Please help - What are these fittings??? 3

[beattsmjk]

I have come across these fittings on a buttermilk plant in a bakery in Ireland and have never seen them before.

http://i52.tinypic.com/14kw1vn.jpg

My first thought is how are they connected (glue, interferance fit, crimped etc???), what sort of pressure they can maintain and also their hygenic aspect, which I think is non existent.

Many thanks if anyone can help me.

 

[saplanti]

It seems that that is a special type stainless steel coupling connecting the two pipes together. Unless there is a bonding agent between pipe and coupling it is difficult to say the connection can transfer an axial load which is produced by the internal pressure.

I am just imagining that there is a sealing ring on each side of the pipe connections in the coupling against leakage. If the system is working without leak and axial displacement, there is no pressure in the system unless there is something keeping the coupling and pipes together. This could be threads, special metal putty for bonding or something else in case the pipe pressurised. It is difficult to say without opening the joint.

Or the pipes can take the axial load on each ends by some kind of pipe supports. Who knows?

Regards,

Ibrahim Demir

 

[MikeHalloran]

Please tell us if you ever figure it out.


Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[beattsmjk]

They are called Normex fittings I have since discovered.

Made by an Irish company called Dairy Tube Engineering.

The female pushes into the male, inside which is a special rubber seal (sat inderneath the raised out part). A Loctite 638 retaining compound is smeared on the end of the female before insertion which serves two purposes,

1. to help the inserted pipe slide past the rubber seal
2. to help hold the assembly together.

I have had the chance to play around with a couple of pieces and must say the fit is a very close one, but in terms of hygiene I am very dubuious.

Also they are supposedly rated at 4 bar, however I am also suspicious of this fact.

 

[DRWeig]

Thanks for the update!!

Good on ya,

Goober Dave

 

[EdStainless]

Hygiene of these would be very poor. Lots of internal crevices.

I have worked with various mechanically swagged tube fitting systems and the seal very well. But don't try to clean them.
They are great in cooling water systems, air systems, or other special gas service.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Plymouth Tube

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Seems like they got the "female" (pushing) and "male" (inside...) backwards.

Damn Irish - always doing things backwards and I am 1/2 Irish...so I know