NATURAL

Suitable for both the transport and distribution of water in urban, semi-urban and rural areas, the ductile iron pipes and fittings in the NATURAL range are available with diameters between 60 and 1,000 mm.

 

Resulting from Saint-Gobain PAM’s ongoing research into zinc-based coatings to improve the protection of buried networks of iron pipes, this range has become embedded all over Europe and is at the heart of the hydraulic networks heritage.

 

Composed of pipes with standard joints, associated with EXPRESS or STANDARD joint fittings, the NATURAL range comes highly recommended by pipe-laying contractors as it makes installation extremely easy.

 

Innovation: the NATURAL range combines past experience with advanced technologies to ensure the robustness of ductile iron pipes, their ease of laying and speed of installation, reliable operation and long-term durability.

External protection: identifiable by its blue colour, the NATURAL pipe benefits from BioZinalium external protection technology to ensure extreme durability in underground conditions. BioZinalium is composed of two layers: a layer of zinc-aluminium 85/15 alloy, enriched with copper, with a minimum surface density of 400g/m², applied by spraying molten metal onto the surface of the iron, using an electric arc spray gun, from ZnAl (Cu) alloy wire, and a protective layer of Aquacoat (semi-permeable), a water-based blue acrylic of average thickness 80 microns applied using a spray gun.

Extra protection: while protecting against localised bio-corrosion, for extreme conditions, the NATURAL range comes equipped with special coatings for additional corrosion protection:

• NATURAL PUR internal protection for the transport of aggressive waters (hardness <5°F); and
• NATURAL TT-PE external protection for pipe laying in aggressive terrains.

Internal performance: the internal lining of the NATURAL range is composed of centrifuged cement mortar, which offers excellent hydraulic performance as well as effective protection against the aggressiveness of water due to the smooth internal surface improving the water flow and reducing head losses.

Flexibility: the STANDARD automatic joint and EXPRESS mechanical joints guarantee watertightness and can tolerate a high degree of angular deflection to negotiate large radius curves without the need for fittings and adapt to layout changes. They can also absorb ground movement or expansions of small amplitude. Self-anchored pipe and fitting joints (STANDARD Vi and EXPRESS Vi) can be used to produce self-retrained ductile iron pipelines while the UNIVERSAL range is available for extreme network operating pressures.

Safety: with a safety coefficient greater than three and PFA values always exceeding 40 bar in sizes DN 60 to 300 and more than 30 bar in sizes DN 350 to 600, the pipes and fittings are highly resistant to internal pressure. The mechanical strength of the ductile iron pipes also minimizes the trench bottom, backfill and surrounding work so that pipe laying operations are ultimately safe and economical.   

Eco-friendliness: in line with our commitment to sustainable development and in compliance with European and international standards, the BioZinalium finishing coat is produced using an emulsion of water-based acrylic PVDC resin that does not contain organic solvents or Bisphenol A (BPA). In fact, it contributes to reducing emissions of volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere.