Which pipe material should be chosen for maximum joint strength?

When designing applications from the pipe modular system, it is important that each component meets the load requirements. The strength of the joint is crucial, and choosing the right pipe material can play a key role. That’s why we carried out a comparative test that measured the ultimate tensile strength for the three most common types of pipes.

 

How was the test conducted?

The testing was carried out on the HD-619 tensile testing machine at a temperature of 20ºC and a relative humidity of 35%. We focused on tension along the X and Y axes, which represent the two directions of stress on the joint (see diagram below).

The HJ-1 joint was tightened with an M6 screw at a tightening torque of 11 N/m, without the use of additional self-tapping screws. For each material, we carried out 10 repeated measurements along both axes.

 

Tested materials

• ABS (LP - Synthetic resin)
• Stainless steel (ST)
• Painted steel (EP)

 

ABS: 

             

                  Tensile test along the Y axis                                                                                                               Tensile test along the X axis

 

Stainless steel: 

               

                  Tensile test along the Y axis                                                                                                  Tensile test along the X axis

 

Painted steel: 

                

                 Tensile test along the Y axis                                                                                                       Tensile test along the X axis

 

Test results – average limit values

ABS
Load axis	Order of measurement
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
X	123	132	125	125	124	128	123	129	130	124
Y	256	255	261	252	267	264	264	286	253	255

 

 

Stainless steel
Load axis	Order of measurement
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
X	106	113	119	108	111	114	107	109	109	108
Y	214	210	215	211	218	216	215	220	218	214

 

 

Painted steel
Load axis	Order of measurement
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
X	109	105	110	109	109	101	104	108	111	105
Y	178	156	168	163	137	167	165	159	173	172

 

 

Conclusion

The ABS pipes achieved the highest tensile strength in both axes. Stainless steel pipes came in second, performing better than the painted ones, which showed the lowest values.

Order	Type of pipe	X	Y
1	ABS pipe	126	261
2	Stainless steel pipe	110	215
3	Painted pipe	107	164

 

However, it is important to keep in mind that the ultimate tensile strength is not the only parameter you should consider when choosing a material. In practice, factors such as corrosion resistance, weight, cost, or the aesthetic requirements of the structure also play a role.