Nov 13 2013
Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS) has added a fourth manufacturing line to its Saint-Germain plant that is now producing large diameter, open profile pipe from 900 mm to 1500 mm. The plant is certified to produce N-12® corrugated HDPE pipe diameters from 100 to 900 mm with minimum pipe stiffness of 320 kPa when tested in accordance with ASTM D 2412.
The product is certified to meet CAN/CSA Standard B182.8, BNQ 3624-120 plus AASHTO Load Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) specifications and is verified by Intertek. The plant is also capable of making the company's SaniTite® HP polypropylene pipe products.
In Canada, ADS also has a pipe manufacturing plant in Heidelberg, Ontario with stocking distribution yards in Morrisburg, Ontario, Moncton, New Brunswick and Red Deer, Alberta, along with a fleet of dedicated trucks that serve both rural and metropolitan areas. The company has a global network of 57 plants and 28 yards. ADS products are found in farms, sports stadiums, golf courses, highways, building complexes, housing developments, industrial parks, airports and the infrastructure of cities and towns throughout Canada and the world.
"Since we opened the Saint-Germain plant in 2009, we have been adding to our capability and increasing production," stated Ewout Leeuwenburg, ADS Senior Vice President of International Operations. "Most of this growth is due to the increasing and steady demand for our products to fulfill the needs of agricultural, storm water management and sanitary sewer projects. Our fourth production line here is just the latest step in our continuing capital investment plan."
"The structural integrity of ADS thermoplastic pipe is based on the design procedures outlined in the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, and our moulds have been designed specifically to produce the pipe to the latest edition of that specification," explained Greg Bohn, ADS Director of National Engineering. "AASHTO LRFD is a strain-based design procedure suitable for thermoplastic pipes such as HDPE, polypropylene and PVC."
"As the acronym suggests, the LRFD Bridge Design Specification also provides for resistance factors which allow the designer to account for uncertainty in soil strength and material resistance. The code incorporates load factors greater than two as well as various resistance factors, which work together to yield suitable fill heights for thermoplastic pipe.
"Unlike some design procedures which only evaluate deflection," Bohn continued, "the AASHTO LRFD code considers the actual failure modes of thermoplastic pipe such as Thrust, General and Local Buckling as well as Combined Strain to ensure a viable design. Deflection is considered as a service limit and serves as confirmation of the design and ensures suitable long-term performance.
"The materials science available to pipe manufacturers has progressed significantly since the introduction of concrete pipe in road construction. Material Research conducted by Drexel University for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and subsequent review by AASHTO, has led AASHTO to adopt 75-year material properties for HDPE pipe. This material research as well as the LRFD design procedure supports Canada's Ministry of Transportation (MTO) design guidelines going forward."
For additional information call ADS at (800) 821-6710, go to www.ads-pipe.com or contact any local ADS office.
Source: http://www.ads-pipe.com/