AdvanEDGE Pipe - pmstp.com

1 AdvanEDGE PipeEngineered panel pipe forsuperior quick-responsedrainage2 Panel pipe is one of the newer develop-ments in subsurface drainage, havingfirst been used in the mid-1980s. Theproduct (also known as geocompositedrainage pipe ) consists of a perforatedpanel-shaped plastic core wrapped witha soil filtering distinguishing performance featureof panel pipe is its ability to rapidly col-lect and remove water. Compared to 4"round pipe , an equal length of 12"panel pipe has twice the soil contactarea, and will drain a given quantity ofwater in about 60% of the time (seeFigure 1). In addition, its slim " pro-file permits a narrow trench and performance instate studiesPanel pipe is most commonly used forhighway edge drains, and has been thesubject of a number of performancestudies by state transportation agen-cies.

2 A four-year research project bythe Kentucky Transportation Centerconcluded that properly designed andinstalled panel edge drains can: Reduce subgrade moisture by upto 28% Increase subgrade modulus by asmuch as 64% in falling weightdeflectometer tests Increase pavement life by an aver-age of seven years Save more than $25,000 per mile inpavement life cycle costsGetting what you pay forCommon geocomposites are relativelyinexpensive, and employ a single perfo-rated mat with straight or conical posts,enclosed by filter fabric adhered to theback of the mat and the ends of theposts (see Figure 2). This open-coredesign relies on the geotextile to, ineffect, become the opposite wall ofthe pipe , a structural function that fab-rics were never designed to studies in 18 states have revealedserious deficiencies with these geocom-posites, including.

3 Collapse of the fabric and obstruc-tion of the waterway Separation of geotextile, causingsediment clogging Escape of water back through thegeotextile at the invert Structural deformation ( C ing and J ing) during installation and soilcompacting Crushing and cracking of the AdvanEDGE differenceADS entered the panel edge drain mar-ket in 1988 with a closed-core productdesigned to eliminate the problemsassociated with earlier the others, AdvanEDGE is trulya pipe : not round, of course, but apanel-shaped core that fully enclosesthe waterway. Lateral pillars maintainthe core opening, resulting in a seriesof oval-shaped channels with all-direc-tion strength and relatively few projec-tions into the waterway (see Figure 3).

4 The design of the invert permits signifi-cantly higher flow velocity at is in no way dependent onthe geotextile for structural support. Infact, the fabric wrap can be dispensedwith entirely on jobs with free-draininggranular backfill, properly sized for structuralstrengthAs stated earlier, AdvanEDGE isdesigned to be a true pipe , with dimen-sional stability in all directions. Thereinforced closed core has exceptionalvertical stiffness, compressive strength,and resistance to the installation-induced deformation typical with 's structural superiority isdramatically confirmed in state field per-formance tests of edge drains. In allcases, the open core geocompositesencountered severe problems withdeformation and flow restriction underload, while the AdvanEDGE pipe exhib-ited none of these deficiencies - zero!

5 In fact, a number of states are discon-tinuing the use of open core edgedrains until substantial design andmaterial improvements are made. AdvanEDGE : the panel pipe50040030020010000 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 HOURSFLOW, GPHGEOCOMPOSITE EDGEDRAINSILLINOIS I-57 3/26/91 Figure 1. Flow rate vs. 4" round pipe .(Source: Illinois DOT tests, March, 1991)Figure 2. Typical open core geocompositepanel drains: post & net (left), cuspated (right)4" Corrugated PEAdvanEDGE3 Double the flow capacityTraditional flow rate lab tests on panelpipe have borne little resemblance toactual installed conditions, and haveshown little difference in the tested flowcapacity of any of the , the Kentucky TransportationCenter has designed a test methodwhich is far more representative of theactual forces acting on installed results of this improved test showthat AdvanEDGE has approximatelytwice the flow capacity of the two lead-ing competitive geocomposites.

6 Detailsare outlined in the EngineeringSpecification section on page material makesa stronger pipeAdvanEdge is manufactured from ahigh density polyethylene resin thatmeets the structural property andchemical resistance requirements ofASTM D 3350. Many of the other geo-composite cores are made from lessdurable materials, such as low densityPE or , economical installationThe slim-line design of AdvanEDGE (only " thick) allows for installation ina narrow trench, easily cut with high-speed trenching equipment, and withminimal surface disruption. The pipe isstrong enough to resist any deformationwhen fed through the trencher's boot,or when the trench is filled, compactedand is delivered in 100 ft.

7 And500 ft. coils, with longer lengths avail-able to meet project conditions. Jointsare, therefore, few in number, and aremade with an innovative coupler that issecure enough to resist 3. AdvanEDGE is designed to be a truepipe, with significantly higher flow and structural corefully pillarsmaintain piperigidity Geotextile acts as a soil filter only,not as a structural invertretains waterand promoteshigh really isa for quick-response drainage projectsHighway edge drainsThis was the initial application for geo-composite pipe , and today remains theprimary market. State transportationauthorities have conducted a growingnumber of field studies, all of whichclearly indicate that properly designedand installed edge drains are a majorfactor in extending pavement life andreducing maintenance stands today as the onlypanel pipe that has lived up to thepromise of quick response drainageperformance, long-term durability andaffordable installed cost.

8 Highway offi-cials are finding that it pays to use aquality product, and to install it correctlyand pipe 's rapid collection andremoval of water is equally appropriatefor airports, parking lots, and virtuallyany paved turf drainageCities, schools, and even professionalsports teams are finding AdvanEDGEto be highly effective in keeping playingfields retrofit drainageon existing turfareas, AdvanEDGEis a natural choicebecause of its rapidinstallation in narrowtrenches with mini-mal turf for golf coursesand other areas withsubsurface irrigationsystems, Advan-EDGE is available in6" heights which permits very shallowburial and prevents interference withthe underground constructed playing surfaces arebeing designed to use AdvanEDGE ininnovative ways.

9 A number of collegeand professional football stadiums areinstalling the pipe horizontally on asand base or directly on the subgrade,a few inches below the turf orientation accelerates water col-lection from heavy rainfalls, and is oftenaugmented by pumping systems tospeed water removal. Golf courses arealso laying AdvanEDGE flat about 12"below the surface of new puttinggreens. This cuts labor costs becauseno trenches are necessary. One exper-imental green is using AdvanEDGE forboth drainage and aeration of the applicationsBuilding foundations and vertically directlyagainst the structure, AdvanEDGE rapidly collects and removes water thatcan accumulate next to iscommonly specified for perimeterdrainage around landfills and septicfields to keep external water away fromwaste cells or surface the rather brief history ofgeocomposite panel pipe , there hasbeen an unfortunate lack of testingspecifications that would adequatelypredict the product's performance in the StrengthFor example, the early post-and-netand cuspated designs called for com-pression testing in the horizontal planeonly.

10 Using test methods such as ASTMD 695 and ASTM D 1621. These meth-ods totally ignored the vertical andshear forces imposed on installed pipe ,and the effect of the unsupported geo-textile. It's little wonder that these opencore products could pass parallel plateloading tests, and yet perform poorly inactual , along with many industryresearchers, have long believed that anew laboratory test could and should bedevised to more accurately representthe real-world conditions of installedpipe. After several years of develop-ment, there are now two test methodswhich not only replicate the actualforces imposed on installed drainagepanels, but also yield results that corre-late closely with the observed failurehistory of various competitive Tilted Plane by Ronald Frobel in 1991, thisdevice places the panel pipe samplebetween two blocks at approximately a30o angle, which is equivalent to theshear force on vertically installed pipefrom a load imposed on the surface(see Figure 4).