Durability of polymeric pipes in contact with domestic products

Abstract

Polymers are used more and more to make pipes for conduction of water in buildings. There are a lot of advantages in the use of polymers, e.g. flexibility, lightness and lower costs. The polymeric pipes selected for this study were PVC and PE. During a 1-year period they were submitted to various types of conditioning. We used water with some domestic products. The quantity used was three-times more than that indicated for the producer. With this quantity we accelerated the tests of durability. Every three months we observed the pieces of polymers, measured their thickness and weighed them. After a year everything was okay relating to the aspect, thickness and weight. To verify in what measure the mechanical proprieties were affected, we submitted the pieces to tensile tests. The results show that domestic products do not affect the tensile resistance of the polymers.