Sulfone Polymers for Plumbing 

Udel® PSU, Radel® PPSU and Acudel® modified PPSU

These tough, heat-resistant plastics can be molded to tight tolerances and exhibit low creep under a sustained load at elevated temperatures. This, combined with their excellent oxidation resistance, has made sulfone polymers a reliable choice for applications that require continuous exposure to hot chlorinated water.

Key Features

• Excellent compressive strength
• Low tensile and compressive creep
• Outstanding long-term hydrostatic strength
• Withstand continuous exposure to hot chlorinated water

Low Compressive Creep

Sulfone polymers have low compressive creep, meaning they exhibit only a slight deformation under a continuously applied load. This allows components made from these materials to maintain a reliable seal over time, even at elevated temperatures.

Exceptional Resistance to Hot Chlorinated Water

These micrographs were taken of insert fittings made from Radel®, Acudel® and Udel® sulfone polymers that were continuously exposed to hot chlorinated water for 1600 hours. These test conditions are extremely harsh and are significantly more aggressive than industry standards for PEX piping systems.

As shown below, no cracks have formed in any of the sidewalls and no oxidation has occurred on the surface of the fitting made from Radel® PPSU. Very little oxidation has occured on the surface of the Acudel® modified PPSU fitting, and only a small amount on the surface of the Udel® PSU fitting.

Determining Long-Term Hydrostatic Strength (LTHS)

When designing a pressurized system, it’s important to understand how a material performs when exposed to constant stress in the presence of water. Data from creep-rupture curves generated at various temperatures can be extrapolated to predict a material’s LTHS for a given set of conditions. These values are then used to determine design stresses, which should include appropriate safety margins.