System Fuchsrohr pipe in Austria
Ingenious system for municipal water supply
Ninety percent of the Austrian population are connected to the public drinking water network and supplied with top-quality drinking water by some 5,500 water utilities. To help ensure this service, HFI-welded System Fuchsrohr steel pipe are on permanent duty.
For as long as 23 years, ALPE Kommunal- und Umwelttechnik GmbH & Co KG has delivered longitudinally welded steel pipe from the "Fuchs Rohr" company, a predecessor of Salzgitter Mannesmann Line Pipe in Siegen, Germany. System Fuchsrohr pipe with its high-grade corrosion protection met with ready acceptance on the Austrian market, winning notable customers from the municipal water supply sector, such as Salzburg AG, the public utilities of Innsbruck, Kitzbühel and St. Pölten, plus numerous Water Boards. The integration of the Fuchs Rohr company into the Salzgitter Group and the associated changes to its manufacturing program gave rise to an unexpected delivery bottleneck for ALPE and its customers from the water sector, which had to be eliminated for good.
System take-over by ALPE
In 2012, ALPE acquired all intellectual property rights to the "Fuchsrohr System" and its accessories. Over the years, the system has been continuously improved and is now chiefly marketed as HFI-welded steel pipe with plain ends and without sockets. The steel pipes and the high-quality coatings and linings are still being supplied by the Hamm and Siegen plants of Salzgitter Mannesmann Line Pipe to ALPE's location in the Tyrolian town of Stams, where they are cut to length and accessorized to the customer's specifications.
Our cooperation with ALPE started almost twenty years ago, during which time the Fuchsrohr system has fulfilled expectations in every respect.Ing. Gerald Mitterer, Head of the Kitzbühel municipal utility
Current delivery program
System Fuchsrohr pipe is currently available in outside diameters of 80 to 300 mm and mill lengths of 6 and 12 m, with or without pre-assembled socket joint. A comprehensive portfolio of fittings and accessories rounds off the delivery program, expanding it into a system for all applications in pressure pipeline construction.
The ALPE Fuchsrohr system and its range of valves, fittings and pipeline accessories are permanently on stock in the most common dimensions from DN80 to DN300. The inventories required for this 24 hour/7 days customer service are worth about 1 million euros annually.
Sockets for force-locking and non-force-locking joints
Fuchsrohr pipe can be made up without or with axially force-locking joints, depending on whether Tyton® or DKM® sockets are used, and on the intended service pressure which can range between 25 and 40 bar. The maximum permissible deflection between two consecutive pipes is 5° or, in the case of double socket joints, 10°. This reduces the number of pipe bends and fittings required which, especially in conjunction with ALPE pipe-laying devices makes pipe-laying a lot easier. In addition, the pipes can be easily cut to length on site for close-to-wasteless processing.
High system compatibility
Due to the standardized diameters, the Fuchsrohr system is compatible with most valves, fittings and other pipe systems in the market. Besides classic water supply, the system is also used in drinking water power plants and fire-fighting water supply in tunnels and industrial plants. Appropriately lined pipe can also be used for transporting wastewater, brines and other liquid media.
Especially in congested downtown areas or when space is at a premium, it is important to be able to react to technical and local contingencies during pipe-laying. The Fuchsrohr pipe system allows on-site cutting to length wherever necessary and the residual pipe length can be used without any wastage.
System Fuchsrohr - Pipe-laying instructions
On-site cutting to length