Welding Institute Branch Holds Plastic Pipe Joining Talk

The Welding Institute’s London Branch held a joint meeting with the London Materials Society on 12^th September 2019 to discuss the joining of plastic pipes.

The talk, ‘Joining Plastics Pipes – How Do You Know You’ve Done It Right?’ was given by TWI Technology Fellow, Mike Troughton.

This topic has gained increased interest in industry in recent years, particularly with regard to utilities such as water and gas, as well as within the nuclear sector.

The talk described the two main joining techniques for polyethylene pipes – butt fusion and electrofusion welding. While both methods are capable of producing excellent joints that will last for at least 50 years if done correctly, there are still questions over how best to tell if the joints are up to standard.

As well as looking into the joining techniques themselves, the talk also offered information on the best methods for assessing whether the joints had been made correctly. The assessment methods included visual inspection, destructive testing and non-destructive testing.

The meeting was well received by around 25 attendees who had plenty of questions for Mike following the talk.

You can find out more about TWI’s expertise with plastic pipe welding and testing here.