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Fla. DOT Gives Service Life Approval to HDPE Pipe

August 8, 2008

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. of Hilliard, Ohio, has received a 100-year service life approval for its N-12® corrugated HDPE pipe from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), according to a recent press release.

The designation approves N-12 pipe for use in most FDOT applications. Using an extensive testing protocol, FDOT granted approval for 18-inch (450mm) through 48-inch (1200mm) ADS N-12 pipe under the "Class II" 100-year service life designation.

"The test results in Florida prove there is an increasing level of confidence in the use and performance of HDPE pipe," said Joe Chlapaty, chair and chief executive officer of ADS. "Our goal is to deliver a product that will still be in the ground for generations to come and performing its intended purpose."

Introduced in 1987, N-12 dual wall pipe, with its smooth interior wall and corrugated exterior wall, offers exceptional hydraulics and strength. Built using application specific high-density polyethylene, N-12 corrugated pipe also provides superior corrosion and abrasion resistance making it an excellent alternative to reinforced concrete and corrugated metal pipe.

To determine the expected service life of the corrugated HDPE drainage pipe, FDOT adopted a test protocol specification that is the most stringent and comprehensive in the pipe industry. Incorporating projected long-term buried stress and environmental conditions, the test protocol uses the Rate Process Method and Oxidation Induction Time testing to measure stress crack resistance and product durability. These methods are well-established and widely used in the pressure pipe industry as a means to predict the long-term performance of thermoplastic pipe.