Category Archive: Blog

PRESS RELEASE: U-STAMP & R-STAMP CERTIFICATIONS

ASME U Stamp Certificate and R-Stamp Certification

12/9/22- U-Stamp and R-Stamp Certifications

Precision Hose & Expansion Joints is proud to announce the recent certification of both our ASME U-Stamp and our National Board Certified R-Stamp for the company. This achievement is a major step for Precision, as we look to increase our capabilities for metal bellows and target growing our supply in both the Pressure Vessel Industry as well as our Field Service capabilities, specifically on and around HRSG’s.

Along with our ISO 9001 and ISO 10380 certifications, this achievement of receiving our ASME U-Stamp and R-Stamps are due in part to the ongoing investment by Precision to provide the highest quality products to our customers, made domestically in Stone Mountain, Georgia, at a fair price, and with industry leading service.

Please feel free to contact Precision Hose & Expansion Joints with any metal, fabric, or rubber expansion joint needs, as well as bulk metal corrugated hose and wire braid, stripwound hose, metal dampers, FRP repairs, or metal hose assembly needs!

Best Regards,
Casey Brown
National Sales Manager
Precision Hose & Expansion Joints
Precision Industrial Products

PRESS RELEASE: WE’RE OUT OF THIS WORLD!

nasa perserverance rover landing on mars with precision hose parts

PRESS RELEASE

Precision Hose & Expansion Joints Stainless Steel Hose featured as a component of the NASA Mars Perseverance Rover.

 

On February 18th, 2021, NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover made its final descent to the red planet, a remarkable step for all mankind. Precision Hose & Expansion Joints is proud to play a small part in this exciting milestone.

As part of the Mars Exploration Program, the NASA Mars Perseverance Rover is the size of a small SUV. The Mars rover launched on July 30th, 2020 on top of the mighty United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station pad SLC-41. After traveling through space for over 200 Earth days, Perseverance was lowered to the Martian surface by both parachutes and a Sky Crane. It will spend the next several years conducting scientific experiments and surveys of the Martian surface. Perseverance is the most advanced interplanetary rover ever built and will be looking for signs of ancient life on Mars. Accompanying the rover is Ingenuity, a small robotic rotorcraft. Ingenuity will assist Perseverance in identifying locations to survey.

Precision Hose & Expansion Joints’ 5/8″ 304 Stainless Steel Fully Interlocked Hose was used in the construction of the rover. Our Stainless Steel Hose was featured as a non-pressure capable metal guard to protect various control wires.

Scientific experiments require high-quality precision. However, conducting experiments 129.29 million miles away from Earth requires perfection. Precision Hose & Expansion Joints manufactures our industrial and aerospace-grade stainless steel hose to the highest quality standards.

For more information about our custom stainless steel hose and other industrial products, contact us today! We ship our products domestically and internationally.

HOSE ASSEMBLY INSTALLATION & HANDLING

corrugated metal hose assembly

Precision Hose & Expansion Joints’ corrugated metal hose is designed to provide the longest lasting service life when properly installed. Improper installation, or movements that exceed the design capabilities of the hose, as well as careless handling of the assembly, will all reduce the useful service life of the hose and possibly cause premature failure to the hose assembly. The following handling and installation procedures should be used to achieve the best service life from your corrugated metal hose assembly.

Avoid over bending.

Repetitive bending of a hose to a smaller radius than the radius listed in the product specification tables for corrugated hose can cause premature hose failure. Make sure to provide sufficient length, which will prevent over bending and reduce strain on the hose.

In-plane lateral offset installation.

Prevent out-of-plane flexing in an installation. Make sure to always install the hose so that flexing takes place only in one plane. This plane must be the plane in which the bending occurs.

Provide support.

Provide support for the arms when installing the assembly in a horizontal loop. This will stop the hose from sagging.

Do not extend or compress axially.

Piping systems that utilize metal hoses to absorb movement must be properly anchored and/or guided. Ensure you are supporting the piping to prevent the excessive weight from compressing the hose and then relaxing braid tension.

Avoid torque.

Do not twist the hose assembly during installation when aligning the bolt holes in a flange or in making up pipe threads. The utilization of floating flanges or pipe unions will minimize this condition. It is recommended that two wrenches be used in making the union connection; one to prevent the hose from twisting and the other to tighten the coupling.

Avoid sharp bends.

Utilize sound configurations that avoid sharp bends in the hose assembly, especially near the end fittings of the assembly.

corrugated metal hose handling

Handle with care during hose installation.

Avoid careless handling of the hose assembly. Always lift or carry metal hose to prevent abrasion damage particularly to braided corrugated hose. Store metal hose assemblies in protected areas where it would not be subjected to spillage, corrosive fumes, weld splatter, and general damage, etc.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free in contacting us here.

DO’S & DON’TS FOR METAL EXPANSION JOINTS

expansion joints from precision hose ready for shipment

Precision Hose & Expansion Joints designs, manufactures, and supplies expansion joints in accordance with EJMA (Expansion Joint Manufacturers Association) Standards. The EJMA Standards are recognized throughout the world as the premier authority on the proper selection and application of metal expansion joints for safe and reliable piping and vessel installations. The following DO’s and DON’Ts are to be used as a guide for how to properly handle expansion joints before, during, and after installation. Failure to follow this guide can result in a premature failure of the expansion joint. For any questions, or for a more detailed explanation of any of the below, please contact Precision Hose & Expansion Joints.

Metal Bellows Expansion Joints have been designed to absorb a specified amount of movement by flexing of the thin-gauge convolutions. If proper care is not taken during installation, it may reduce the cycle life and the pressure capacity of the expansion joints, which would result in an early failure of the bellows element or damage the piping system. The following recommendations are included to avoid the most common errors that occur during installation. When in doubt about an installation procedure, contact the manufacturer for clarification before attempting to install the Expansion Joint.

A copy of these DO’s and DON’Ts for metal expansion joints are provided with each of our products that leave our facility. If you receive an expansion joint to your shop or job site and it does not have a copy of this document, please immediately contact Precision Hose & Expansion Joints at 770-413-5680.

dual universal expansion joint

DO’s for Metal Expansion Joints

STANDARDS OF THE EXPANSION JOINT MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION, INC.

  • Inspect for damage during shipment, i.e., dents, broken hardware, watermarks on cartons, etc.
  • Store in a clean dry area where it will not be exposed to heavy traffic or damaging environment.
  • Use only designated lifting lugs.
  • Make the piping systems fit the expansion joint. By stretching, compressing, or offsetting the joint to fit the piping, it may be overstressed when the system is in service.
  • It is good practice to leave one flange loose until the expansion joint has been lifted into position. Make necessary adjustment of loose flange before welding.
  • Install joint with an arrow pointing in the direction of flow. (If Applicable)
  • Install single Van Stone liners pointing in the direction of flow. Be sure to install a gasket between the liner and Van Stone flange as well as between the mating flange and liner. With telescoping Van Stone liners, install the smallest I.D. liner pointing in the direction of the flow.
  • Remove all shipping devices after installation is complete and before any pressure test of the fully installed system.
  • Remove any foreign material that may have become lodged between the convolutions.
  • Refer to EJMA Standards for proper guide spacing and anchor recommendations.

The manufacturer’s warranty may be void if improper installation procedures have been used.

DON’Ts for Metal Expansion Joints

STANDARDS OF THE EXPANSION JOINT MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION, INC.

  • Do not drop or strike carton.
  • Do not remove shipping bars until installation is complete.
  • Do not remove any moisture-absorbing desiccant bags or protection coatings until ready for installation.
  • Do not use hanger lugs as lifting lugs without approval from the manufacturer.
  • Do not use chains or any lifting device directly on the bellows or bellows cover.
  • Do not allow weld splatter to hit unprotected bellows. Protect with wet chloride-free insulation.
  • Do not use cleaning agents that contain chlorides.
  • Do not use steel wool or wire brushes on bellows.
  • Do not force-rotate one end of an expansion joint for alignment of bolt holes. Ordinary bellows are not capable of absorbing torque.
  • Do not hydrostatic pressure test or evaluate the system before installation of all guides and anchors.
  • Pipe hangers are not adequate guides.
  • Do not exceed a pressure test of 1-1/2 times the rated working pressure of the expansion joint.
  • Do not use shipping bars to retain thrust if tested prior to installation.

The manufacturer’s warranty may be void if improper installation procedures have been used.

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The Truth About Hydroforming

Taking a Closer Look at Forming Methods

A lot of claims are being circulated about the superiority of hydro formed hose. Like many such claims, however, closer inspection reveals the truth of the matter: Hydroforming is just one of many proven methods of corrugating tubing. Each forming method has its unique characteristics, and each product should be evaluated in terms of desired final hose capability, not generalized forming specifications. For example, light-duty, thin-wall hose can be more easily corrugated via hydroforming than by full mechanical forming. However, thin-wall hose sacrifices ruggedness, higher-pressure capability, and increased corrosion life. Heavy-duty industrial-grade hose can be formed at high speeds and with excellent quality via full mechanical methods.

The most important consideration in selecting a corrugated hose is the consistent quality and durability of the product and the proven track record of support provided by the manufacturer. Precision Hose & Expansion Joints outline some of the differences between the hydroforming and mechanical forming of corrugated hose.

COMPARISON OF FORMING METHODS: PLUS & MINUS

HYDROFORMING

  • Irregular convolution pattern.
  • Reduced fatigue life due to irregular convolution pattern.
  • Internal tooling can score hose I.D.
  • Risk of hydroforming fluid residue on I.D.
  • No forming cold work (strengthening) occurs at the convolution root; base metal thinning occurs at the crest.
  • Internal arbor limits length of continuous corrugations.
  • Metal thickness and profile height limited by hydroforming process.
  • Base metal thinning can occur if forming pressure is not 100% stable.

MECHANICAL

  • Uninterrupted continuous convolutions for the entire indefinite length of the annular hose.
  • Uniform convolution pattern.
  • Uniform O.D. more consistent cycle life.
  • No internal corrugation tooling.
  • No forming fluid used.
  • Rolling tooling strengthens root area of convolution; no metal thinning occurs at crest.
  • Hose length not limited by length of welded tubing. (Continuous welding and corrugating process. ¼” – 4”)
  • Heavier wall and higher profile possible using mechanical process.

Precision Hose & Expansion Joints manufactures the highest quality corrugated hose and braid. We are located in Stone Mountain, GA, and provide a wide range of precision industrial products. If you need help selecting which corrugated tubing for your project, contact Precision Hose & Expansion Joints today! We ship all products both domestically and internationally.