Reinforced Round Concrete Pipe
- Available in diameters from 12” thru 96” in Class III, IV and V designs
- Special designs available
The various wall thicknesses and design classes can be confusing to those not familiar with reinforced concrete pipe (RCP) designs. RCP is available in both different wall thickness and design classes. Regardless of the specified or provided wall thickness, the design class will handle the same specified loading requirements.
Standard RCP is available at multiple Foley Products facilities in either “B-wall” or “C-wall” thickness. B-wall is calculated by simply taking the diameter of the pipe (in inches), dividing by 12 and then adding 1 inch. C-wall simply adds an additional ¾ inch to the calculation above. For example, 60” RCP would have a B-wall thickness of 6 inches (60/12 =5 + 1) and a C-wall thickness of 6.75 inches. (60/12 + 1.75)
Standard RCP designs range from Class I thru Class V; however, most producers only manufacture Class III thru Class V. Class III pipe is designed to pass a D-load test (see ASTM C497) of 1350 lbs/ft/ft of diameter. Therefore, whether RCP is specified as B-wall or C-wall, Class III pipe must pass the same D-load test. The thinner B-wall design requires additional reinforcing steel to handle the required D-load. This allows the manufacture to provide the most cost-effective solution given raw material and freight costs in your region.
Often design engineers will specify a “C-wall” pipe thinking they are getting additional concrete cover over the reinforcing steel; however, regardless of the wall thickness specified, the minimum cover requirements are the same per ASTM C76 specification.
RCP is the standard by which all drainage pipe materials are measured and despite the competitions hype, design engineers continue to “trust their stamp” to the proven high strength, resilient and dependable choice… REINFORCED CONCRETE PIPE.
