- Author
-
Toner, S. D.
- Title
- Failure Analysis of a Poly(Vinyl Chloride) Natural Gas Main Pipe From Las Vegas, New Mexico (NBS Failure Analysis No. 105).
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Washington, DC
- Sponsor
- Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
- Report
-
NBSIR 74-492
May 1974
11 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
-
failure analysis
|
natural gas
|
pipes
|
plastics
|
polyvinyl chloride
- Identifiers
- gas pipe
- Abstract
- A natural gas leak from a poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) gas main was considered to be the attributable cause of a fatal explosion in a private residence in Las Vegas, New Mexico. An analysis of the pipe was conducted in an effort to determine the possible cause of failure. The results indicated that failure occurred as a result of weakening of the pipe due to the presence of a stress crack initiated by an occluded particle, which has apparently been molded into the pipe wall during its fabrication.