Kanninen, Buczala, Kuhlman, Green, Grigory, O'Donoghue, McCarth
Jointing # 1992 Eindhoven
Most current procedures for the design, installation and qualification of electrofused jointsin polyethylene gas piping systems are empirical in nature. To improve this situation, the Gas Research Institute initiated an integrated experimental and analysis research program at the Southwest Research Institute. The overall objective of this work is to relate the service performance of an electrofusion joint to the various joining conditions (pipecoupler clearance, heating time, power input, etc.). Experimental investigations to examine the failure mechanisms of EF joints and to quantify the strength of the joint under different conditions are complemented by a numerical analysis model of the joining process. This paper describescurrent progress in this on-going research effort.
