The early development of prestressed concrete pipe dates to the 1920s when the Lewistown Pipe Company, forerunner of the Price Brothers Pipe Systems Group, experimented with various methods of prestressing. The first successfully prestressed non-cylinder concrete pipe was produced in 1940. That important step was followed two years later by the introduction of the first prestressed concrete cylinder pipe by Price Brothers Company.
Over the past 50 years, more than 26 million linear feet of PCCP have been engineered and manufactured by Price Brothers Company in diameters from 16 to 192 inches. Today, we continue to pioneer and advance the technical development of prestressed concrete cylinder pipe for the water works industry, both in the United States and internationally as well.
Two types of prestressed concrete pipe are manufactured by Price Brothers
Company: lined cylinder pipe and embedded cylinder pipe. Reinforced concrete steel cylinder pipe designed per the AWWA C300 Standard can also be supplied.
Lined cylinder pipe (LCP) has a concrete core cast inside a steel cylinder that serves as a watertight membrane. The cured concrete core is subsequently wire-wrapped and externally coated with a cement-rich mortar. Embedded cylinder pipe (ECP) has a steel cylinder fully encased in a concrete core which is subsequently wire-wrapped and externally coated with a cement-rich mortar.
Concrete provides the pipe with the structural strength and rigidity necessary to withstand heavy external loads, as well as a smooth interior wall for optimum flow. The cement-rich mortar coating provides protection for the steel components.
The steel components are the joint rings, which provide a watertight seal between pipe sections; the cylinder, which provides a watertight membrane; and high-strength prestressing wire, which is wrapped around the concrete core. The prestressing wire places the core in compression, enabling it to withstand high internal water pressures and large external loads.
Because of its high external load-carrying capacity, concrete pressure pipe is normally installed with less stringent bedding and backfilling procedures than are required for most other pipe materials.
The pipe is designed in accordance with the American Water Works Association (AWWA) Standard C304 for Design of Prestressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe and manufactured in full compliance with the AWWA Standard C301 for Prestressed Concrete Pressure Pipe, Steel Cylinder Type, for Water and Other Liquids.
The Applications and Benefits of Price Brothers PCCP
In total, this engineered combination of concrete and steel results in a pressure pipe design that will withstand high internal pressure and
large external loads, and will provide excellent corrosion resistance to assure decades of trouble-free performance.
Prestressed concrete cylinder pipe has achieved widespread acceptance within the water and wastewater industry because of its excellent performance, low cost, and design flexibility. PCCP generally requires less preparation of bedding and backfill, and no pipe material is simpler to install, plus most fittings are custom fabricated at the plant to eliminate the need for "in-field" fabrication.
PCCP is used for transmission mains, distribution feeder lines, water intake and discharge lines, pressure siphons, penstocks, industrial pressure lines, cooling water lines, sewer force mains, gravity sewer lines, and subaqueous lines.
Price Brothers PCCP has an unmatched record of performance and customer confidence. To find out more about why Price Brothers PCCP is the smartest choice for your large diameter project, continue exploring PipeSite or contact a Price Brothers Company
representative.
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Price Brothers began serving the water works industry in 1926 with a contract to manufacture and install an 84-inch diameter concrete pressure
pipeline, which is still in service today.