Novel thermoplastic pipes which can withstand internally generated and/or applied pressures for utilization within, primarily, underground liquid and gas transport systems are provided. Such pipes are improvements over standard metal (i.e., steel, lead, and the like) pipes due to construction costs, shipping costs, implementation costs (particularly underground), flexibility (and thus modulus strength allowances) to compensate for underground movements (i.e., earthquakes and tremors), non-rusting characteristics, reduced crack propagation possibilities, and ease in manufacture. Such pipes are preferably reinforced with specific textile reinforcement materials that permit a lower thickness of plastic to be utilized than is generally required to withstand high pressure situations and also serve to prevent propagation of any cracks which may develop within the thermoplastic or thermoset materials. Such pipes exhibit an elongation at break in relation to that provided by the textile reinforcement and not with regard to the same type of elongation at break characteristic for the thermoplastic or thermoset composition.
Novel thermoplastic pipes which can withstand extremely high internally generated and/or applied pressures for utilization within, primarily, high pressure underground liquid and gas transport systems are provided. Such pipes are improvements over standard metal (i.e., steel, lead, and the like) pipes due to construction costs, shipping costs, implementation costs (particularly underground), modulus strength allowances to compensate for underground movements (i.e., earthquakes and tremors), non-rusting characteristics, and ease in manufacture. Such pipes are preferably reinforced with specific fabric articles which permit a lower thickness of plastic to be utilized than is generally required to withstand high pressure situations. A one-step, potentially on-site production method, is also contemplated within this invention.
A unidirectional textile reinforcing sheath capable of being taped onto a mechanical structure to be reinforced, said sheath being formed from a tape produced by the weaving of high-strength warp threads based on aramid, and having a central zone bordered by two lateral zones, the thickness of the lateral zones being less than that of the central zone.
