Effects of Polysilane-Coating on Interface of Electrofusion Joints for Maintaining Strength

Abstract

The fusion strength of electrofusion joints using the polyethylene (PE) pipe connection greatly depends on the amount of sand which adheres to the interface by wind and so on, because there is no flow of melted resin at the fusion interface on electrofusion joints. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a method to prevent the fusion strength from reducing even in the case of sand adhesion. In this study, the fusion interface coated with polysilane, a kind of silicon polymer, effectively prevented the reduction of the fusion strength even if contaminated by sand. It was found that it brought the improvement of the fusion strength since when there was polysilane on the fusion interface. PS deeply permeated the polyethylene layer and lowered the viscosity of polyethylene.