December 2016 Vol. 71 No. 12
Newsline
New Website Strengthens, Streamlines Key Plastics Pipe Industry Resource
The Hydrostatic Stress Board (HSB), an independent, technical-based group of voluntary industry experts, operating under the auspices of the Plastics Pipe Institute Inc. (PPI), recently announced that its website section has been reconstructed and expanded to expedite the listing request process, and to highlight the long-standing history of its board.
Content just added includes downloadable forms and templates to submit requests for compounds and composite plastic pipes (PPI TR-4) as well as ingredients and PVC resins used for vinyl pipe (PPI TR-2) for inclusion in the HSB listing program. Other new documents include step-by-step instructions about the submission process, reports of relevance about policies in PPI’s Technical Report, an online HSB Inquiry Form, plus an “Announcements” page to keep listing owners up-to-date on HSB activities and developments.
“The HSB continues to add more services to the industry,” stated Tony Radoszewski, president of PPI. “For nearly six decades, the HSB has contributed to the confidence level of plastic pipe and materials used in numerous applications including gas, municipal water, wastewater, sewer and industrial water systems. The provision of extensive tools in this enhanced web section facilitates understanding about the program’s listing process and how to participate – a program providing a prominent level of qualification and affirmation about the uses of plastics in pipe systems.”
The Board is comprised of engineers, chemists, scientists and others with expertise in thermoplastics, ingredients, processing and long-term strength testing; and is chaired by Sarah Patterson, technical director, PPI.
“HSB policies define procedures for determining the long-term strength of plastic pipe compounds,” Patterson said, “and for converting this strength into an allowable design stress which, in turn, is used to determine the pressure rating of the plastic or composite pipe.”
Listing in the HSB program does not require PPI membership as the program is a service to the entire plastics industry hosted and managed by PPI. The data gathering and other efforts by manufacturers required to obtain an HSB listing for compounds, composite pipe as well as ingredients and resins used in the vinyl industry, whether PPI members or non-members, display a high level of commitment to the integrity of the products listed.
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