When Ductile iron pipe was introduced to the market in , replacing cast or gray iron, pipe manufacturers agreed that there should be a standardized protocol for determining wall thickness. This standard included considerations to the inherent strength advantage of DI over its cast-iron predecessor. With assistance from the Ductile Iron Pipe Research Association (DIPRA), the pipe manufacturers began working towards an agreeable set of standards.
While both Pressure Class and Thickness Class refer to a specific metal wall thickness of the barrel of the pipe, the primary difference is a change in terminology in how Ductile iron is classified under the specifications. Pressure Class designations refer to the pipe's ability to hold pressure, whereas Thickness Class refers only to wall thickness. These designations allow the end-user to specify a pipe that meets the design requirements of a given pipeline.
For more information, please visit MIDAS.
Need more explanation on this topic? Check out this Iron Strong Blog with a video, What&#;s the Difference Between Pressure Class and Thickness Class, where Jeremy Gwin helps clear the confusion between the two terms and shows which iron pipe Class you should install on your next DI project.
Head losses in piping are directly related to inside diameters, and energy consumption and accompanying pumping costs are directly related to head losses. Therefore, the use of ductile iron piping having inside diameters greater than nominal can result in significant energy savings over the years. In addition to helping keep operating costs and utility rates reasonable, this conservation of energy is also helpful to the environment.
For more information, please visit Di Pipe Manufacturer.