Tests show danger of low-cost tube fittings, claims Parker

Barnstaple, UK -  Globalisation has led to significant quality issues as well as competition in the industrial tube fittings market, according to manufacturer Parker Instrumentation, which has published a white paper on its testing of low-cost products in this area.

Working with the University of Plymouth, Parker subjected low-cost tube fittings to a test programme involving optical, scanning electron microscope and laser microscopy observation, plus traditional mechanical performance measurements and corrosion tests.

According to Parker, the results show how the sample producer's use of poor quality steel - containing lots of inclusions and impurities - and the subsequent processing treatments, resulted in poor end products with little resistance to corrosion. This included the onset of corrosion after only 24 hours' exposure to salt spray - a common problem in offshore environments.

Buying goods on price alone can be a poor decision, particularly as tube fitting failure can have disastrous consequences, said Parker R&D director Spencer Nicholson. Many fittings, he noted, end up being used on plants processing harsh media, or in environments that are corrosive, users need to be aware of the potential implications of choosing parts based mainly on cost criteria.

 "Copying a design and producing a 'look alike' part is easy, but that does not make it fit for purpose. The material for our own tube fittings comes exclusively from high quality European sources, and is subjected to an independent intergranular corrosion test before product manufacturing even begins. This is followed by a number of unique processing stages aimed at optimising reliability and corrosion resistance," claimed Nicholson.

The white paper can be downloaded from: http://www.wordsun.com/ParkerWP.pdf