I-Rod® material
I-Rod is a strong, durable, half-round thermoplastic that prevents corrosion at pipe supports
I-Rod® eliminates corrosion at pipe supports
I-Rod® is an extremely strong and durable thermoplastic material machined into a half-round shape that's placed beneath pipes to prevent corrosion at pipe supports. Water cannot collect at the minimized contact point of pipe and I-Rod®, so there's no trapped moisture to allow corrosion to form. One piece of I-Rod® can support up to 10,000 lbs of weight at a single point. I-Rod® has been protecting pipes worldwide for over 35 years, and there has never been a reported failure of a pipe protected by genuine I-Rod®.
Conventional pipe support designs – such as these rubber pads – trap water, which soon leads to corrosion that can eventually cause pipe failure.
I-Rod® material installed along a beam support. There has never been a reported pipe failure at a pipe support when I-Rod® was used.
I-Rod® temperatures
I-Rod® is a durable, half-round thermoplastic with high compressive strength and little-to-no creep over time. It's available in three materials for use in high-temperature environments.
I-Rod® (white) can be used for temperatures up to 181°F (83ºC)
I-Rod® HT (amber) can be used for temperatures up to 340°F (171ºC)
I-Rod® PEEK (tan) can be used for temperatures up to 480°F (249ºC).
I-Rod® vs other plastics
Unidentified (HWMPE?)
IMITATIONS AND ALTERNATIVES
I-Rod® material is extremely durable and can support enormous amounts of weight. While conducting offshore inspections, our technicians routinely discover imitations of I-Rod® that have broken or crushed, leaving pipes dangerously unprotected. Usually, these are low-grade imitations, but some use high-quality materials (Delrin and Teflon for example) with material properties unsuited for this application.
I-Rod vs imitations
3rd party lab test
Key design points
Strength
Lab tests have confirmed that I-Rod® has excellent compressive strength and a very low friction coefficient.
Inspection
I-Rod® provides an electrically isolated stand-off between pipe and supporting beam, allowing easy maintenance and inspection.
Half-round shape
I-Rod's half-round shape minimizes contact between the pipe and the support, eliminating moisture accumulation.
Extreme temperatures
I-Rod® is available in three different materials that collectively are rated to perform in temperatures ranging from -166° F to 480° F.
I-Rod® is a special type of plastic
I-Rod® material has a high compressive strength and is subject to very little creep over time, so it can last up to 20 years in the field. The half-round I-Rod® material is supplied in lengths, or cut-and drilled to fit any size pipe U-bolt.
I-Rod® FAQs
I-Rod® Specifications
I-Rod® Plate
I-Rod® thermoplastic material is also available as flat stock in thicknesses ranging from 1/8" to 2" and lengths up to 48". It's useful as a mounting surface in situations where there's insufficient space for half-round I-Rod® or as shims beneath I-Rod® lengths needing a bit more height.
Half-round I-Rod® can support point loads of up to 10,000 lbs, but in rare instances some very thin-walled pipe might risk deformation if mounted on half-round I-Rod® material. We recommend I-Rod® Plate as a mounting surface in these cases. It's the same strong, durable material used for our line of I-Rod® products, only shaped as a perfectly flat plate. While the inherent corrosion-preventing benefits of half-round I-Rod® aren't provided, I-Rod® Plate offers several corrosion-preventing advantages over steel surfaces and FRP fiberglass wear pads.
I-Rod® Plate’s smooth surface and low friction coefficient allows pipe expansion and contraction with minimal damage to pipe coatings, and the tough thermoplastic plate electrically isolates the pipe from the support’s steel surface, preventing corrosion between dissimilar metals.
Unlike FRP fiberglass wear pads (which dangerously trap moisture and hide severe corrosion problems), I-Rod® Plate's flat surface does not act as a moisture-retaining trough and allows visual inspection beneath the pipe.
Video: How I-Rod® works
Download Nu-Bolt® 3-D CAD models
Download free CAD models of Nu-Bolt® assemblies for use in designing your next project. Hundreds of files in the most popular CAD formats are available.
How to order I-Rod® lengths or cut and drilled
I-Rod® is only available from Deepwater Corrosion Services and our licensed distributors and international resellers. I-Rod® material is sold in the following configurations:
> 5 ft or 10 ft lengths
> Cut and drilled for pipe U-bolts
> As a complete Nu-Bolt® assembly (with U-bolt, shrink, nuts)
How to order I-Rod®
I-Rod® Catalog
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