DPC Buoyancy

The Diamond Plastics Buoyancy Calculator application is used to determine the buoyancy force of PVC pipe during construction and once installed and in use.

The user must first choose the Pipe Type (C900 Pressure, ASTM D3034 Small diameter sewer, or ASTM F679 Large Diameter Sewer) then the Diameter and Pressure class all from drop down lists.
Additional Inputs required are the Specific Gravity of the liquid around the pipe once installed, the Unit Weight of Backfill material, the amount of water in the pipe as a % full, and the Unit Weight of the Concrete or Flowable Fill material that may be placed around the pipe. Common values are given in the descriptions of each variable.

The Outputs are as follows:

Buoyancy Force (pounds) per foot length of pipe – this output is based on the pipe being empty, surrounded by the fluid designated by the Fluid Specific Gravity variable and no backfill material around the pipe.

Buoyancy Force (pounds) per foot length of pipe if the pipe is full of water – this output returns the PVC pipe buoyancy force calculated using the Fluid Specific Gravity on the outside of the pipe with clean water (Specific Gravity of 1.0) filling the pipe.

Minimum Soil Cover in feet (pipe empty) to prevent floatation – This output returns the minimum cover of Backfill Material specified to prevent floatation of an empty pipe when the backfill material and pipe are surrounded by the liquid whose specific gravity was used as the input value named Fluid Specific Gravity. The PVC pipe and Backfill Material is in a flood condition.

Maximum Concrete or Flowable Fill lift height in inches (pipe at designated % full of water variable) to prevent floatation – This output is used commonly to determine the maximum lift height when backfilling the pipe with Flowable Fill or grouting between the installed PVC pipe and casing. It is common to fill the pipe with water to reduce the pipe wall temperature and prevent damage to the PVC pipe from the heat of hydration of the Flowable Fill or Grout materials.

A Print button is included to allow the user to save the calculations for design documentation.