PVC-A polymer pipes: FITT Bluforce system

FITT Bluforce: PVC-A pipes for pressurised water networks. Water network managers, businesses and citizens: different stakeholders with mutual interests. Service stability, savings and facilitating work. A commitment to an improved solution in comparison to steel, cast iron and polyethylene pipes now complete with new wide radius bends with restraint joint technology.

FITT Bluforce water network piping

FITT developed the FITT Bluforce PVC-A pipes for maximum performance in water and irrigation systems:

  • improved plant life
  • consistent water service delivery
  • reduced installation and maintenance costs

FITT Bluforce PVC-A pipe, thanks to its characteristics:

  • ductility
  • durability
  • handling

facilitates onsite work by ensuring integrity and efficiency of the water network, protecting it from dangerous movements, poor installations and dangerous weather conditions.

Reduced management costs

The focus of the design and development of FITT Bluforce PVC-A pipes was concentrated on three profiles:

  • the critical time of construction on site, dangerous movements, and poor practices that can often become costly maintenance
  • reliability over time under operating conditions, with the goal of increasing the resistance to chemical and electrical corrosion of the network
  • hydraulic performance, in terms of increased hydraulic flow to equal the infrastructure impact.

FITT Bluforce PVC-A water pipes

PVC-A polymer alloy is made up of two main compounds: the traditional PVC-U and chlorinated polyethylene (CPE). PVC-A combines the resistance of PVC-U and the ductility of polyethylene.

Thanks to the combination of these two features, FITT Bluforce PVC-A pipes guarantee extremely high resistance to crack propagation – the major cause of fracture during the operation of pressurised pipelines – thus ensuring:

  • durability
  • resistance
  • cost and time savings
  • service

To facilitate work: the Power-Lock™ seal

FITT Bluforce pipes guarantee speed and easy installation and prevent human error through their joint system, which involves mechanically pre-installed joints that are inserted, using heat, into the pipes as they are being constructed.

The Power Lock® seal for PVC-A pipes consists of an EPDM elastomer sealing element conforming to the UNI EN 681 standard, comoulded with a fibre-reinforced polypropylene stiffening ring. This jointing system guarantees a high degree of seal stability, resulting in easy assembly, perfect functionality and optimal hydraulic tightness of the pipes over time.

The wide radius restraint joint bends

Restraint joint system
FITT Bluforce uses the socket joint system with a gasket which is mechanically hot pre-inserted during the formation phase of the socket, ensuring absolute stability of the gasket, ease of assembly, perfect functionality and an optimal hydraulic and mechanical seal over time. The Bulldog® gasket system of the wide radius bends allows the construction of pipes without the creation of thrust blocking blocks, as well as laying on soils characterized by steep slopes or landslides.

 

Avoid using anchor blocks
For the laying of pipelines in the presence of reduced dimensions, considerable slopes or poorly cohesive soils, the use of restraint socket joints makes it possible not to resort to concrete anchor blocks characterized by considerable bulk and performance influenced by the type of soil present.

 

Wide range of angles
Wide radius restraint joint bends are available to tackle 45 ° and 90 ° angles

 

Pressure class
Pressure class PN 16

Reliability: FITT Bluforce pipes comply with regulations and certifications

FITT Bluforce Crack Resistant’s regulatory pathway has been based on the technical specification of NorthWest Water since 1995: “CPE/PVCU Alloy pressure pipes, integral joints, and post formed bends for cold potable water and for sewage, drainage and industrial application”.

The next step, in 1999, was the issuing of the BS PAS27 standard, by the British Standard Institution, that set out the characteristics of the next generation of polymer alloy pipes, which combined high mechanical resistance with increased ductility.

In 2015, the Italian Institute of Plastics (IIP), under the direction of FITT, issued Technical Specification IIP 1.1/19 that transposed Ministerial Decree 174/2004 (Water for human use) and mentioned BS PAS 27.

In 2020 FITT Bluforce obtains certification Kiwa Quality.
Kiwa certification was issued in agreement to the Kiwa Cement Italia Regulations for Certification of product.

FITT Bluforce complies:                                                                                                                 

  • IIP 1.1/19 Technical Specification: “Unplasticized polyvinyl chloride alloy (PVC-A) pipes for water conveying”
  • M. 174, 06/04/2004: “Water for human consumption”
  • UNI EN 1622 standard – “Water analysis – determination of the threshold odour number (TON) and the threshold flavour number (TFN)”
  • compliant with the requirements of the Technical Document Ki-0410 Rev.11, Attachment K75 Rev.02 and therefore marked KQ.

Power-Lock™: reliability and resistance over time

Benefits of the ultra-resistant seal, which can be observed by all operators

Designers

  • High seal performance
  • Time-saving for inspections and tests
  • Guaranteed hydraulic tightness in case of both positive and negative pressure
  • Enhanced reliability of the joint’s tightness
  • 3° angular deflection on the joint (high misalignments)
  • Internal dimensions of the socket not susceptible to variations

Installers

  • The pipe is supplied complete with an integrated seal
  • Easy, fast and safe assembly
  • Reduced assembly force, even for large diameters
  • Reduced labour for installation
  • Manual assembly without machinery
  • Save time and materials

Plant managers

  • Guaranteed hydraulic tightness regardless of the joint’s deflection
  • The pipe and seal work as a single unit
  • No risk of incorrect laying of the pipeline
  • Guarantee of optimal operation of the system for both the installer and the plant managers