Patent ID: 8128853

Claim:
A method for butt fusing a first conduit portion to a second conduit portion, comprising: facing at least one of the first terminal edge of the first conduit and the first terminal edge of the second conduit; aligning the first terminal edge of the first conduit portion with the first terminal edge of the second conduit portion; heating and melting at least a portion of a first terminal edge of the first conduit portion and at least a portion of a first terminal edge of the second conduit portion, wherein the first conduit portion and the second conduit portion are comprised of a polyvinyl chloride material, wherein the heating and melting includes contact of at least a portion of at least one of the first terminal edge of the first conduit portion and the first terminal edge of the second conduit portion with a heating plate at a temperature of about 415° F.; butt fusing the first conduit portion and the second conduit portion together by engaging the heated and melted first terminal edge of the first conduit portion with the heated and melted first terminal edge of the second conduit portion at an engagement interfacial pressure of about 140 psi, thereby creating a butt fused joint area, such that an interior sidewall of the first conduit portion is free of overlap with an interior sidewall of the second conduit portion, an interior sidewall of the first conduit portion is free of overlap with an exterior sidewall of the second conduit portion and an interior sidewall of the second conduit portion is free of overlap with an exterior sidewall of the first conduit portion; and optionally removing at least a portion of a resultant external bead extending around the butt fused joint area.