Useful Tips and Tools for Design of Ductile Iron and PVC Pipelines

Abstract

This paper discusses tips and tools to assist with the design of ductile iron and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pressure pipelines including a summary of reference materials useful to designers; a discussion on available sizes, pressure classes, and joint types; a discussion of software tools and their use; and several design considerations related to topics on pipe fittings, installing pipe on curves, thrust block designs, installing pipe inside of casings, backfilling the trench, and hydrostatic pressure testing. The topics presented should benefit the water conveyance community by providing useful information to engineers, designers, and constructors of ductile iron and PVC pipe systems. Some of the basic information should be of help to staff who are unfamiliar with ductile iron and PVC pipelines, while other information should help sharpen the skills of experienced designers.