Ductile iron pipelines are pipes that manufacturers make with ductile iron, a type of cast iron that is more resistant and ductile to breakage than conventional cast iron. Plumbing professionals use ductile iron pipelines in different applications, encompassing storm drains, sewerage lines, and water mains. Manufacturers add magnesium to melted cast iron to make ductile iron.
This procedure helps them create a less brittle microstructure and more evenly distributed than conventional cast iron. Thus, ductile iron pipes resist breakage and cracking even after exposure to extreme conditions.
The flexibility of ductile iron pipelines is greater than that of conventional cast iron pipelines. This helps make them less likely to get damaged under stress, such as when exposed to earthquakes or ground movement.
Apart from their sturdiness and flexibility, ductile iron pipelines feature greater rust resistance. This helps make them an excellent choice for applications where the pipelines will get exposed to water or other corrosive elements.
Plumbing professionals usually join ductile iron pipes by mechanical means like socket weld joints or threaded joints. This helps them easily maintain and install them.
This blog section discusses the advantages of using ductile iron pipelines, encouraging you to purchase those pipelines from one of the well-reputed ductile iron pipe suppliers.
Strength
Ductile iron pipelines are incredibly sturdy and can tolerate high levels of pressure. Their maximum strength is sixty thousand pounds per square inch, and their minimum yield strength is forty-two thousand pounds per square inch.
This makes them ideal for uses where pipelines will likely be exposed to high loads like sewerage lines and water mains. This is due to its spherical graphite structure, high yield strength, high tensile strength, and malleable qualities of iron, which manufacturers use to make ductile iron pipelines.
Flexibility
Ductile iron pipelines also feature flexibility, so their likelihood of breaking decreases under stress. These pipelines can tolerate twisting and bending without breaking or cracking.
This is essential in regions where the ground is likely to move, like earthquake zones. Ductile iron pipelines are flexible due to their controlled production procedure, uniform grain structure, and spherical graphite structure.
The production procedure for ductile iron pipelines is more controlled than that of manufacturers to make conventional cast iron pipelines. This leads to less separation of alloying elements, increasing the pipelines' uniformity and reducing their likelihood of cracking.
Rust-resistant
Ductile iron pipelines are rust-resistant, which helps make them an ideal choice for uses where the pipelines will get exposed to corrosive elements like water. This is not just due to their spherical graphite structure but also because manufacturers cover them with magnesium, protective coatings, and an iron oxide layer.
The reaction of magnesium with carbon found in the iron leads to the formation of magnesium carbide, which covers the graphite particles and prevents them from forming flakes. This helps avert corrosion.
The iron oxide coating of ductile iron pipelines plays a key role in averting the underlying iron from corroding. The protective coatings of ductile iron pipelines, like epoxy or cement mortar, can protect the ductile iron pipelines from getting corroded.
Durability
Ductile iron pipelines are highly durable. Thus, these pipes can last for several years. They have a long service life of over ten decades for most applications. This makes them an excellent investment for long-term projects.
The controlled production procedure, ductile qualities, high yield strength, high tensile strength, uniform grain structure, and spherical graphite structure of ductile iron pipelines help them become durable.
Cost-Effectiveness
Ductile iron pipelines are usually more cost-efficient than other kinds of pipelines, like steel pipelines. These pipelines are also simpler to maintain and install.
This is because of a number of reasons. One of those reasons is their lighter weight than steel pipelines, which makes them simpler to transport and handle.
This can save money and time during their installation. Another reason that makes ductile iron pipelines easier to install is that plumbing professionals can use different procedures to join ductile iron pipelines.
These include fusion joints and mechanical joints. The threading of ductile iron pipelines is another reason that makes these pipes simple to install. This is because their threading allows plumbing professionals to use them with different fittings and pipelines.
This also eases their installation procedure and decreases the need for customized fittings. Ductile iron pipelines are simpler to maintain for some reasons. Two of those reasons are repairability and inspection. Pipeline inspection professionals can inspect ductile iron pipelines using non-destructive inspection procedures like magnetic particle testing and ultrasonic testing.
This can help pipeline inspection professionals identify all problems early on before they could significantly damage these pipes. Ductile iron pipeline repair professionals can fix ductile iron pipelines using different methods, encompassing patching and welding. This reduces the likelihood of replacing ductile iron pipelines altogether.
Fire Resistance
Ductile iron pipelines are fire-resistant, meaning they will not melt or burst even after exposure to high temperatures. This is due to their low thermal conductivity, fireproofing, and high melting point. The ductile iron's thermal conductivity is much lower than steel pipe's thermal conductivity.
This tells us that ductile iron pipelines would heat up more slowly and cool down more rapidly than steel pipes even after getting exposed to fire conditions. Ductile iron pipelines melt at higher temperatures than plastic pipes.
This is because their melting point is around seventeen hundred Fahrenheit degrees( nine hundred and twenty-seven degrees Celsius). This tells us that ductile iron pipes will melt later than plastic pipes.
Apart from that, manufacturers can fireproof ductile iron pipelines with fireproof material like epoxy or cement mortar. This fireproof coating will play a crucial role in insulating the pipelines and averting them from heating up rapidly.
Sound Attenuation
Ductile iron pipelines attenuate sound well, which helps make them an excellent choice for uses where noise is an issue. This is due to a number of reasons. One of those reasons is that ductile iron is a dense substance, which tells us that it features high levels of mass. This mass plays a crucial role in absorbing sound waves and averting them from traveling through the pipelines.