ACTIVITY 1 :Identify the products in a typical modern house associated with the supply and

disposal of water (or prevention of entry) which may be of polymeric origin. The products are listed
below:

Water supply pipe, tank and moulded fittings

Characteristics

 Strong
 Corrosion resistance
 High stiffness
 Ductile
 Hard
 Grey color
 Insulator
 Flame resistance

Possible Material

 Polycarbonate
 HIPS
 PET
 PA
 HDPE
 LDPE
 PP

PET and PA are removed from list because they absorb moisture which require drying
process thus increasing cost.

Requirements/ Standard

 Tensile Strength : 51.4 MPa

 Elongation at break : 2896 MPa
 Impact Izod (notched) : 0.04 kJ/m
 Flexural modulus : 2.413 GPa

Materials Tensile Strength (MPa) Impact (kJ/m) Flexural modulus GPa)

LDPE 10 1.064 0.25
HDPE 32 0.15 1.25
PP 26 0.05 2.00
PC 50 0.05 2.1
HIPS 42 0.10 2.1
Bath and some fittings

Characteristics

 Non-porous
 Retain heat from the temperature of water (High heat retention)
 Glossy
 High resistant to stretch

Possible Material

 Acrylic
 Gel-coated Fiberglass

Requirements/ Standard

 Tensile Strength :
 Elongation at break :
 Impact Izod (notched) :
 Flexural modulus :

Materials Tensile Strength (MPa) Impact (kJ/m) Flexural modulus GPa)

Hot water tank insulation

Characteristics

 Low moisture absorption

 Low thermal conductivity
 Resistant to water, chemical and solvents
 Flammable
 Non-explosive
 High resistance to microbiological attack
 Hard

Possible Material

 Fiber glass

Requirements/ Standard

 Tensile Strength :
 Elongation at break :
 Impact Izod (notched) :
 Flexural modulus :

Materials Tensile Strength (MPa) Impact (kJ/m) Flexural modulus GPa)

Sewage pipe and fittings

Characteristics

 Resistance to corrosion
 Resistance to abrasion
 Light weight
 Strong

Possible Material

 PVC
 HDPE
 Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic Pipe

Requirements/ Standard

 Tensile Strength :
 Elongation at break :
 Impact Izod (notched) :
 Flexural modulus :

Materials Tensile Strength (MPa) Impact (kJ/m) Flexural modulus GPa)

Rainwater guttering, downpipe and fittings

Characteristics

 Corrosion resistance
 Light

Possible Material

Requirements/ Standard

 Tensile Strength :
 Elongation at break :
 Impact Izod (notched) :
 Flexural modulus :

Materials Tensile Strength (MPa) Impact (kJ/m) Flexural modulus GPa)

LDPE
HDPE
PP
PC
HIPS
Flat roof coverings

Characteristics

 Waterproof
 Lightweight
 Resistance to UV
 White color

Possible Material

 PVC
 EPDM
 Polyolefins

Requirements/ Standard

 Tensile Strength :
 Elongation at break :
 Impact Izod (notched) :
 Flexural modulus :

Materials Tensile Strength (MPa) Impact (kJ/m) Flexural modulus GPa)

PVC
EPDM
HDPE
LDPE