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John Houle: Senior Technical Consultant, PVC Pipe Industry
John Houle holds a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri and an MBA from the University of Oregon. He has more than 25 years of experience in the plastic pipe industry in applications engineering, market development, forensic analysis, technical writing, and standards development.
A “mechanical joint” (MJ) is defined in ASTM Standard D3139 as: “a joint in which a positive seal is achieved when a gasket is compressed by means of a mechanical device.” The MJ connection is very commonly used in North American pressure pipelines and usually is installed without any problems.
Occasionally, however, I hear of projects where there are issues with MJs.
Correct Installation Methods Minimize Problems
As with most construction projects, successful installations occur when tried-and-true methods are used. For any pipeline installation where bolts and nuts are used, it is important to tighten the bolts in the correct order (a “star pattern”) and to tighten the bolts to the correct torque value. In the case of an MJ, failure to follow these simple guidelines can result in leaks or other problems.
For my Tech Brief on PVC pipe and mechanical joints, click here.
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