Experimental determination of the level of damage suffered by rigid PVC pipes under quasi-static impact load

This paper presents a approach to determining the level of damage on rigid PVC pipes (polyvinyl chloride), destined for the supply of drinking water, and previously subjected to quasi-static impact. The originality of the work has been to experimentally characterize the level of damage via readily measurable physical quantities obtained under operating conditions. For this purpose, a wide range of experiments were performed. Firstly, trials involving impact with a hemispherical-end hammer weighing 16kg, dropped from a height of between 0 - 2m on portions of rigid PVC pipe. Thereafter, the dime...