Welcome to John’s Blog. Answers to frequently asked questions are periodically posted here. The objective is to share information about PVC pipe with readers as well as with utilities, design engineers and pipe installers. The blog provides the latest information on PVC pipe design, installation, and application for water and wastewater infrastructure projects.
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John Houle: Senior Technical Consultant, PVC Pipe Industry
John Houle holds a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri and an MBA from the University of Oregon. He has more than 25 years of experience in the plastic pipe industry in applications engineering, market development, forensic analysis, technical writing, and standards development.
Thrust forces are developed in a pressure pipe whenever there is a change in flow. This means that thrust restraint may be required when the pipeline changes direction (for example, at an elbow), changes size (at a reducer), or encounters a stoppage in flow (for example, at a closed valve). Complicated Design Simplified by EBAA’s Calculator Thrust-restraint design can be complicated, with as many as eight variables to consider. Fortunately, EBAA Iron has developed an on-line design tool that makes the engineer’s job easier. The designer simply inputs the variables requested and the calculator provides the length of pipe that must be restrained to control pipe movement. The program also provides an output page that lists all of the design inputs, as well as the resulting thrust force and required restraint length. Read my tech brief Thrust Forces – Restraint Length Calculator on EBAA Iron’s online calculator for restraining PVC pipe joints.
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