Now, in this chapter, it’s time to explore the pipe in more detail. You’ll learn the alternatives to the pipe, when you shouldn’t use the pipe, and some useful related tools. We are moving from linear to networked business models, from dumb glass pipes to intelligent platforms. All businesses will need to move to this new model at some point, or risk being disrupted by platforms that do. Ecommerce sites have reviews created by users, again an “intelligent” platform model. However, platform thinking applies to all Internet businesses.
The media industry is struggling to come to terms with the fact that the model has shifted. Traditional retail, a pipe, is being disrupted by the rise of marketplaces and in-store technology, which work on the platform model. If you go about building a platform the way you would build a pipe, you are probably setting yourself up for failure. Single-user SAAS runs on pipe model where the software is created by the business and delivered on a pay-as-you-use model to the consumer. Every consumer good that we use essentially comes to us via a pipe. Our education system is a pipe where teachers push out their ‘knowledge’ to children.
Aluminum pipe or tubing may be utilized where iron is incompatible with the service fluid or where weight is a concern; aluminum is also used for heat transfer tubing such as in refrigerant systems. Copper tubing is popular for domestic water plumbing systems; copper may be used where heat transfer is vaporizers bongs desirable (i.e. radiators or heat exchangers). Inconel, chrome moly, and titanium steel alloys are used in high temperature and pressure piping in process and power facilities. When specifying alloys for new processes, the known issues of creep and sensitization effect must be taken into account.
Copper tubing is joined using flare connection, compression connection, or solder. Copper offers a high level of resistance to corrosion, but is becoming very costly. Fittings are also used to split or join a number of together, and for other purposes.
Learn how to prevent water pipes from freezing, and how to thaw them if they do freeze. Discrepancy over safety—Some studies have shown that chemicals within PEX pipes leach into the drinking water, potentially exposing homeowners to carcinogens. As a result, PEX piping is against the plumbing code in the state of California.
Advances since the 1970s in materials, process control, and non-destructive testing, allow correctly specified welded pipe to replace seamless in many applications. Welded pipe is formed by rolling plate and welding the seam (usually by Electric resistance welding (“ERW”), or Electric Fusion Welding (“EFW”)). The weld flash can be removed from both inner and outer surfaces using a scarfing blade. The weld zone can also be heat-treated to make the seam less visible. Welded pipe often has tighter dimensional tolerances than the seamless type, and can be cheaper to manufacture.
As of 2016, a basic toolkit required to sweat solder all the copper pipes of a typical single family residence, including fuel and solder, can be purchased for approximately $200. By contrast, the minimum cost of a basic powered crimping tool starts at around $1800, and can be as high as $4000 for the better brands with a complete set of crimping dies. If a design change is required or if a joint is found to be defective or improperly crimped, the already installed fittings must be cut out and discarded. Whereas with a soldered fitting, a defective joint can just be re-soldered, or heated and turned if a minor change is required, or heated and removed without requiring any of the tubing to be cut away. This also allows more expensive fittings like valves to be re-used if they are otherwise in good to new condition, something not possible if the fitting is crimped on.
They suffer from a chicken and egg problem, which I talk extensively about on this blog. Producers upload photos on Flickr and product listings on eBay, which consumers consume. Hence, without producers there is no value for consumers and without consumers, there is no value for producers. Plastic pipe exceeds iron pipe in durability, longevity, and performance. Independent studies by the American Water Works Association Research Foundation and the Plastic Pipes Institute show PVC and PE, respectively, last longer than 100 years. JM Eagle recently announced a 50-year warranty on its products.
Depending on the applicable standard to which it is manufactured, pipe is generally specified by a nominal diameter with a constant outside diameter and a schedule that defines the thickness. Tube is most often specified by the OD and wall thickness, but may be specified by any two of OD, inside diameter , and wall thickness. Pipe is generally manufactured to one of several international and national industrial standards. While similar standards exist for specific industry application tubing, tube is often made to custom sizes and a broader range of diameters and tolerances. Many industrial and government standards exist for the production of pipe and tubing.
On platforms,more of a systems view is neededto balance out subsidies and prices, and determine the traction needed on either side for the business model to work. On a platform business, monetization isn’t quite as straightforward. When producers and consumers transact (e.g. AirBnB, SitterCity, Etsy), one or both sides pays the platform a transaction cut. When producers create content to engage consumers , the platform may monetize consumer attention .