Fracture mechanical properties of polyolefins: Do the standards specify realistic areas of application?

SUMMARY: ISO 21809-1 as published in 2012 will set the international requirements for extruded 3-layer designs of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) coatings of oil and gas transmission pipelines. Some areas of application such as gas and water distribution are not covered by the international standard. These will be specified at national level by revising and keeping DIN 30670 (PE coatings) and DIN 30678 (PP coatings) as residual standards. A preliminary version of ISO 21809-1 was published in 2010. Since the practical limits set by this standard will be the basis of future contracts and agreements, they should not go uncommented, the main reasons being the material properties of polyethylene and polypropylene.