Use of polyethylene instead of metal for suction headers of groundwater-lowering light wellpoint installations

In order to save steel, the Scientific-Research Institute of Bases and Underground Structures and the SKTB Energoprompolimer initiated joint work intended to substitute polymer materials for metal in the construction of suction headers of light wellpoint installations. Besides saving metal, this substitution considerably facilitates the assembling and erection of the header, thanks to reduction of the weight of each section from 80 to 16-17 kg, lowers the transportation costs, increases the corrosion resistance and consequently the service life of the header, eliminates the risk of damage of the header from freezing of water in it, and ensures more convenient and reliable connections with regard to watertightness, which permits increasing the vacuum value in the header.