Fiberglass pipelines have been used in underground installations for over twenty years in handling, first crude oil, but also for many types of chemicals and hot or cold water. The economics and service history generally have been very good, and the acceptance in the market place has increased steadily. Cost comparison reports (chiefly in CHEMICAL ENGINEERING magazine) have shown that fiberglass piping is less expensive than almost any other material, even less than PVC in some sizes, chiefly because of the lower installation costs.

Designs must allow for the flexibility of fiberglass structures; the principal standard for design and installation is AWWA C950-81.

Proper backfilling procedures are very important for a succesful installation. An adequately high soil modulus is the principal factor for supporting the flexible fiberglass pipe against excessive deflection or buckling. To obtain the high soil modulus, it is necessary to ensure the use of proper materials and compaction procedures.

Subject
Costs, Water, Materials, Piping, Piping systems, Moduli, Pipelines, Installation, Carbon steel pipes, Fiberglass, Backfill, Steel, Soil
© 1988 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
1988
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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