Joint Performance
Concrete pipe offers a variety of joints from soil-tight to pressure. They are not affected by the type of backfill used for the installation. Joint performance must be demonstrated in the plant prior to pipe installation, and joint integrity can be field tested in a variety of ways. With concrete pipe, deflection will not compromise field joint test capability. The cross-sectional rigidity of concrete pipe makes joint assembly a simple operation. Rigid joint integrity will minimize the likelihood of embedment intrusion and subsidence of overfill, often referenced as infiltration.
Gasketed leak-resistant RCP joints withstand a minimum hydrostatic internal head of 13 psi equal to 30 feet of water. (ASTM C 443 or C 1628).
Types of concrete pipe joints include:
- O-Ring Gaskets - used on all sanitary and some storm RCP where leak-resistant joints are required. These gaskets may be used in joints following ASTM designations, C 443, C 1628, or C 361 for low-head pressure applications.
- Profile Gaskets - used on stormwater culverts and RCP storm and sanitary sewers. Pipe is produced with a single offset spigot joint according to ASTM designation C 443 or C 1628.
- Mortar and Mastic Joints - used for storm sewers, culverts, and horizontal elliptical reinforced concrete pipe. Mortar or mastic is applied to the bottom half of the bell end and to the top half of the adjoining spigot.
Mastic and Butyl sealants are applied in accordance with ASTM designation C 990-96.
In some applications, a quality joint may be a wrap applied to the external surface of the joint. These may be specified in accordance with ASTM C 877.
