Weathering Effects on Some Mechanical Properties of Polyvinyl Chloride Pipes

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes have been naturally weathered for periods up to two years. Tests on unnotched and notched tensile specimens and full pipe lengths of these weathered pipes reveal effects of outdoor exposure on their strength and fracture behavior.Large scatter exists among test results. However, some general experimental trends are observed. Both tensile and burst pressure tests of unnotched specimens demonstrate increasing strength with exposure. Testing of sharply notched specimens reflects higher susceptibility to brittle fracture due to weathering. Such experimental evidence may be important when carefully considering brittle fracture modes in designing PVC pipe systems.