AMERICAN Introduces Earthquake Joint System

An average of four magnitude-7 or greater earthquakes occur in the United States each decade. The big one is inevitable; the destruction of your pipeline is not. Last year, AMERICAN Ductile Iron Pipe and AMERICAN Flow Control unveiled a new Earthquake Joint System to protect water infrastructure during seismic events. The system, for use with AMERICAN’s pipe and hydrants, helps maintain clean, safe drinking water and dependable fire protection before, during and after an earthquake.

Made of strong and dependable ductile iron pipe, the AMERICAN Earthquake Joint System moves up and down and side to side to withstand the tremendous underground forces from an earthquake. The Earthquake Joint for use with ductile iron pipe is built around a central earthquake casting that features in its design an extended socket depth that allows AMERICAN’s Flex-ring pipe to have an expansive range of motion. This mitigates damage to pipe infrastructure if an earthquake occurs.

AMERICAN’s new Earthquake Joint hydrant base has a boltless joint restraint of up to 5 degrees in any direction when used with the AFC Series 2500 gate valve with Flex-Ring ends. AMERICAN’s Earthquake Joint System is designed to allow for joint deflection as well as longitudinal extension and contraction of the joint during an earthquake.

AMERICAN Cast Iron Pipe Company was founded in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1905. AMERICAN manufactures ductile iron pipe, spiral-welded steel pipe, fire hydrants and valves for the waterworks industry and electric-resistance-welded steel pipe for the oil and natural gas industries. AMERICAN’s diversified product line also includes static castings and high-performance fire pumps.

Water Online named AMERICAN’s Earthquake Joint System one of its top “10 Tech Discoveries at ACE15.” Read more.