What is the difference between PE100 and PE100 RC?

September 13, 2024

PE 100-RC materials have become an essential and well established sub-family of PE 100 compounds. They have a higher stress crack resistance and hence less risk of failure due to damage during installation or due to point loads after installation. This in turn has facilitated the greater use of trenchless technology installation methods, which have a reduced environmental impact.

Specification has been developed in order to difference PE100RC and PE100. In order to check the stress crack resistance of the material it requires samples to be tested in a Full Notch Creep Test (FNCT) and a Point Load Test (PLT) at 4MPa in a 2% Arkopal N-100 solution at 80°C for 8,760 hours (N.B. Arkopal N-100 is a liquid surfactant that accelerates stress cracking in PE materials). 

PE100 and PE100-RC

Fig. 1. FNCT results on a standard and high stress crack resistant PE100 material tested under standard conditions (Ref. 1)

PE100 and PE100-RC-2
Fig. 2. FNCT results on a standard and high stress crack resistant PE100 material tested under accelerated conditions (Ref. 1)
Consider the two materials shown in figure 1 which were both tested in the FNCT test under the standard conditions.The standard PE100 material fails in approximately 550 hours in a brittle mode (i.e. beyond the knee in the stress time curve) confirming that it does not meet the requirements of PAS 1075. However, the HSCR PE100 sample continues on test for over 10 times the test period for the standard PE100 pipe but fails in a ductile manner. This is not a valid test result as the failure must be brittle and therefore the test conditions need to be changed.
In the PAS 1075 specification testing this is achieved by increasing the test temperature to 90°C and changing the surfactant fluid to NM-5 (called the accelerated FNCT test or ACT). This accelerates the stress cracking and both materials fail in a brittle mode creating valid data points in accordance with ISO 16770. The requirement for a HSCR PE100 material according to PAS 1075 is that the failure time in the ACT test must be greater than 320 hours. Test specimens of BorSafe HE3490-LS-H produced by Borouge typically fail in test times of 730 – 890 hours  and therefore on this basis the material qualifies as a HSCR PE100 or “PE100-RC” material in accordance with PAS 1075.
In the point loading test, which is also prescribed in PAS 1075, pipe samples produced from BorSafe HE3490-LS-H from Borouge also exceed the 8760 hour requirement of PAS 1075 without failure, thus confirming that the material is a High Stress Crack Resistant PE100 material that is ideal for the production of pipes which are suitable for installation using trenchless technologies or using poor quality backfill material.
HDPE pipes

‌The main difference between PE100 and PE100RC lies in their resistance to slow crack growth and applicable scenarios. ‌

PE100 is the highest grade of polyethylene pipe material, with an MRS (hydrostatic strength) value of 10MPa, and is widely used in drainage, gas and other fields. PE100RC (Resist Crack) has excellent resistance to slow crack growth while maintaining the pressure-bearing performance of PE100 pipe material. It can be used under very harsh conditions and environments, such as when the pipe wall is scratched and the pipe wall is subjected to point loads, the design service life can still reach 100 years. PE100-RC inherits the technical advantages of PE100 pipes and can be used for sand-free backfilling of pipelines, renewal of old pipelines, trenchless installation and rapid pipeline laying technology. Crack-resistant polyethylene material (PE100-RC) is the latest technology and the highest application level of polyethylene pipe materials. ‌

 

The development history of PE100 and PE100RC also reflects their technological progress and the expansion of their application fields. PE100 represents the fourth stage of development of polyethylene pipe materials. Through the advancement of molecular structure design, new catalysts and polymerization process technology, the performance of the pipe has been further improved. The emergence of PE100RC is to solve the problems of leakage and damage caused by scratches on the outer wall of the pipe caused by traditional construction and point loads. Through its excellent resistance to slow crack growth, it ensures safety in use under extreme conditions.‌

 

 

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