What Does
Elasto-Plastic Joint Mean?
An elasto-plastic joint is a pipe connection made of flexible, rubber-like material that can either retain shape or take on a new shape depending on the force applied. With both elastic and plastic properties, an elasto-plastic joint has applications for trenchless construction and trenchless rehabilitation. A common material for this type of joint is a synthetic rubber called ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM).
Trenchlesspedia Explains Elasto-Plastic Joint
The patent for the first synthetic rubber was awarded in 1909. The B.F. Goodrich Company began using a cheaper version of synthetic rubber in their tires in 1940. There are now many different forms of synthetic rubber used for a large variety of purposes. One of those is called ethylene propylene diene monomer, or EPDM.
The use of EPDM in pipe joints allows for a connection that is both strong and flexible. In elasto-plastic joints, elasticity, the property of material that returns to its original shape after force is applied, is combined with plasticity, the capacity to take a new form. Such factors as stress and strain and modulus of elasticity can be measured in a given material by way of testing and then studied in a lab environment prior to manufacture.
Elasto-plastic joints may be prefabricated connections. But EPDM can also be applied as a material used in trenchless rehabilitation. When a joint has weakened or become defective, the application of EPDM can restore it. Elastoplasticity is a combined property that only modern materials can offer.