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Case revision date:
2014-04-24
Length:
8 pages (Case Study)
Summary:
Jana is a piping systems firm headquartered in Aurora, Ontario,
providing consulting and testing services to clients. Three key
application areas for the company are sewage, gas and water
distribution. In the past, metal pipes with various alloying elements
were used for these applications; however, metal alloy pipes have a
limited range of uses, and performance issues like low corrosion
resistance and ductility present significant challenges in some
applications. Technological advancement in the mass production of
polymers has allowed plastic piping to become a viable alternative
solution to high cost, low utility metal and concrete pipes. Plastic
pipes, Figure 1, are inherently lightweight, corrosion resistant, have
excellent ductility, are easy to install, and show significantly longer
projected lifetimes than metal pipes of similar specification, especially
where cost is the most significant limiting factor. Several plastics are
now in common use, including Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE),
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Polypropylene (PP), Cross-linked
Polyethylene (PEX), Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF), and Polyvinyl
Chloride (PVC).
Ryan Jung, a second year Mechanical Engineering co-op student at the University of Waterloo, was asked to evaluate the general benefits of
plastic pipe solutions for both industrial and consumer applications. He also recommended a plastic pipe for a client and undertook testing
to ensure performance aligned with the client’s needs.
Learning objectives:
The teaching objective of this case is to illustrate the structure and properties of various polymer materials. As well, a comparison of plastic
tubing to concrete and metal for a variety of applications is presented. The case could be used to complement lecture material, specifically
in CHE 241 (Material Science and Engineering), CHE 541 (Introduction to Polymer Science and Properties), NE 125 (Introduction to
Materials Science and Engineering), and ME 235 (Materials Science and Engineering).
Key words:
Material Science; Polymer; Plastic piping; Plastic testing; Decision making
CEAB attributes:
Investigation; Knowledge Base
Modules:
Module 01 – Case Study
Module 02 – Material Analysis
Module 03 – Scenario Analysis
Module 04 – Plastic Pipe Testing
