagation and slow crack growth,
both being Important parameters for pressure pipe design.
PE 100 can easily be welded by butt fusion, using standard HDPE parameters or by
electrofusion.
PE 100 is classified as MRS 10.0 material which makes it possible to manufacture pipes with
a nominal tensile stress of up to 8.0 MPa for 50 years at 20C.

12 Al -Matin Water Pipes

:
:
PE100 .
PE100 2%
.
PE100 .
.
PE100 .
PE100 ( MRS 100 (PE100
8 50 20.

13

raw material

specifications

Properties

Typical Value*

Unit

Density (Base resin)

950

kg/m

Density (Compound)

961

kg/m

ISO 1183 D/ISO 18722-B

Melt Flow Rate MFR2 (190oC, 2.16kg)

0.1

g/10
min.

ISO 1133

Melt Flow Rate MFR5 (190oC, 5.0kg)

0.4

g/10
min.

ISO 1133

Tensile Strength at yield

23

N/mm2

ISO 6259

Elongation at break

> 600

ISO 6259

Vicat Softening Temperature

119

ISO 306 A-50

Brittleness Temperature

< -70

ASTM D 746

ESCR, F50

> 1000

10% Igepal (Belltest)

50oC

Durometer Hardness

59

Shore D

ISO 868

Crystalline Melting Range

128 - 132

DSC

Charpy Impact Strength

No failure

KJ/m2

ISO 179 (unnotched)

Linear Expansion (20 - 90 C)

0.2

mm/m .
o
C

ASTM D 696

Specific Heat, Cp

2.0

KJ/Kg . K DSC (at 20oC)

Thermal Conductivity (20oC)

0.4

W/m . K

DIN 52612

Thermal Stabilty Induction Time (Al pan, isothermal in

O2 , 210 oC)

> 20

Min

ISO 10837

14 Al -Matin Water Pipes

Test Method
2
2

ISO 1183 D/ISO 18722-B

Density (Base resin)

950

kg/m2

ISO 1183 D/ISO 18722-B

Density (Compound)

961

kg/m

ISO 1183 D/ISO 18722-B

Melt Flow Rate MFR2 (190oC, 2.16kg)

0.1

g/10
min.

ISO 1133

Melt Flow Rate MFR5 (190oC, 5.0kg)

0.4

g/10
min.

ISO 1133

Tensile Strength at yield

23

N/mm2

ISO 6259

Elongation at break

> 600

ISO 6259

Vicat Softening Temperature

119

ISO 306 A-50

Brittleness Temperature

< -70

ASTM D 746

ESCR, F50

> 1000

10% Igepal (Belltest)

50oC

Durometer Hardness

59

Shore D

ISO 868

Crystalline Melting Range

128 - 132

DSC

Charpy Impact Strength

No failure

KJ/m2

ISO 179 (unnotched)

Linear Expansion (20 - 90oC)

0.2

mm/m .
o
C

ASTM D 696

Specific Heat, Cp

2.0

KJ/Kg . K DSC (at 20oC)

Thermal Conductivity (20oC)

0.4

W/m . K

DIN 52612

Thermal Stabilty Induction Time (Al pan, isothermal in

O2 , 210 oC)

> 20

Min

ISO 10837

15

design considerations of a

pipeline system

The major factors which influence the design

of plastics pressure water pipeline systems
are:

Long term resistance to hydrostatic

pressure

Flexlblllty - Deformation

Hydraulic Flow characteristics

Environmental - Chemical resistance

Leak-free jolntlng methods
Long term resistance to hydrostatic
pressure:
In order to design any pipeline system it is
necessary to study how the pipe material
and the pipeline system will perform under
stress so that a suitable criteria is applied to
specify the system accordingly.
The hoop stress developed in a pipe under
an internal hydrostatic pressure (P) usually is
a measure of the pipe and ultimately the
16 Al -Matin Water Pipes

system to withstand a functional working

stress for a design life in excess of 50 years.
The relationship of the hoop stress and the
internal hydrostatic pressure is shown in the
equation.

PN =

20 x x e
D-e

= thickness of pipe (mm)

D
= outside diameter of pipe (mm)
PN = nominal internal hydrostatic Pressure
(bar)
=
Hoop stress applied on pipeline
(MPa)
See Figure 1 for details




.
( )p
50 . .

20 x x e
D-e

= PN
e

) (mm =
) (mm = D
)(bar = PN
) (MPa =
1
Figure 1
17

design considerations of a

pipeline system

To correctly design a Polyethylene pipeline

system for long term applications; the
classification of PE should be considered. The
relationship of equation 1 and the design of
the system will be apparent soon.
PE Classification and Design Basis
The determination of the long term
hydrostatic strength (LTHS) is the basis of PE
pipe design.
LTHS is determined at 50 years and 20C by
ISO TR 9080 Method of extrapolation to
determine the LTHS of thermoplastics pipe
materials.
The statistical analysis developed using ISO
TR 9080 leads to the determination of the
minimum requlred strength (MRS). The MRS is
used to determine the material classification
and designation in accordance with
18 Al -Matin Water Pipes

ISO 12162 ThermopIastics materials for pipes

and fittings for pressure applications
- Classification and designation Overall
service design coefHcient. The design stress
is obtained using equation 2.



,
. 1 .
:
( )LTHS .
50 20 ( ISO TR 9080
).
ISO TR 9080 MRS
( ISO 12162
- - ).
.2

19

polyethylene
PE100

pipes wall thickness

SDR 9

SDR 11

20

16

SDR 13.6
PN
12.5

SDR 17

SDR 26

SDR33

10

WALL THICKNESS (mm)

Nom.
16
20
25
32

e min
2.0
2.3
3.0
3.6

e max
2.3
2.7
3.4
4.1

e min
2.0
2.3
3.0

e max
2.3
2.7
3.4

e min
2.0
2.4

e max
2.3
2.8

e min
2.0

e max
2.3

e min
2.0

e max
2.3

e min
-

e max
-

40
50
63
75

4.5
5.6
7.1
8.4

5.1
6.3
8.0
9.4

3.7
4.6
5.8
6.8

4.2
5.2
6.5
7.6

3.0
3.7
4.7
5.6

3.5
4.2
5.3
6.3

2.4
3.0
3.8
4.5

2.8
3.4
4.3
5.1

2.3
2.9
3.6
4.3

2.7
3.3
4.1
4.9

2.0
2.4
3.0
3.6

2.3
2.8
3.4
4.1

20 Al -Matin Water Pipes


4.9
6.0
6.7
7.5

4.3
5.3
6.0
6.7

5.8
7.1
8.0
9.0

5.1
6.3
7.1
8.0

6.1
7.4
8.3
9.3

5.4
6.6
7.4
8.3

7.5
9.1
10.3
11.5

6.7
8.1
9.2
10.3

9.2
11.1
12.7
14.1

8.2
10.0
11.4
12.7

11.3
13.7
15.6
17.4

10.1
12.3
14.0
15.7

90
110
125
140

8.6
9.6
10.7
12.0

7.7
8.6
9.6
10.8

10.2
11.4
12.7
14.2

9.1
10.2
11.4
12.8

10.6
11.9
13.2
14.9

9.5
10.7
11.9
13.4

13.1
14.8
16.3
18.4

11.8
13.3
14.7
16.6

16.2
18.2
20.2
22.7

14.6
16.4
18.2
20.5

19.8
22.3
24.8
27.9

17.9
20.1
22.4
25.2

160
180
200
225

13.2
14.9
16.6
18.7
21.2
23.8

11.9
13.4
15.0
16.9
19.1
21.5

15.8
17.6
19.8
22.3
25.1
28.2

14.2
15.9
17.9
20.1
22.7
25.5

16.4
18.4
20.7
23.4
26.2
29.5

14.8
16.6
18.7
21.1
23.7
26.7

20.4
22.8
25.7
28.9
32.5
36.6

18.4
20.6
23.2
26.1
29.4
33.1

25.1
28.1
31.6
35.6
40.1
45.1

22.7
25.4
28.6
32.2
36.3
40.9

30.8
34.6
38.9
43.8
49.3
55.5

27.9
31.3
35.2
39.7
44.7
50.3

250
280
315
355
400
450

21

PE100

Comparative stress in MPa

Long Time Stressing Chart for PE100

Service life in hours

22 Al -Matin Water Pipes

s =

MRS
C

equation - 1 -

The design stress (os) is obtained by dividing

the MRS by a factor of safety (C, also called
service design coefficient) as shown in
equation 2. For water systems/applications
C has a minimum value of 1.25 . The SDR
(Standard Dimensiona Ratio) is obtained
by dividing the Outside diameter by the
thickness of the pipe (D/e).
Table 1 below shows the relationship
between the designation of the material,
MRS and design stress.

PN =

20 x s
SDR - 1

equation - 2 -

( C MRS
. 2 )
. 1.25 C
SDR
. D/e
MRS
.

23

Designation of Polyethylene Pipe Materials

DESIGNATION

PE100

MRS
(MPa)

10

DESIGN STRESS
Water Systems

(MPa)

The relationship of equations 2 and 3 becomes of paramount importance if one

needs to calculate the thickness of a particular diameter of pipe while knowing the
designation of the raw material and the nominal pressure of the system.

3 2
.

24 Al -Matin Water Pipes

Flexibility - Deformation
The flexibility of Polyethylene pipes has revolutionized the water networks design industry.
The ability to coil pipe length of up to 110mm diameter (see Fig. 2) reduces considerably
the number of joints required in the end application. Flexibility enables the pipeline to
be contoured to difficult land layouts or rapid changes in direction without the need of
expensive accessories. The system can be joined above ground before dropping it into
a trench, thus saving installation costs (narrower trenches) and increasing the safety of
employees working at the site.
This property has changed the way underground support and soil behavior are investigated
when designing an installation. Flexible pipes will transmit vertical soil pressure to the
supporting soil at the sides of the pipe. With regard to design of buried Polyethylene pipes,
there are well proven design criteria to assist the engineer in the selection of PE material
and pipe design.

:
.
. 110
( ) .
.
,
.
.

25

Coiled Polyethylene Pipes

Hydraulic Flow Characteristics

The factors which influence the design
flowrate of a pipeline are:
- Pipe wall roughness
- Total line length
- Equivalent length of fittings
- Frictional losses
- Losses due to leaks (fittings, ...)
- Internal diameters

26 Al -Matin Water Pipes

:
:
-

Polyethylene pipes offer advantageous properties across all the above listed variables. The
smooth inner wall of PE pipes improve the hydraulic properties of the system throughout
the lifetime of the system. The hydraulic benefits associated with the elimination of fittngs
due to the flexibility and Ieaktightjointing method of Polyethylene pipes allow for a more
economical design of water networks.
The hydraulic frictional coefficient usually used in the design procedure of Polyethylene
pipes is the Hazen-Williams Friction Factor, C = 155.
Polyethylene pipes not only have excellent flow characteristics but also have an inherent
capability (flexibility) to withstand surge pressures (water hammer). The elasticity of PE
pipes reduces the effects of the shock wave speed and the associated pressure surge. This
dampening effect of surge pressures offers the engineer an extra safety margin during the
design phase.

,
.
.

.C=155
()
.

27

Environmental - Chemical Resistance

Contrary to the experience with some other piping materials, Polyethylene pipes will not
corrode and have excellent resistance to chemical attack (see Table 2). Polyethylene
pipes will not allow sediments to build up on their inner surface, therefore no lowering
of flow capacity is required when designing a system. Field experiences in Europe and
North America have proven that 30 year old systems have kept their flow characteristics
unchanged.
Polyethylene pipes offer an optimum solution to installation in naturally corrosive and hard
environments. No additional corrosion protection is needed for any ground type, river or
subsea conditions.
Care should be exercised when the ground is contaminated with man made chemicals
such as Solvents, Hydrocarbons and Oxidisers.

)2 (
.
. 30
.
.
.
28 Al -Matin Water Pipes

Chemical Resistance Table

Medium

23o

60o

Acetone

Ethyl alcohol

Fruitjuices

Gelatine

Gycerol

Hydrobromic acid (50%)

Hydrobromic acid
(all concentrations)

Hydrobromic acid (40%)

Hydrobromic acid (70%)

Hydrogen peroxide (30%)

Hydrogen peroxide (100%)

Jam

Lactic Acid

Methanol

Phosphoric Acid (25%)

Phosphoric Acid (50%)

Phosphoric Acid (95%)

/D

Sea Water

Sewage Water

Silicon Oil

Sugar Syrup

x = resistant
/ = limited resistance

29

Leak Free J ointing Methods

for smaller diameter pipes (s 63mm) ; in this

case electrofusion or compression fittings
Polyethylene pipes can be jointed by:
should be used.
- Butt Fusion
Figures 4 and 5 below show a typical butt
- Electrofusion
fusion machine and setup for large diameter
- CompressionIMechanicaI fittings
pipes. The following page shows a set of
precautions to be taken when butt fusing PE
Butt Fusion
This is a technique whereby a joint is made pipes.
by heating the planed ends of matching The principle sequences ofthe butt fusion
surfaces by holding them against a flat cycle are graphically illustrated in Figure 6.
heating plate until the Polyethylene
material reaches fusion temperature quickly
removing the heating plate and pressing
the two softened ends against one another.
The heating time, temperature and pressure
are adjusted so that the physical properties
ofthe original material are retained. Both
temperature and pressure must be carefully
checked and adapted to the actual raw
material, the pipe diameter, and the wall
thickness. This technique is usually not suitable
30 Al -Matin Water Pipes

 :
:
:



.
.

.
( 63) ,
.
3 4 .

.
.5
31

Figure - 4 - Butt Fusion machines

- 4 -

Figure - 5 - Butt Fusion machines

- 5 -

Butt Fusion Precautions

It is wrong to butt fuse (weld) unequal

thickness pipes to each other even if the
base material is identical. In this case, it is
recommended to use compression fittings or
electrofusion fittings to join the two pipes.

It is wrong to butt fuse (weld) pipes made

of different base materials. In this case, it is
recommended to use compression fittings
to join the two pipes.

.
.
.

32 Al -Matin Water Pipes

Graphical illustration of the butt welding cycle

33

Electrofusion
The main component of this technology is the
PE electrofusion fitting. The fitting consists of
a copper wire embedded in a Polyethylene
molded fitting the wire is terminated with
copper pins. When an electrofusion welder
is connected to the fitting and electrical
current is applied, heat is generated causing
the fitting material close to the wire to fuse
to the inserted pipe material. Figure 8 shows
the details of an electrofusion setup.
Electrofusion can be used when jointing
pipes made of dissmilar PE grades or pipes
with different thicknesses. In these cases,
the fitting used should have the same
specifications of the higher class pipe being
welded.
Innovations in electrofusion fittings has given
the installer the flexibility to quickly and
efficiently tap into a running main, maintain
a leak in a PE transmission line or simply
establish new take-off sections for newly
developed areas.
Electrofusion fittings are available in PE8O
34 Al -Matin Water Pipes

and PE100. They can be supplied in the

following configurations:
- Couplers
- 90 Elbows
- 45 Elbows
- Tees
- Reduction Tees
- Tapping Saddles

Figure - 7 - Electrofusion machine and fittings

- 7 -

 :

.



) 8 ).

,

.



.
PE80
PE100 :
90o 45o () 35

Figure - 8 - Electrofusion setup

- 8 -

Compression / MechanicaI Joints

- 45 Elbows
These are joints made by assembling a - Tees
- Reduction Tees
Polyethylene pipe to another Polyethylene
- Tapping Saddles
pipe using a compression part to provide
Figure 12 shows few type of these fittings.
for pressure integrity, Ieaktightness and
resistance to service loads.
This method allows for the jointing of different
grade of Polyethylene pipes. Figure 10 shows
the details of a compression joint setup.
Compression/Mechanical joints allow the
adaptation of standard ductile iron valve
and fittings to a Polyethylene systems; thus
benefitting from the wealth of standard
accessories available on the market. Figure
11 shows such an assembly.
Compression/Mechanical
fittings
are
available in Plastic or Steel.
They can be supplied in the following
configurations:
- Couplers
- 90 Elbows
36 Al -Matin Water Pipes

Figure - 12 - Sample of compression mechanical fittings

- 12 -

 :
.
. 10 . ( )
. 11 .
:
- ( )couples

- 90o

- 45o

-()

12 .

Figure - 10 - a plastic compression fitting setup

- 10 -
Figure - 11 - A hybrid connection using a
steel compression flange adaptor

37

Installation Considerations
Pipeline System

Of

A (at the optimum concentration of 2%) to

assure the proper dispersion of carbon black

particles. The addition of carbon black to the
The major methods used for the installation of matrix of PE1OO gives it a superior resilience
Polyethylene (PE100) pressure water pipeline to UV rays and assures the safety and
systems are:
integrity of any above ground instaIIation.
- Above Ground Installations
Under no circumstances should natural
- Under Ground Installations
PE1OO compounded with carbon black at
- Submerged Installations (not discussed in the producers facilities be considered safe
this catalogue).
for above ground installations.
On the other hand, Blue PE1OO compounds
Above Ground Installations
do not offer the same protection to UV rays
The versatility of Polyethylene pipes allows and are not recommended for above
for above ground instal|ations. Color of ground installations.
the Pe100 compound is the main concern
of above ground instaIIations due to the
exposure of the pipeline to UV rays. PE1OO
is supplied (per specifications) in two colors:
Black or Blue. (Yellow and Orange PE1OO
are available for gas networks and will not
be discussed in this catalogue).
Black PE1OO is compounded at the facilities
of the raw material supplier with Carbon Black
38 Al -Matin Water Pipes


:


( )
:
, PE100
(
).
PE100
( )2% PE100
. PE100
.

39

Under Ground Installations

Unlike above ground instaIlations, both PE1OO colors are perfectly suitable for under
ground instaIIations. As mentioned in previous sections of this catalogue, the soil around a
buried PE pipes is an integral part of the support due to the flexibility of PE pipes. Figure 13
shoes the different terminology used under ground instaIIations.

Figure - 13 - Underground installation terminolog

- 13 -

40 Al -Matin Water Pipes

 :
PE100
.

. 13
.


.


.

.

.
1-EN 1295(
- :1 )

.
41

The structural design of buried pipelines

constitutes a wide ranging and complex
field of engineering,
which has been the subject of extensive
study and research in many countries over a
period of many years.
The external loadings to be considered shall
include that due to the backfill, that due to
the most severe surface surcharge or traffic
loading likely to occur, and those due to
any other causes, producing a loading of
significant magnitude such as self weight of
the pipe and water weight ,as appropriate.
The internal pressure in the pipeline, if different
from atmospheric, shall also be treated as
loading.
The design of the pipeline, and its embedment,
shall provide an adequate level of safety
against the appropriate ultimate limit state
being exceeded.
The European Norm EN 12951- (entitled:
Structural design of buried pipeline under
various conditions of loading - Part 1: General

requirements) offers an in depth analysis of

the general design procedure required to
design a sound and effective under ground
installation.

Quality
AI Matin group of companies operate under
strict compliance to ISO 9002 guidelines.
Which in tum guarantees complete quality
traceability to the customer.
The production of AI Matin pipe division is
supervised continuously in order to comply
with the strict requirements of the standards
listed at the beginning of this catalogue.
The material used in the production of
our pipes have passed all the pertinent
requirements of BS 6920:1996 for water
quality.
Our pipes are certified for potable water
use.
Our labs conduct daily testing on all batches
produced to guarantee:
- Appearance
42 Al -Matin Water Pipes

- Color
- Dimensional integrity
- Hydrostatic strength
- Elongation at break of samples obtained
from produced pipes
- Melt flow rate of raw material used

:
ISO 9002
.


.

:
BS 6920:1996 .
.

:
43

- .

P.O.Box 1191, Homs, Syria

Tel +963 31 2133 092 / 3 / 4 / 5
Fax +963 31 2133 091
E-mail: almatin@net.sy
www.almatin.com
44 Al -Matin Water Pipes