TWI Industrial Member Report Summary 382/1988
By M N Watson
Background
Polyethylene pipes, which are widely used for gas, water and effluent transmission, are commonly joined using the butt fusion (hot plate) process. This report covers a fundamental study of this process which has investigated the process mechanics, the response of the material being welded and the test techniques used to assess weld quality. Existing literature is reviewed and trials on two grades of medium density polyethylene pipe material, as used in gas distribution, are reported.