The Federal Institute for Material Research and Testing (BAM) is a government
office in Berlin. The present office, and its predecessors, has been located
at the ‘Unter den Eichen’ site for over 100 years. This is a large
urban area between Zehlendorf and Steglitz on the B1. However, separating the
many buildings on the site are landscaped lawns with extensive wooded areas.
The BAM terrain
As well as the landscaped areas, the site comprises a large number of buildings
which are connected to the main sewer by combined building sewers gravity pipes.
The existing pottery gravity pipes on the BAM property are up to 110 years
old. Ingrowing roots and routing of the pottery pipes over many years have led
to blockages every few metres or so. The clearing out of these pipes afforded
only short term benefits because the mechanical stress to the pipe caused by
routing frequently led to cracks which caused further blockages. This caused
severe problems in the BAM laboratories.
When confronted on site with the problems posed by pottery pipes with pushfit
couplers, the Federal Building Office specified FRIAFIT sewage fittings in connection
with HDPE pipes. In addition to the light weight pipe material, FRIAFIT sewage
fittings interconnect HDPE pipes are leakproof and longitudinally strong as
they employ FRIAFIT fusion technology. Cracks at or near the arch springing
line due to ingrowing roots, or at the couplers due to static stress or flushing
out of pipes no longer occur.
Four year project
The three construction stages so far comprise the installation of PEHD pipes
measuring d110, d160, d225, d355 and d450 in SDR 17.6. Further pipe installations
carried out by Tiefund Wasserbau GmbH/Land Brandenburg are expected to take
another 3-4 years. For the connection of these pipes and the reaches on the
concrete inspection chambers, to date 754 sewage couplers, 246 sewage slideon
couplers and 189 sewage inspection chamber adapters from the FRIAFIT range have
been installed.
Service and support
In view of how difficult it is and always has been to dig out pipe trenches
in a highly wooded area, and in particular to sink these trenches in sandy terrain,
the installation of the FRIAFIT sewage system went remarkably smoothly. This
was due to the light material, long dimensions of the HDPE pipes, technically
comprehensive, clear and easy handling of the FRIAFIT couplers, slideon couplers
and inspection chamber adapters.
Friatec also provides onsite advice and service, including a training demonstration
service and testlaying.
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