Allowable Tensile Load for PE Pipe During Pull In Installation

Safe Pulling Load

The ATL is the allowable safe pulling load that can be applied to a polyethylene pipe. If installation-applied stresses are too great, the polyethylene pipe may be damaged beyond use, or its potential service life may be compromised. Horizontal directional drilling may impose additional bending stresses while the pipe is under pull-in tension. Allowable tensile load values may need to be reduced accordingly.

ATL – Allowable tensile load (lbf)
f_y – Tensile yield design (safety) factor
f_t – Time under tension design (safety) factor
T_y – PE material tensile yield strength (psi)
D – Pipe outside diameter (inch)
R – Pipe dimension ratio (DR or SDR)

Table 1 provides the recommended design factor for ATL equation:

Table 2 provides the approximate Tensile yield design values, TY, for ATL equation:

Input Parameters

• Pipe Outside Diameter (in)
• Pipe Dimensions Ratio
• Tensile Yield Design Safety Factor
• Time Under Tension Design Safety Factor
• Tensile Yield Strength (psi)

Outputs/Reports

• ATL – Allowable Tensile Load (lbf)

Related Links

Horizontal Directional Drilling Plastic Pipes