Testing PVC Pipe - Explosion

[@FlexPVC]

New pipe is very resilient. You can see how it absorbs the shock. To really get a good test, leave the pipe in the sun for a year and repeat. It'll bust on the first hit. Also heating pvc pipe and cooling it impart a little brittleness in the pipe. Not as much as the sun but it does happen.

[@stevedarnell8444]

I know this was done a few years ago, but when you got down there and looked at it with your face shield on , I would have popped a paper bag behind you. Just to see your reaction.

[@GeorgeBonez]

That would be classic. I’d like to see that on KZbin. Lol

[@bakaneko6639]

That would attact a few hearts

[@nandhnikaur]

your explanation in the description really helped me. just wanted to say thank you. and to answer ur question, when certain polymers are below their regular service temperature, the amorphous regions become "frozen" so the polymer becomes more brittle. google "glass transition temperature" and"effect of temperature on polymers". they might have a better explanation.

[@bavetta]

It seemed to be more of a function of temperature than pressure, for reasonable pressures.

[@PaulGreggBYRC]

Very good video and test. PVC (and most polymers) are known for degradation of fracture toughness in sunlight (ultraviolet radiation.) I have used PVC to build backyard roller coaster tracks, and I've done similar impact testing. I only use the grey electrical PVC, which is supposed to be "sunlight resistant." I set out 2-inch grey electrical PVC pipes in the sun for 2 years, painted and unpainted, and found the fracture toughness of unpainted electrical PVC to degrade by half. So, it's important to paint any PVC projects, preferably with a dark paint, as soon as possible.

[@nateb4543]

Bingo! Was gonna suggest using old pvc. Leave it out in the sun, rain, cold and hot. I want to see how wrapping it in various things like duct tape or denim will mitigate the shards shooting out

[@PaulGreggBYRC]

@@nateb4543 maybe fiberglass tape, or kevlar tape if you can find it.

[@PaulGreggBYRC]

every good test has a control specimen(s), so test a pristine specimen too@@nateb4543

[@highvoltagefeathers]

From the short joint length in your reducer coupling, it looks like your using the nsf-dwv (dwv stands for drain/waste/vent), rather than the nsf-pw (pw stands for Potable Water, or drinking water, from pressurized lines) The dwv material you are using IS NOT rated for ANY pressure application. Calculate area given your pipe diameter in inches, multiply that by pressure (PSI), and check how much force is trying to blow that reducer across your neighborhood. Bet its more than you thought!

[@skoue4165]

Actually it looks like schedule 40 PVC pipe. PVC pipe is not rated for ANY Pressure of a Compressible fluid, ie compressed air. The pressure rating is ONLY for an incompressible fluid such as water. As you can see after they broke it you end up with very sharp shards flying around. The face shield helps with your eyes but the shard lodged in your chest still sends you to the ER. Heat, light, age will all make PVC as shaterable as freezing it.

[@highvoltagefeathers]

@@skoue4165 Right that PVC is not technically rated for pressurized gasses, but schedule 40 is frequently used anyway. It is (reasonably) safe as long as you use the -PW fittings which overlap the pipe to a much greater extent (more than twice the engagement) than the -dwv fittings for the solvent welded joints. This is a critical difference for any pressure application, liquid (rated) or gas (dangerous but manageable)

[@skoue4165]

@@highvoltagefeathers It is used by folks trying to save money or not well informed about the dangers of compressed gasses. Which is most of us so... IF you use PVC for compressed air and anything goes wrong your insurance will not cover you and if someone gets hurt you are 100% liable and may also be susceptible to criminal gross negligence charges. I personally know of a catastrophic failure that blew out the wall of a house boat because a PVC pipe was being pumped out using compressed air. It was admittedly a very large diameter pipe. The caps are not really the issue. If they pop off you have a flying blunt object. When the pipe fails you have shrapnel. A quick search of "potato cannon fails" will bring up a bunch of idiots blowing up PVC. You had the respect to put it behind a shield and to be wearing face protection, neither are common in shops with PVC airlines.

[@Exitwizz]

How about strap that pipe so it wont move when the weight drop on it?

[@rdr2pro845]

Weight for it

[@stevemoor7419]

Could you do this test with 140 psi freezer temp and wrapped in duct tape? I would, but I don't have a the setup already built. I'm wondering if duct tape would turn the brittle failure into a ductile one. I'm wanting to build a special effects cannon and will be using it around kids and want it as safe as possible.

[@andrewgreystone2252]

Since everyone says that pvc is bad and you should never use it what else should I use that is affordable and fits with a 1 inch sprinkler valve

[@TheFrankster]

IF you can a fire extinguisher, I have seen people use those. PVC is made much cheaper now than it was 10 years ago. We make aluminum tanks for building launchers too. www.ebay.com/itm/Aluminum-air-chamber-kit-paintball-airsoft-grenade-rocket-bait-bag-launcher/301646119289?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

[@blueredbrick]

Switch to HDPE or propylene tubes for we example. There are so many polymers to pick from. Anything but pvc. When pvc is burned it is making a whole list of nasty compounds including dioxines. The the mechanical properties are also that great. It needs additives to keep it flexible; the smell of a ñewly bought swimming pool is not pvc, it's the additives. Those evaporate and get damaged by uv light so the pvc swimming pool is becoming brittle after two summers. PVC has its uses, but not the bulk naive were doing now with carpet flooring, kids summer toys and many more. PVC. Is cool but it should not be on the bulk market.

[@itsjusttyler5315]

I’m building a pipe system out of soda cans for fun and I’m worried that if i attach a pump to it the pipe with burst

[@RDFStudios]

This is why i wrapped my chamber of our air cannon, in double layer woven industrial rubber material. So it doesn't get hit by a random metal weight haha. nice video

[@wzr3293]

I hate when my air cannon gets hit by a thungsten rod at supersonic speeds!

[@derrickbecker9856]

Schedule 40 or 80?

[@SoCal-IrrigationSystems]

40

[@XevianLight]

Thank you for this video!!! I was planning on making a small air tank for LEGO pneumatics using PVC, when someone told me that it was dangerous because PVC isn’t made for compressed air. I’m planning on using 60 psi in it too. What thickness of pipe did you use? Also not planning on dropping it or anything onto it from 12 feet repeatedly so I should be perfectly fine!

[@ChumyMototo]

I have seen a destruction test like this one, I think he pumped up the PVC tank with at least 400 PSi before the pressure tore it apart, I think for normal usage like small pneumatic functions and Truck Air-horns under 150 Psi it's fine. (I use one for my Train Horns 4 inches Dia. with 5mm thickness, works fine with 150 Psi).

[@jowesticles]

I built about 5 different variations of pressurized air launchers and used SCH 40 1/2" - 2" PVC, they still work fine despite being a few years old. Just make sure to get a tight seal if you plan on going above 50 PSI

[@jamesgilchrist8293]

Use ABS instead. It is much more ductile at low temperatures. Little bit of money, lots more safety. Of course both of these are "off-label" uses so you are on your own in any case haha.

[@NilsAusta]

I use PP and PE pipes as rocket motors body. These do not shatter. They only deform.

[@ijcarroll]

also I wonder if a coat of rhino liner would stick if so would that help the strength?

[@devanh8592]

Anyone ever used epoxy resin to cast a pressure chamber? I imagine if i cast it all in one piece (minus the lid obviously) at 1\2 inch wall thicknesses it could hold 80 lbs no problem right?

[@jones10395]

So what psi did it fail at?

[@GeorgeBonez]

Good question because it didn’t fail due to pressure at all. I’m thinking like you and I wanna know exactly how much pressure pvc can take. I don’t want it to be frozen. That info does me no good. I mean nobody freezes their potato gun or bait launcher before they charge it.’lol

[@blackplatinum8666]

can u give me the measurments of the project?

[@richardederer5331]

Whatever you are using to drop the weight through was clearly slowing it down. I would redo the test without the gravity Barrel

[@ijcarroll]

I wonder how strong a pvc bike would be if you filled it with a FIRM mixture of AB foam.

[@GeorgeBonez]

Dunno how strong it would be but it would be one silly looking bike! Lol

[@amdeleon23]

would you recommend using PVC pipes on car air intakes?

[@Golith14]

Wouldn't recommend using pvc for anything holding compressed air. too much can go wrong.

[@chrismitchell6478]

+Angelino Martini de Leon No, Never use pvc for compressed air, because when it fails (might be 1 week, 1 year, might even be 20 years) throwing shards of dense plastic everywhere. The companies who make the stuff (and there for want you to buy it) don't want people using their product for air. Go to osha.gov and search for hib19880520 you will see an article. Even if it's in your own garage/shop if you don't want to run metal lines consider pex-al-pex, it's easy to work with and is rated for air and is cheaper than copper or black pipe.

[@billcosbyeatsbabies9947]

+Angelino Martini de Leon As long as it doesnt melt you should be ok, test it out and keep a close eye on it at first. Make sure to do your test in the dead of summer with a hour or two of city driving. I bet it would be fine though. Just dont use it for your exhaust! lol

[@karrotop]

chris, jared, what sort of pressure do you think car intakes run? car intakes run a slight vacuum.

[@TheRoostersGarage]

I created an intake tube for my truck years ago and there are no problems. The intake will not have any pressure unless the engine backfires. Under normal conditions, it will be a tiny vacuum.

[@ying1663377]

nice and clean experiment

[@eddytheps3king]

OR how bout pvc dwv is grey

[@acornstu]

You think that's cool you should see a schedule 80 24" fitting explode. It's terrifyingly awesome. Used to work in a pvc fitting plant. One guy had a full time job running a pressure tests. Had a big metal floor and giant vacumn sealed clamshell to go over it. I worked 3 feet away from it. They always passed the test and were sent for remelt becuase of the abuse put on them. But man... for fun dude would crabk it up to 11 and break off the fucking knob to mess with people. Especially new guys like me. Sumbitch would explode and everyone else acts like they heard nothing.

[@DEM9271]

Could this be dangerous to a human? I'm making a hand held Airsoft cannon. Making sure I take the necessary precautions.

[@RaptorRotorHead]

what that means is that you never use PVC above ground at that pressure level or else failure will occur that's what your test means I'm surprised that you don't know that after all that explanation but after I read that all that you wrote that's exactly what you're saying and you don't know it.

[@chuckroberts4198]

contaminate that pipe with oil and cycle the temp and psi a few thousand times and you won't need to hit it with the weight

[@smoothtrunkfish9930]

Expirimental exactitude*

[@artgoat]

Get it cold and it'll shatter a lot easier.

[@cmegmendoza675]

Fake