Standardization News

A proposed new ASTM International standard will be used by companies that manufacture complexly shaped pressure pipe components. WK38747, Specification for Cylindrical Billets Made from Stress-Rated High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) by Accumulation Winding of Molten Extruded Material Over a Mandrel, is currently being developed by Subcommittee F17.26 on Olefin Based Pipe, part of ASTM International Committee F17 on Plastic Piping Systems. WK38747 will be the first ASTM standard to cover billet materials made from stress-rated HDPE resins.

"WK38747 will provide the industry with a standardized set of large monolithic HDPE structures useful for the fabrication of complex shapes and sizes for the construction of pressure piping systems," says Bryan Hauger, an F17 member and technical director of the Hauser Division of Microbac Laboratories Inc. In addition to providing requirements for the materials used to manufacture billets, the proposed standard will also provide quality control measures, performance requirements, test protocols and standard sizes.

The billets covered by WK38747 are intended for further fabrication into pressure vessel components, including flange adapters, reducers and other fittings. Hauger notes three specific benefits of HDPE pipe:

"This proposed standard will be part of a larger superstructure of standards that support the use of plastic pipe in a growing number of applications, especially where archaic materials have been shown not to meet the needs of end users," says Hauger. "It seems likely that once the standard is approved, it will often be cited as a starting point in the fabrication of finished products used for the construction of plastic pressure piping systems."

Hauger encourages all interested parties, particularly potential end users of WK38747, to join F17 in the development of this and other proposed standards.

CONTACT Technical Information: Bryan Hauger, Microbac Laboratories Inc. • Boulder, Colo. • Phone: 720-406-4661 | ASTM Staff: Robert Morgan • Phone: 610-832-9732 | Upcoming Meeting: April 15-17 • April Committee Week • Indianapolis, Ind.