A Comprehensive Analysis of PVC Pressure Pipelines’ In-Service Performance

Pipe infrastructure is the underpinning of our health, safety, and economy. With proper design, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes have withstood a wide range of operating pressures, ground motions, and exposure to aggressive environments. Corrosion-free durability, broad in-service success, and cost effectiveness have made PVC pipe a very popular choice for water distribution and transmission. While the in-service failure rates for PVC pipe are relatively low, all pipe products experience failures. To keep PVC pipe infrastructure working better, safer, and longer, it is important to understand PVC pipe’s service life factors and the underlying causes for in-service failures. In this research, previous studies and investigations which were carried out to predict the lifetime and/or mechanical failures in buried PVC pressure pipelines are comprehensively reviewed. The existing publications are analyzed and discussed regarding PVC pressure pipe failure rates and the causes for mechanical failures are delineated. Determining whether a particular failure is isolated, or indicative of a larger problem, requires accurate identification of the root cause. The aim of this research is to examine and classify the results from previous investigations. Different causes and types of mechanical failures are explained. The findings developed from this review indicate advantages, limitations, and research gaps in this area. Finally, recommendations for improving in-service performance and future research directions are presented.