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Flexible Hoses

What are the Different Types of Flexible Hoses?

Flexible hoses help in transferring various fluids like gaseous fluids such as air, steam, and gases, and liquids such as water, oils, and chemicals. Its numerous functions include absorption of thermal expansion, centering and vibration of piping, and interchange of piping systems.

In recent years, flexible hoses have become an essential part of the industry. They have replaced the rigid pipes due to its low cost and convenient features.

Four Types of Best Flexible Hose

To Purchase Best Flexible Hose, it’s important to do proper research and then choose a suitable hose.

  1. Stainless Steel Hose: Stainless steel hose is basically composed of two components. The first component is usually a thin corrugated tube, which is seamless and is present at the core of the hose. It provides rigidity and strength to the hose that helps the hose to bend or move in any direction.  Used for the transfer of both gases and liquids. The other component surrounding the core is the twisted stainless-steel wire. It encloses the interior tube and acts as a protective layer for the hose. 

A high-quality flexible hose pipe is designed with a wide range of useful properties by combining these components. Because of its long-lasting and resilient nature, stainless-steel hose is widely used in different industries. Industries such as chemical smelting, power generation, petrochemical industries make use of stainless-steel hose as it can carry chemicals and other fluids lucratively.

  1. PTFE Convoluted Hose:  PTFE Convoluted Hose is divided into three separate categories based on its construction. Three categories are: 
  • Tube Only PTFE Convoluted Hose: It works exactly as its name suggests. Constructed from one base layer of PTFE convoluted tubing. It is mostly used for very  low-pressure applications because of its lightweight nature.
  • Polymer braided: It is covered with a layer of orange polypropylene monofilaments. Polymer-braided is also very lightweight but still has better pressure-resistant properties than Tube only Convoluted Hose.
  • Stainless steel PTFE convoluted hose: It is covered with a tough layer of stainless-steel. This type gives maximum resistance for high-pressure applications because of its hard-wearing characteristics.

Chemical-resistant and heat-resistant are the two fantastic properties of PTFE Convoluted Hose. This type of hose is a perfect choice for the refrigeration, automotive, and steam transfer industry because these hoses are versatile, multipurpose, easy to clean and maintain. PTFE Convoluted Hose successfully carries fluids with high electrical resistance like solvents and fuels, as they are equipped with anti-static tubing.

  1. PTFE Smooth Bore Hose Pipe: One single piece of PTFE tubing is used for the construction of a PTFE Smooth Bore Hose Pipe flexible hose. This hose is the most flexible one with the least amount of porosity because of its smooth and seamless finish. Smooth Bore Hose Pipe, when covered with a braided stainless-steel, offers maximum resistance to chemicals, corrosion, and thermal wear and tear. Stainless-steel covering also protects the hose from high pressure and physical damage. They are a perfect choice for the industries which use high and low pressure adhesives, paints, fuels, inks, detergents, oils, chemicals, steam, foodstuffs, and refrigerants. As they are available in different sizes, hence could be easily customized to meet the business requirements.
  1. Flexible Metal Hose: Flexible metal hose is designed using four basic components, which makes it suitable for various industries. They are: 
  • Corrugated tubing: The main component of a flexible metal hose is corrugated tubing. It offers various value-added features like-

1. Corrosion Resistance – This property is kept in mind while choosing the appropriate type of alloy for transferring it to media. 321 stainless steel offers adequate corrosion resistance for most of the applications. The applications which transfer chlorine need the maximum extent of corrosion resistance. C276 is a suitable choice for chlorine and other highly-critical applications.

2. Pressure Rating – It is also called maximum allowable working pressure. This term is used to express the potential of a hose to sustain internal pressure. Different applications require variable pressure rating depending on the application in which the assembly will be used.

3. Flexibility – This term has a different meaning for different industries. For some, flexibility refers to the hose’s ability to bend, while to others, flexibility means the high life cycle of a hose. Flexibility is generally expressed by minimum dynamic bend radius (MDBR) for a corrugated metal hose. 

  • Braid: It is the second component of a metal hose that can withstand high pressure. Factors that are responsible for the functionality of the braid are – the number of wires per carrier, wire diameter, percentage of braid coverage, and the number of carriers on the braiding machine.
  • Braid Collars: During the cap welding process, braid collars tend to join the inner corrugated hose and the braid together. Apart from joining the hose components together, braid collars also protect the corrugations near the cap welding.
  • End-Fittings: This is the last component of the flexible metal hose. The metal hose could be used in various industries as there are various options available when it comes to fitting-selections.

Conclusion

With all the advantages mentioned above, it is necessary to select the right type of material parameters to avoid hose failure. Operators often overlook the right types of hoses, which result in downtime, wasted product, lost revenue, environmental contamination, and human injury.