Assembly

The ACIPCO Fastite® Joint is a push-on joint meeting all the rigorous requirements of AWWA C111. The ANSI/AWWA C600 Standard covers in detail the installation of ductile iron water mains, including assembly instructions for push-on joint pipe.

Field cutting of ACIPCO Ductile Iron pipe can be easily performed, thus eliminating the necessity for factory-made special lengths of Fastite pipe. The plain end of Fastite pipe cut in the field requires little or no preparation for assembly into the socket of a mechanical joint fitting. Where a cut pipe is to be assembled into a Fastite socket, the required beveling or rounding of the plain end can be easily accomplished by the use of a portable grinding wheel or other suitable apparatus. Methods of cutting ductile iron pipe are described in the Shipping, Handling, and Storage section of this site.

The ACIPCO Fastite Joint requires only one joint component, the rubber gasket which, when properly installed, fits snugly in the gasket recess in the bell socket. A special lubricant supplied with the pipe is applied to the plain end and the inside surface of the gasket before assembly. The pipe end is tapered or rounded to provide self-centering of the plain end in the gasket and ease of assembly. A circumferential stripe on the plain end provides a visual indication for checking the proper insertion of the joint. The stripe, shown in the photographs illustrating assembly methods, substantially disappears into the bell when the plain end is fully inserted into the socket with the two lengths of pipe in alignment. Joints can then be safely deflected up to the extent shown in this section. In deflected joints, all or part of the stripe will be visible after assembly.

Easier assembly is effected if the pipe is suspended 25mm or so off the bottom of the trench during the jointing operation.

The following instructions should be followed in order to properly assemble the joints and to fully realize the maximum speed and ease of assembly of the Fastite Joint:

Clean socket and plain end thoroughly, removing mud, gravel, or any other matter that might cause the front of the gasket to protrude into the path of the entering spigot. Insert gasket fully into the gasket recess of the socket, large end of the gasket entering first. Gasket may be installed with one or more V-shaped folds as shown (Photo 1). After the gasket is in place at the bottom, the top of the gasket is positioned fully into the gasket recess. Gaskets and lubricants to be installed in very cold weather should be warmed first (as by storage in a heated equipment cab or truck, etc.) for optimum assembly. Apply a thin film of regular ACIPCO Fastite Joint lubricant to the rounded or tapered spigot end of the pipe, the immediate outside pipe surface between the stripe and the end of the pipe (Photo 2), and also to the inside surface of the gasket. Special ACIPCO Fastite Joint lubricant intended specifically for underwater or very wet installations can be supplied when requested. Caution: If a spigot end contacts the ground or trench side after lubrication, any adhering dirt or rocks should be cleaned off and the area should be re-lubricated prior to assembly. Insert the plain end in the socket. For optimum assembly, it is preferable that the entering pipe be in reasonably straight alignment; however, the Fastite Joint may be readily assembled if necessary with the pipe deflected within its rated deflection. Push the plain end into the socket using any of the applicable assembly methods described hereinafter. If the joint cannot be assembled with a moderate force, remove the pipe and check for the cause of the difficulty, such as improper positioning of gasket, insufficient or wrong type lubricant, dirt under or behind the gasket, dirt adhering to the pipe, or any other cause which would result in increased friction between pipe and gasket surface. For assurance of proper gasket positioning, a thin automotive feeler gauge can also be used if desired for quick and easy probe determination of installed gasket position around the joint. ACIPCO FASTITE JOINT ASSEMBLY TOOLS 100mm - 200mm PIPE In general, Fastite Joints in 100mm - 200mm sizes may be assembled without special tools under normal conditions. However, a lever tool can be furnished for these sizes for use as required. This tool consists of a lever, a bell cable, and a pulling cable for the pipe end. Place the lever on the pipe barrel behind the bell radius. Incline the lever at about 45° to simplify connecting the bell cable. Pass the bell cable under the pipe and connect first one end and then the other to the lever by passing cable thimbles over the hooks at each side of the lever (Photo 3). A separate bell cable must be used for each size of pipe. One size pulling cable is used on all 100mm - 200mm sizes. Double wrap this cable around the plain end and connect the thimble end to the sliding hook as shown (Photo 4), making sure the cable is positioned on the pipe to reduce slack. Incline the lever toward the end of the pipe and hook the chain end of the cable in the lever slot. The joint is then assembled by pulling on the lever (Photo 5). The lever may be used to disassemble the joint by attaching it onto the plain end of the pipe with the bell cable and using a pry block between lever and bell face (Photo 6). 250mm - 600mm PIPE Assembly of 250mm-600mm Fastite Joint pipe may be accomplished quickly and easily by pushing or pulling the pipe together without the use of complicated tools. In general, ACIPCO push-on joint pipes are purposefully "tight." In pulling operations, simply wrap a sound wire rope choker cable or nylon sling around the barrel of the entering pipe. Secure the other end of the choker to a pulling device (e.g. back-hoe, come-along, etc.). Use the mechanism to pull the cable taut in the assembly direction (Photo 7). Continue pulling the cable in a smooth, continuous motion until the pipe is in the fully assembled position. The joint may be disassembled in a similar manner, reversing the direction of pull with the choker cable (Photo 8). 700mm - 900mm PIPE A roller chain come-along can be furnished, if ordered, with 700mm - 900mm Fastite Joint pipe. This tool is provided with hooks at each end which fit into rings on bell and spigot pulling cables. The spigot pulling cable runs to the bell end of the entering pipe and fastens to the bell with a special hook (Photo 9). The bell cable is passed under the previously installed pipe, and the ends of the cable are joined around the pipe with a hook and ring. The ring on the bell cable also engages the hook on the end of the come-along as shown in the photograph. Connect the come-along and take up slack, leaving sufficient travel to assemble the joint. Pull the pipe home by operating the ratchet lever on the come-along (Photo 10). 1200mm - 1600mm PIPE Fastite Joint pipe in sizes 1200mm - 1600mm is assembled in much the same manner as 700mm - 900mm pipe. The only difference in the rigging is the use of twin pulling cables at the top of the pipe which attach to the bell hook and pass through a pulley (Photo 11). This approximately doubles the assembly force provided by the roller chain come-along (Photo 12). All this special rigging can be furnished when ordered. FITTINGS Push-on fitting joint assembly is basically the same as that of pipe, though special rigging may be necessary to hold these short items reasonably stable for assembly. Similar concepts can also be applied to the assembly of larger fittings with stronger field-fabricated rigging suitable for the specific installation conditions.

Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 Photo 5 Photo 6 Photo 7 Photo 8 Photo 9 Photo 10 Photo 11 Photo 12

FIELD ROUNDING

4"x4" timber cut to desired length. Use any timber available from dunnage on car, truck, or any other source.

Occasionally, field rounding of pipe ends may be necessary to accomplish assembly, particularly when large diameter pipes are cut to be assembled into mechanical joints or couplings. Need for rounding in assembly of mechanical or stuffing-box type joints can be predetermined by sliding the gland or end ring over the end of the pipe. Rounding may be accomplished in the following manner using a mechanical jack and shaped blocks. (Note: This procedure may also be used with assemblies involving push-on joint pipe, fittings, valves, etc.; however, rounding is less frequently necessary for assembly of push-on joints.) 1. Determine the minimum diameter of the ends to be rounded. 2. Place the jack and the shaped blocks in line with the minimum diameter as shown in the sketch, using a sound 100mm x 100mm spacer timber cut square to the required length to take up the space. 3. Apply a load carefully with the jack only until the minimum diameter equals the maximum diameter, or until the gland will easily slip over the end. No more jacking should be attempted or necessary -- DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PERMANENTLY ROUND END. 4. After the joint is completely assembled and the bolts (if involved) are uniformly tightened to the required torque, carefully relax and remove the jack and timbers from the pipe.