AdvanEDGE® Pipe

Engineered panel pipe forsuperior quick-response

drainage

2

Panel pipe is one of the newer develop-ments in subsurface drainage, havingfirst been used in the mid-1980s. Theproduct (also known as geocompositedrainage pipe) consists of a perforatedpanel-shaped plastic core wrapped witha soil filtering geotextile.

The distinguishing performance featureof panel pipe is its ability to rapidly col-lect and remove water. Compared to 4"round pipe, an equal length of 12"panel pipe has twice the soil contactarea, and will drain a given quantity ofwater in about 60% of the time (seeFigure 1). In addition, its slim 1.5" pro-file permits a narrow trench and fasterinstallation.

Proven performance instate studiesPanel pipe is most commonly used forhighway edge drains, and has been thesubject of a number of performancestudies by state transportation agen-cies. A four-year research project bythe Kentucky Transportation Centerconcluded that properly designed andinstalled panel edge drains can:

• Reduce subgrade moisture by upto 28%

• Increase subgrade modulus by asmuch as 64% in falling weightdeflectometer tests

• Increase pavement life by an aver-age of seven years

• Save more than $25,000 per mile inpavement life cycle costs

Getting what you pay forCommon geocomposites are relativelyinexpensive, and employ a single perfo-rated mat with straight or conical posts,enclosed by filter fabric adhered to theback of the mat and the ends of theposts (see Figure 2). This open-coredesign relies on the geotextile to, ineffect, become the opposite “wall” ofthe pipe, a structural function that fab-rics were never designed to perform.

Field studies in 18 states have revealedserious deficiencies with these geocom-posites, including:

• Collapse of the fabric and obstruc-tion of the waterway

• Separation of geotextile, causingsediment clogging

• Escape of water back through thegeotextile at the invert

• Structural deformation (“C”ing and“J”ing) during installation and soilcompacting

• Crushing and cracking of the core.

The AdvanEDGE differenceADS entered the panel edge drain mar-ket in 1988 with a closed-core productdesigned to eliminate the problemsassociated with earlier geocomposites.

Unlike the others, AdvanEDGE is trulya pipe: not round, of course, but apanel-shaped core that fully enclosesthe waterway. Lateral pillars maintainthe core opening, resulting in a seriesof oval-shaped channels with all-direc-tion strength and relatively few projec-tions into the waterway (see Figure 3).The design of the invert permits signifi-cantly higher flow velocity at lowerhead.

AdvanEDGE is in no way dependent onthe geotextile for structural support. Infact, the fabric wrap can be dispensedwith entirely on jobs with free-draininggranular backfill, properly sized for theperforations.

Field-proven structuralstrengthAs stated earlier, AdvanEDGE isdesigned to be a true pipe, with dimen-sional stability in all directions. Thereinforced closed core has exceptionalvertical stiffness, compressive strength,and resistance to the installation-induced deformation typical with othergeocomposites.

AdvanEDGE's structural superiority isdramatically confirmed in state field per-formance tests of edge drains. In allcases, the open core geocompositesencountered severe problems withdeformation and flow restriction underload, while the AdvanEDGE pipe exhib-ited none of these deficiencies - zero!In fact, a number of states are discon-tinuing the use of open core edgedrains “until substantial design andmaterial improvements are made.”

AdvanEDGE:® the panel pipe

500

400

300

200

100

0

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

HOURS

FL

OW

, GP

H

GEOCOMPOSITE EDGEDRAINSILLINOIS I-57 3/26/91

Figure 1. Flow rate vs. 4" round pipe.(Source: Illinois DOT tests, March, 1991)

Figure 2. Typical open core geocompositepanel drains: post & net (left), cuspated (right)

4" Corrugated PEAdvanEDGE

3

Double the flow capacityTraditional flow rate lab tests on panelpipe have borne little resemblance toactual installed conditions, and haveshown little difference in the tested flowcapacity of any of the geocompositebrands.

Recently, the Kentucky TransportationCenter has designed a test methodwhich is far more representative of theactual forces acting on installed pipe.The results of this improved test showthat AdvanEDGE has approximatelytwice the flow capacity of the two lead-ing competitive geocomposites. Detailsare outlined in the EngineeringSpecification section on page 5.

Stronger material makesa stronger pipeAdvanEdge is manufactured from ahigh density polyethylene resin thatmeets the structural property andchemical resistance requirements ofASTM D 3350. Many of the other geo-composite cores are made from lessdurable materials, such as low densityPE or styrene.

Fast, economical installationThe slim-line design of AdvanEDGE(only 1.5" thick) allows for installation ina narrow trench, easily cut with high-speed trenching equipment, and withminimal surface disruption. The pipe isstrong enough to resist any deformationwhen fed through the trencher's boot,or when the trench is filled, compactedand covered.

AdvanEDGE is delivered in 100 ft. and500 ft. coils, with longer lengths avail-able to meet project conditions. Jointsare, therefore, few in number, and aremade with an innovative coupler that issecure enough to resist installationstresses.

Figure 3. AdvanEDGE is designed to be a truepipe, with significantly higher flow and structural strength.

HDPE corefully encloseswaterway.

Lateral pillarsmaintain piperigidity

Geotextile acts as a soil filter only,not as a structural member.

Full invertretains waterand promoteshigh flowcapacity.

that really is a pipe.

4

Ideal for quick-response drainage projects

Highway edge drainsThis was the initial application for geo-composite pipe, and today remains theprimary market. State transportationauthorities have conducted a growingnumber of field studies, all of whichclearly indicate that properly designedand installed edge drains are a majorfactor in extending pavement life andreducing maintenance costs.

AdvanEDGE stands today as the onlypanel pipe that has lived up to thepromise of quick response drainageperformance, long-term durability andaffordable installed cost. Highway offi-cials are finding that it pays to use aquality product, and to install it correctlyand carefully.

AdvanEDGE pipe's rapid collection andremoval of water is equally appropriatefor airports, parking lots, and virtuallyany paved area.

Athletic turf drainageCities, schools, and even professionalsports teams are finding AdvanEDGEto be highly effective in keeping playingfields playable.

For retrofit drainageon existing turfareas, AdvanEDGEis a natural choicebecause of its rapidinstallation in narrowtrenches with mini-mal turf disturbance.And for golf coursesand other areas withsubsurface irrigationsystems, Advan-EDGE is available in6" heights which permits very shallowburial and prevents interference withthe underground piping.

Newly constructed playing surfaces arebeing designed to use AdvanEDGE ininnovative ways. A number of collegeand professional football stadiums areinstalling the pipe horizontally on a

sand base or directly on the subgrade,a few inches below the turf surface.This orientation accelerates water col-lection from heavy rainfalls, and is oftenaugmented by pumping systems tospeed water removal. Golf courses arealso laying AdvanEDGE flat about 12"below the surface of new puttinggreens. This cuts labor costs becauseno trenches are necessary. One exper-imental green is using AdvanEDGE forboth drainage and aeration of the rootzone.

Other applicationsBuilding foundations and retainingwalls. Installed vertically directlyagainst the structure, AdvanEDGErapidly collects and removes water thatcan accumulate next to non-permeablesurfaces.

Waste management. AdvanEDGE iscommonly specified for perimeterdrainage around landfills and septicfields to keep external water away fromwaste cells or surface impoundments.

Throughout the rather brief history ofgeocomposite panel pipe, there hasbeen an unfortunate lack of testingspecifications that would adequatelypredict the product's performance in the field.

Structural StrengthFor example, the early post-and-netand cuspated designs called for com-pression testing in the horizontal planeonly, using test methods such as ASTMD 695 and ASTM D 1621. These meth-ods totally ignored the vertical andshear forces imposed on installed pipe,and the effect of the unsupported geo-textile. It's little wonder that these opencore products could pass parallel plateloading tests, and yet perform poorly inactual installations.

ADS, along with many industryresearchers, have long believed that anew laboratory test could and should bedevised to more accurately representthe real-world conditions of installedpipe. After several years of develop-ment, there are now two test methodswhich not only replicate the actualforces imposed on installed drainagepanels, but also yield results that corre-late closely with the observed failurehistory of various competitive products.

1. Tilted Plane Test. Originallydesigned by Ronald Frobel in 1991, thisdevice places the panel pipe samplebetween two blocks at approximately a30o angle, which is equivalent to theshear force on vertically installed pipefrom a load imposed on the surface(see Figure 4).

The worst case vertical load can beassumed as dual truck wheels posi-

tioned on a pavement shoulder abovethe panel drain, with only 2" betweenthe surface and the top of the pipe.With a wheel load assumed at W = 16kips, the total force exerted against thepanel drain is calculated at 240 lb./in.The actual force required to cause com-pression failure in AdvanEDGE pipe is400 lb./in, which gives the product asafety factor of 1.67 (400/240) in thisworst case tilted plane lab test.

2. Soil Box Test. Even closer to reali-ty is the soil box developed in 1994 byJohn Fleckenstein of the KentuckyTransportation Center. The test boxreplicates the trench condition in width,depth, panel pipe placement, and back-fill material (see Figure 5).

Tests were conducted by Mr. Flecken-stein on the six major brands of geo-composite panel drains, in both looseand dense sand backfills and at verticalloads ranging from 5.7 to 22.7 lb/in2.As shown in the table below, Advan-EDGE clearly outperforms the othersboth in vertical compression and in lossof core capacity. These findings corre-late fairly closely with failure reportsfrom more than 190 dig-ups andborescope inspections in 18 states andone Canadian province.

ASTM is developing a formal testingstandard based on the KTC soil box,with a tentative publication date ofSpring, 1998. This will be a significantstep forward to help specifying agen-cies identify geocomposite drainageproducts that will in fact give satisfacto-ry long-term performance in the field.

Flow capacityASTM D 4716 has been the traditionalmeans of measuring the flow rates ofvarious geocomposites, and the testedbrands have all scored between 15 and20 gpm/ft using this method. But themethod has three serious flaws: (1)samples are tested horizontally, whilemost applications install the pipe verti-cally, (2) there is no external loadingapplied to simulate actual pressuresfrom soil, pavement, or traffic, and (3)test samples are very short.

In 1997, the Kentucky TransportationCenter devised a flow test that is farmore representative of in-service condi-tions. Samples are placed vertically ina loaded soil chamber, resulting in asurprising difference in measured ratesfrom the old ASTM test. Figure 6shows that AdvanEDGE has roughlytwice the flow capacity of the two majorcompetitive brands, even when the fullvertical load is not applied.

5

2.54 cm

LOADPLATE

PANELDRAIN

27.94 cm

10.16 cm

10.66 cm

50.80 cm

Figure 4

30�

300 mm (12 inch) - - - E

DGE DRAIN

F P

25 mm | |

(1 in.)

Figure 5

Figure 6. AdvanEDGE flow capacity vs. twoopen core geocomposites. (Source: KentuckyTransportation Center, 1997)

Flo

w (

gpm

)

With soil load

Without soil load

AdvanEDGE

HydrawayStripdrain

40

30

20

10

Progress toward reliable engineering specifications

Kentucky Transportation CenterSoil Box TestVertical Compres- Loss of Coresion @ 22.7 lb/in2 Capacity (Percent

(Percent Reduction Reduction inProduct in Height) Core Open Area)

AdvanEDGE 1.4 to 1.90 -1.1 to -2.1*Hydraway 3.5 to 16.8 12.1 to 57.6Stripdrain 5.0 to 10.2 15.0 to 35.0Prodrain 3.3 to 10.0 15.2 to 52.0Akwadrain 1.6 to 5.30 5.3 to 27.4

* AdvanEDGE core capacity actually increased!

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Physical Requirements for Geotextiles per AASHTO M-288SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE1

PROPERTY TEST METHOD CLASS A2 CLASS B3

1. Grab Strength (lbs) ASTM D 4632 180 80

2. Elongation (%) ASTM D 4632 ----- -----

3. Seam Strength (lbs) ASTM D 4632 160 70

4. Puncture Strength (lbs) ASTM D 4833 80 25

5. Burst Strength (psi) ASTM D 3786 290 130

6. Trapezoid Tear (lbs) ASTM D 4533 50 25

7. Permeability4 (cm/sec) ASTM D 4491 K Fabric > K Soil K Fabric > K Soil

8. Apparent Opening Size (U.S. Std. Sieve) ASTM D 4751 Notes 5 & 5A Notes 5 & 5A

9. Permittivity (Sec1) ASTM D 4491 ----- -----

10. Ultraviolet Degradation (% Retained Strength) ASTM D 4355 70 @ 150 hrs 70 @ 150 hrs

11. Asphalt Retention (gal/yd1) Appendix XI ----- -----

12. Melting Point (°f) ASTM D 276 ----- -----

1 Minimum: Use value in weaker principal direction. All numerical values represent minimum average roll value (i.e., test results from any sampledroll in a lot meet or exceed the minimum values in the table). Stated values are for non-critical, non-severe conditions. Lot sampled according toASTM D 4354.

2 Class A drainage applications for fabrics are where installation stresses are more severe than Class B applications, i.e., very coarse, sharp, angularaggregate is used, a heavy degree of compaction (>95% AASHTO T-99) is specified, or depth of trench is greater than 10 feet.

3 Class B drainage applications are those where fabric is used with smooth graded surfaces having no sharp angular projections, no sharp angularaggregate is used; compaction requirements are light (<95% AASHTO T-99), and trenches are less than 10 feet in depth.

4 A nominal coefficient of permeability may be determined by multiplying permittivity value by nominal thickness. The k value of the fabric should begreater than the k value of the soil.

5 Soil with 50% or less particles by weight passing US No. 200 Sieve, A.O.S. less than 0.6 mm (greater than #30 US Std. Sieve).5A Soil with more than 50% particles by weight passing US No. 200 Sieve, A.O.S. less than 0.297 mm (greater than #50 US Std. Sieve).

Proper fabric selection is dependent onboth the site conditions and the coredesign. The site conditions includebackfill gradation, pavement base gra-dation and stability, shoulder basematerial, and any cracking, blocking, orrubblizing done to the pavement.Fabric Average Opening Size (A.O.S.)(O95) and permittivity can be set bythese project conditions. Sizing criteriafor the filter fabric is as follows:

Soils retention = Soils permeability =D15 (of Filter) D15 (of Filter)___________ < 4-5 ___________ > 4-5D85 (of Soil) D15 (of Soil)

Filter fabric selection =O95 < 2D85

The O95 for AdvanEDGE's standard geotextileis 0.212 mm. If other values are required, theDesign Engineer can contact ADS for otheravailable fabrics' A.O.S.

Slot width sizing (fabric-less installations) =D85 (of Soil)__________ > 1.2Slot Width

Geotextiles for AdvanEDGESelection of the fabric fo AdvanEDGEclosed core pipe is governed by therequirements for subsurface drainageshown in the AASHTO M-288 table.Class B requirements typically apply tomost installations. If a granular backfillis used, it is possible to remove the fab-ric from AdvanEDGE (provided the nar-row slot width is specified).

Geotextiles for Open CoreDesignsFor geocomposite products designedsuch that the geotextile is a structuralelement and outer boundary, the fabricpuncture resistance and modulus are

critical. The farther apart the posts orcuspations (and therefore the larger thefabric area supported by each post orcuspation), the greater the requiredpuncture resistance and the higher therequired modulus.

Fabric selection for these open coreproducts requires that the additionalstrength requirements of separationapplications be met. Some geocom-posite manufacturers use resin bondedor calendared fabrics to increase fabricmodulus. These treatments reduceA.O.S. and permittivity as well. TheDesign Engineer should insure that thereported parameters in the manufactur-ers' literature reflect the treated proper-ties as this requirement is essential to agood design.

Specifying Geotextiles

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The following guidelines apply to theinstallation of AdvanEDGE in all appli-cations. Specific instructions for high-ways, streets, parking areas, and otherpaved surfaces are given in ASTM D6088, “Standard Practice ForInstallation of Geocomposite PavementDrains.”

1. AdvanEDGE pipe can be installed ina narrow trench with either face of thepanel against the structure or soil to bedrained.

2. Means shall be provided to hold thepanel flush against the trench wall orstructure during backfilling.

3. Depending on soil permeability anddrainage requirements, the trench maybe backfilled with the excavated materi-al, coarse aggregate, gravel, or naturalsand.

4. When excavated material is used,the trench shall be backfilled to thedesired limit (excluding bituminous orrock material larger than one inch)placed in two layers, and compacted.

5. When either coarse aggregate, grav-el, or natural sand is used, the trenchshall be backfilled in two lifts and eachlift compacted to the satisfaction of theengineer.

6. Joints shall be made using ADSAdvanEDGE couplers prior to placingAdvanEDGE in the trench. Use twocoupling pins on each AdvanEDGEcoupler. Couplers should be placedunder the fabric at the joint to preventbackfill infiltration. To accomplish this,split the fabric seam and lay back thefabric approximately 8 in. Install the-coupler with two pins. Replace fabricover the coupler and secure the fabricwith suitable tape.

7. Outlets should be placed as needed.Fittings for transition from the Advan-EDGE pipe to 4" or 6" round pipe shallbe ADS end outlets or side outlets asrequired.

8. End caps should be used at all ter-mination points to prevent soil infiltra-tion into system.

AdvanEDGE pipe placeddirectly against wall

Backfill with permeablematerials and compact

Edge of green Surface turfCollar

Soil mixture

Pin with 60 pennynails as required

12" AdvanEDGE

GravelUndisturbedearth

For applications without gravel, AdvanEDGE with sock is recommended.

Installation

Pavement (or turf)surface

Layer to bedrainedTrench Line

4" Typ.

Subsurface Drainage

Roadway Pavement

Place AdvanEDGE pipe directlyagainst pavement section andbackfill as required.

Paved Shoulder

Roadway Base Course

4" Typ.

2" Typ.

Foundation Drainage

Typical Putting Green

Roadway Edgedrain

AdvanEDGE Couplings and Fittings

Split Coupling Side Outlet End Cap

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ADS Sales and Service Locations

● MIDWEST/NORTHEASTLONDON, OH1-800-733-9554

● SOUTHERNFRANKLIN, TN1-800-733-9987

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© 1999 Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc.© The Green Stripe is registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Printed in U.S.A.Form # 10216 Rev. 04/01

End Outlet 45° Wye (Horizontal) Tee (Horizontal)