Technology News
140
M
arch
2014
Hydrostatic testing heads
PROVEA, a company based in France,
deliveredanewhydrostatic testingbench
for U-bent tubes to one of the largest
French tube manufacturers. Accepting
this project meant facing many specific
technical issues. The new testing
heads would have to guarantee no tube
marking while testing up to 800bars.
The customer final specifications also
imply high speed draining of the tube
after the test. Overall, the productivity
will dramatically increase.
The tubes treated are U bent tubes,
in the range 12 to 32mm OD, with a
thickness up to 4.5mm and a distance
between the two branches from 75 to
2,500mm.
This large range of tubes, together
with the required standards and the
level of automation desired, turned the
project into a technical challenge.
Provea had to design and manu-
facture a specific hydrostatic testing
solution.
This new machine includes two
testing heads: the first one is fixed and
will inject water under pressure in the
tubes.
The clamping jaws are longer and
specific to make sure the testing head
will not mark the tube.
A seal, specially designed for high
pressure, will retain water and totally
surround the tube and the second one
is placed on a rail in order to be mobile
and adapt to the different bending
radius. An optimised valve is included
in this second head, as well as a new
drain system that ensures a complete
and quicker water draining after the
test.
Provea also developed on this machine
an automatic rotating brush for tube end
deburring before testing. It will be settled
just before the hydraulic testing bench, on
the same automatic production line. One
mobile brush on a rail will also deburr the
two tube ends. The project also implies a
pilgrim step system for tube transfer from
the deburring station to the hydrostatic
testing bench, and from the hydro bench
to the final step (inside-cleaning system).
This machine was scheduled to be
fully mounted and delivered by Provea
by the end of February 2014. Provea
will be exhibiting at Tube Düsseldorf on
stand 6K48.
Provea
– France
Fax: +33 380 961 615
Email:
Website:
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The Provea testing bench
