PE (PE100-RC)

Agruline Resistant-to-Cracks Polyethylene from Agru

Polyethylene (PE) piping systems are durable, mechanically strong and high-impact resistant. Fusion stocks and supplies Agru PE100-RC (Agruline) fittings, a Resistant-to-Cracks form of PE that’s completely weldable to standard PE systems.

PE is used extensively in water treatment, water distribution and in lesser chemical applications / processes where the priority is for bulk fluid distribution as opposed to technically specialised applications.

It is available in a range of sizes and pressure ratings to suit water treatment, utilities, mining, irrigation and rural applications.

Size Range

16 – 2000mm

Pressure Rating

From 10 to 25 bar (1000 – 2500 kpa)

Operating Temperature

-50 – 60°C

Jointing Technology

Butt, socket and electro fusion, IR (Infrared) and compression

Fusion: An Australian Distributor for Agru Austria

Agru manufactures products from PE (PE100-RC), PP (PP-R), PVDF (UHP) and high purity (ECTFE) to handle a wide variety of operating conditions in industrial applications and dual containment (PolyFlo), pre-insulated (CoolSafe) as well as concrete lining systems (SUREGRIP). All available from Fusion in Australia.

Find Out More

What is PE100-RC?

The ‘RC’ in PE100-RC stands for ‘Resistant to Cracks.’ The PE100-RC range has a superior level of durability and resistance to Slow Crack Growth (SCG). SCG is the most common cause of long term failure in PE products.

Benefits of Standard PE

Durable and mechanically strong.
Cost effective.
Flexibility compared to steel and equivalent cement products.
Range of pressure ratings available.
Broad range of jointing methods to suit specific applications.
Colour coding to AS/NZ standards available for ease of identification.
Easy to use and install.
UV stabilised
CO-EX white option is also available to reduce heat soak.

Benefits of PE100-RC

Resistance to slow crack growth.
Higher durability to abrasion and damage.
Suited to sand bed free and trenchless installation.

The superior durability of PE100 RC makes it a more efficient, harder wearing, easier to install and cost effective option.

Agru PE from Fusion

All Agru PE (also called Agruline) supplied by Fusion is PE100-RC and fully compatible / weldable to regular PE100 (and PE80 / 63).

Interested in PE100-RC? Contact us or download our Product Guide to see our complete range of PE products.

Product Guide or Contact Us

Agru PE100-RC MultiBend

Agru Multibends provide top flexibility: they can be used as long-spigot or, when cut, as a short spigot fitting. They’re stable PE100-RC bends suitable for butt and electro-fusion welding. Agru Multibends are easier to install than standard elbows, have a lower resistance coefficient and less pressure loss than long spigot elbows. Find the complete range of Agru Multibend fittings in the Fusion Product Guide.

A Sample of Our Range

Agru Agruline 90 degree Multi bend Long Spigot Fitting

PE 90˚ Multi-Bend

PE Stub Flange

Agru Agruline PE socket fusion 90 degree elbow

PE 90˚ Elbow

Agru Agruline PE100-RC Threaded adaptor socket fusion x female BSP thread

PE Threaded Adaptor Fitting

Agru Agruline Tapping Saddle Electrofusion Line x 90 degree spigot branch

PE Tapping Saddle

Agru Agruline PE Electrofusion Coupling / Coupler

PE Electrofusion Coupler

For the full range available from Fusion get our Product Guide or Contact Us

What is the difference between PE, PE80, PE100, HDPE and PE100-RC?

The acronym ‘PE’ used by itself in reference to piping, fittings and valves is a broad term for all types of Polyethylene. Polyethylene comes many variants, the most common being PE80, PE100, LDPE, MDPE, HDPE and PE100-RC.

The numbers in PE80 and PE100 refer to the long-term strength of the material measured by analysing long-term pressure testing data. PE100 being the superior of the two (more information available here). Fusion does not stock PE80 as it is no longer commonly used in the industry.

LDPE, MDPE and HDPE are short for Low Density, Medium Density and High Density polyethylene; the differences relate to material density. HDPE (also called PE100 or PEHD) is the more superior, with the highest density; it does not dissolve in many chemical applications and has excellent strength when used in water and pressure pipe systems (more information available here).

PE100-RC (RC stands for Resistant to Cracks), is a form of PE which offers much greater resilience to cracking. Slow crack growth is the primary cause of failure in PE lines. Point loads, such as stones, push against the wall of a pipeline; eventually leading to cracking. Upon performing a Full Notch Creep Test (more information here), which tests the minimum time before failure, regular PE100 (DVS 2205-1) resulted in a 300 hour failure time compared to 8760 hours for PE100-RC (PAS 1075, data provided by AGRU Austria). A significant performance increase over regular PE.

Service Life Up to 10 Times Longer

In a series of tests, the HESSEL Ingenieurtechnik GmbH test institute demonstrated that the service life of PE 100-RC E-couplers is many times longer than PE 100 E-couplers currently available on the market. The vertical axis shows the service life in an accelerated internal pressure test (90 °C, test pressure of 9.2 bar and wetting agent 2% NM5 in deionised water). The horizontal axis shows the correlating service life of corresponding test specimens in a full-notch creep test (FNCT), which were also subjected to accelerated test conditions.

The results of these tests prove a service life of up to ten times longer for PE 100-RC electro-socket fittings under identical test conditions!

The information above comes from Agru Austria.