Physical Properties of Plastic Pipe Used in Reclamation Toe Drains

A significant number of plastic pipes have either collapsed or suffered some other type of poor performance in toe drains of embankment dams. To better understand the comparative strength relationships between different plastic pipe types, a laboratory study was undertaken with an emphasis on perforated pipe. A variety of material types, pipe sizes, and perforated versus non-perforated pipes were load tested. This report presents those results as well as recommendations on preferred plastic pipe for use in toe drain applications.