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Repair is achieved by first cutting out the defective or damaged lining to the metal so that the edges of the lining not removed are reasonably perpendicular to the pipe wall or slightly undercut. A stiff mortar is then prepared, containing not less than one part of cement to two parts of sand, by volume. This mortar is applied to the cutout area and troweled smooth with adjoining lining. To provide for proper curing of patches by preventing too rapid of a moisture loss from the mortar, the patched area is normally seal-coated immediately after any surface water evaporates, or alternatively the area is kept moist (e.g. with wet rags or burlap over the area or with the ends of the pipe or fitting taped over with plastic film, etc.). Of course, in potable water-related applications, no patch or curing components should be used in the repair that would negatively affect health or water quality.

There are many variables that determine the length of pull. The type of soil, size of equipment, amount, concentration and viscosity of the bentonite in the drilling mud are just a few of the variables that can determine the length of the pull. The longest pull to date was 2120 feet of 12” TR FLEX® pipe.

Soil conditions can vary widely and change dramatically within the length of the intended pull, it is for this reason that consideration be given to take soil samples at regular intervals along the intended bore-path at the depth of the bore. This information would enable the drilling operator to adjust the bentonite mixture, viscosity and add any other stabilizing additives as per the bentonite manufactures recommendations.

Double poly-wrap is recommended either with the first layer being the low-density poly with high-density over the outside or double wrapped with low-density.

Spiral winding is easier to do in a muddy trench and also does not allow the drilling mud to build-up underneath the poly-wrap causing it to balloon. All over-lapped edges of the poly-wrap should be taped except for the over-lapped poly along the length of the barrel, where the spiral winding is sufficient.

Double thickness cement mortar lining in accordance with ANSI/AWWA C104/A21.4, Section 4.7.2., with seal coat in accordance with section 4.11. The cement in the cement mortar lining shall conform to ASTM C150, Type V. The internal joint areas coming in contact with the seawater, the "wetted areas", should be coated with Induron PE-54 epoxy or they can be wrapped with Denso tape. Denso tape can be purchased through DENSO NORTH AMERICA, INC. in Houston, TX - Phone No. 281-821-3355 or www.densoa.com.

Yes. The TR FLEX® joint is easily disassembled by following the assembly instruction found in our TR FLEX® Pipe and Fittings brochure. The FIELD LOK 350® gasket requires a disassembly kit that can be purchased through your U.S. Pipe Representative.

If possible, the pipe can be inserted to make–up the joint, after assembly the jack can be removed. If the pipe will be inserted into a Mechanical Joint bell, the gland can be slid over the end to hold the pipe round while the joint is made. TYTON JOINT® and TR FLEX® bells are designed to round the pipe as long as the pipe will start into the throat of the bell. Once the pipe is pushed past the gasket it will seal.

Gripper rings can be used to complete closures and are not recommended for use in the pulling/pull back process.

This information can be found in U.S. Pipe's guide Safe Packaging and Shipping (STD-550) and also the Installation Guide for Ductile Iron Pipe, published by the Ductile Iron Pipe Research Association (DIPRA). Copies can be obtained from your local U.S. Pipe Sales Representative.

While other manufacturers are licensed to manufacture the TYTON JOINT® through 24" diameter, only TYTON JOINTS® conforming to current joint configurations which allow 5 degree joint deflection are applicable with FIELD LOK 350® gaskets.

A key to the reliability of the seal is the cleanliness of the joint at the time of assembly.  Larger sized buckets of lubricant are more likely to become contaminated at the jobsite and less likely to be discarded when they are.  TYTON JOINT® lubricant is available in pints, quarts, and gallons.  The smaller containers are less likely to be contaminated with dirt, pebbles, or other foreign matter, which, if trapped between the pipe and gasket, could result in a joint leak.

FIELD LOK 350® gaskets cannot be used for bridge crossings. The FIELD LOK 350® gasket is a friction restrained joint and due to the fact that bridges are subject to vibration from vehicles traveling over the bridge, there is a possibility that the gasket could work itself lose. U.S. Pipe's recommendation for bridge crossings is TR FLEX® pipe.

It is recommended that restrained joint carrier pipe be pulled through a casing. This will ensure that the restraining device is engaged and that all of the slack has been taken out of the joint.

The FIELD LOK 350® gasket and TR FLEX® joint are both boltless restraints. This saves time by not having to tighten any nuts & bolts as well as preventing possible leaks where a bolt wasn't tightened.

U.S. Pipe's primary method of thrust restraint are restrained joints.

A column of liquid moving through a pipeline has momentum or force that tends to separate the joints at changes in direction (bends and tees), stops (plugs, caps, or closed valves), and changes in size (reducers). Some means must be used to prevent joint separation to maintain the integrity of the pipeline. Three such means are thrust blocks, tie rods, and restrained joints.

Thrust blocks are usually poured-in-place concrete.  They must be engineered with full knowledge of the pipeline operating characteristics and of soil type and bearing strength. They must bear against virgin soil, because thrust forces in the pipeline are transmitted through the thrust block to the soil.  Depending on these conditions, thrust blocks can be quite massive. The use of thrust blocks can delay completion of the project to allow the concrete to cure adequately before applying test pressure to the pipeline. If future construction disturbs the thrust block or the surrounding soil, joint restraint and the integrity of the pipeline can be jeopardized.

Tie rods usually involve some sort of fabricated steel harness on either side of the joint held together by tie-rods. This type of joint restraint is generally labor intensive. A tie-rod type of joint restraint must be adequately protected against weakening by corrosion, or else the joint restraint and integrity of the pipeline can be jeopardized.

Restrained joints are designed to hold the joint together against a rated pressure while the pipeline transfers the thrust force to the surrounding soil envelope. In order to calculate the footage of restrained pipeline necessary for the thrust force to be fully dissipated to the soil, it is necessary to know pipe diameter, maximum anticipated internal pressure, depth of cover, soil type, and trench construction type, as well as the configuration (e.g., bend angle) requiring restraint. The calculated restrained footage must be installed on each side of the fitting. Since polyethylene encasement for external corrosion protection reduces the friction between the pipeline and the surrounding soil, the calculated restrained footage is usually multiplied by a factor of 1.5 for pipelines where polyethylene encasement is to be installed.

Mechanical joint retainer glands, both common and proprietary design, are available for use where such devices must be used (e.g., a special valve or meter). However, U.S. Pipe does not recommend their use. Restrained push-on joints manufactured by U.S. Pipe are less susceptible to external corrosion, offer appreciably more deflection, and are much less labor-intensive to install.

• After assembling the joint, pull out on the pipe to engage the locking segments.
• Prevent lateral movement on bridge crossings and piers.
• Choose non-rigid joints for underground installations.
• TR FLEX Gripper Rings are not recommended for use with fittings.
• TR FLEX Gripper Rings are not recommended for vertical bends.
• Use rubber retainers between all right- and left-hand locking segments. Bend them to fit in the gap between the segments.
• Right-hand locking segments are painted red, and marked "RH." Left hand locking segments are painted black, and marked "LH."

Yes. This is why we have come up with an in the field restrained joint called the TR FLEX GRIPPER® ring (4"-36" only). Larger sizes will have to use the TR FLEX® weld kit or factory made closure pieces.

Pulling heads have been made by cutting off a TR FLEX® bell with approximately 12-inches of pipe extending and fitting a steel fabricated cone with “I” hole over the pipe. The assembly is then drilled and bolted with the bolt heads welded to the cone. USP is presently in the process of developing pulling-heads but are not ready for market yet.

Table 2 of the Guidelines For Use and Application list the maximum deflection for each size available. USP recommends the pipe be pulled in a straight path, however, the pipe can be deflected and “snaked” as long as the bore hole diameter is large enough so that the pipe OD is not dragging against the wall of the bore, thus causing the pull force of the pipe to be exceeded. It is for this reason why long radius or curved pulls are not recommended.

No. It's always a good practice to use the lubricant furnished by the manufacturer. Our lubricant is formulated to be nontoxic, does not support bacterial growth, has no deteriorating effects on the gasket material, and is water soluble so it readily flushes away prior to acceptance testing of the pipeline. It doesn't impart any taste or odor to the water in the pipeline, and meets the requirements of AWWA/ANSI C111/A21.11.

Because it is water soluble, it's sometimes difficult to maintain lubrication on wet surfaces such as a wet trench or stream crossing. In these conditions, it's advisable to apply the lubricant liberally – as much as three times as much as would normally be used.

We do not recommend the use of spray-on lubricants.

Pipe stored for an extended time prior to installation should be laid on heavy timbers to keep them off the ground to minimize dirt and debris entering the pipe. When pipe of different sizes and pressure classes are stored, they should be segregated, not inter-mixed.

Pipe are generally shipped in safe, tight bundles secured by steel strapping. If pipe are to be stored loose (i.e., the bundles broken), the timbers separating tiers must have chocks securely nailed at the end of each tier. The timbers separating each tier should be large enough to prevent the bells of one tier from contacting the bells of adjacent tiers.

The area selected for pipe storage should be adequately flat and solid to prevent pipe stacks from shifting and becoming unstable.

Recommended maximum stacking heights are as follows:

They are color coded so that you know which one is which. Just remember that red equals right (two r's) and black equals left. See TR FLEX® animation for further details. Each locking segment is also cast with a "LH" or "RH" for left hand or right hand.

AWWA/ANSI C110/A21.10: Ductile Iron and Gray Iron Fittings, 3 in. through 48 in. For Water and Other Liquids

AWWA/ANSI C153/A21.53: Ductile Iron Compact Fittings, 3 in. through 24 in. and 54 in. through 64 in. for Water Service

AWWA/ANSI C111/A21.11: Rubber-Gasket Joints for Ductile-Iron Pressure Pipe and Fittings

AWWA/ANSI C104/A21.4: Cement-Mortar Lining for Ductile-Iron Pipe and Fittings for Water

AWWA/ANSI C116/A21.16: Protective Fusion Bonded Epoxy Coatings for the Interior and Exterior Surfaces of Ductile-Iron and Gray-Iron Fittings for Water Supply Service

AWWA/ANSI C105/A21.5: Polyethylene Encasement for Ductile-Iron Pipe Systems

AWWA/ANSI C600: Installation of Ductile-Iron Water Mains and their Appurtenances

Cast iron is a generic name for any high carbon molten iron poured as a casting. When used to refer to pipe, cast iron (sometimes called gray iron) is a specific type in which the free graphite (Carbon) is in the shape of flakes. Cast Iron pipe were introduced into the United States in 1817.

Ductile Iron is a specific type of cast iron in which the free graphite is in the shape of nodules or spheroids. (Other names for ductile iron are nodular iron or spheroidal graphite iron.) Ductile Iron Pipe were introduced to the market in 1955.

Although nearly identical chemically, the two irons are quite different metallurgically. The now obsolete standard for Cast Iron Pipe (ANSI/AWWA A21.6/C106) required an iron strength of 18/40 (18,000 psi Bursting Tensile Resistance and 40,000 psi Ring Modulus of Rupture.) Although tensile testing was not a requirement of this standard, a tensile test of gray cast iron pipe would give a test result of approximately 20,000 psi Ultimate Tensile Strength, with no measurable Yield Strength or Elongation.

The current standard for Ductile Iron Pipe (ANSI/AWWA A21.51/C151) requires a minimum grade of 60-42-10 (60,000 psi Ultimate Tensile Strength, 42,000 psi Yield Strength, and 10% Elongation.) In addition, Ductile Iron Pipe manufactured under this standard are required to meet a minimum of 7 ft lbs impact resistance by the Charpy test. (Compare Gray Iron Pipe with an impact resistance of approximately 2 ft lbs or less.)

The difference in the physical properties of these two materials is attributable almost entirely to the difference in the shape of the free graphite. The shape of the graphite is determined at the instant of solidification and is made nodular by the addition of magnesium to the molten iron bath. Although Cast Iron was the best engineering material available for pipe production for nearly five hundred years, the development of Ductile Iron Pipe provides a far superior product.

Pulling back on the FIELD LOK 350® gasket causes the stainless steel locking segments to engage the pipe, activating the restraint mechanism. Pulling back on the TR FLEX® pipe puts the joint in tension as well as taking up the "slop" in the joint. If this is not done, the line will "grow" when pressure is introduced to it which could cause problems.