Bending PE Pipes
A PE pipe is flexible and can be bended. For pressurized pipe the bending radius should not be less than
rmin = 60 d (1)
where
rmin = minimum bending radius (m, in)
d = pipe diameter (m, in)
For pipe without pressure - or for pressure pipes during installation - the bending radius should not be less than
rmin = 30 d (2)
Example - Min. Radius when bending PE Pipe
The minimum bending radius for 300 mm (0.3 m) PE pipe during installation can be estimated to
rmin = 30 (0.3 m)
= 9 m
Radius and Angle vs. Deflection when bending Pipe
The radius of the bending pipe can be hard to measure in field. In practice a rope or chain may be tied to the end of the pipe and the end is pulled until deflection is achieved.
Deflection for a given radius and length of deflecting pipe can be calculated as
h = l2 / (2 r) (3)
where
h = deflection of pipe (m, in)
r = radius of bending pipe (m, in)
l = length of pipe from fixed position (m, in)
Eq. 3 can be modified with eq. 2 to calculate maximum deflection for minimum radius to
hmax = l2 / (60 d) (3b)
where
hmax = deflection at minimum radius (m)
The angle can be calculated as
α = l 180 / (π r) (4)
where
α = angle (degrees)
Eq. 4 can be modified with eq. 2 to calculate the maximum angle at minimum radius as
αmax = l 60 / (π d) (4b)
Bending PE Pipe Calculator
This calculator can be used to calculate maximum deflection and angle of deflection for a PE pipe during installation. It is based on eq. 3b and 4b.
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