Have you ever wondered how hydraulic hose coupling manufacturers validate their designs before releasing them for sale to the market? There are applications that combine working conditions of pressure, temperature, flexing, aging and mechanical loads that engineers must take into consideration.
RYCO tests and validates hose assemblies to the highest temperatures and smallest bend radius to mimic the great stresses and working pressures within various applications.
Common Hose Assembly Validation Tests
- Proof test: Increasing the pressure of the hose assembly to 2x maximum working pressure for a duration of 60 seconds.
- Burst Test: Increasing the pressure of the hose assembly until the assembly fails.
- Impulse Test: A dynamic (fatigue) test is required to test the hose assembly to its limits.
There are many pressure changes that occur within a hose over its lifetime, not to mention the temperature changes, bending and flexing. All of these factors demand the hose to coupling interface be able to withstand the most demanding scenarios thrown at it.
Impulse tests subject the hose assembly to a specified number of impulses (very sharp and quick pressure peaks), at 100% to 133% of the hose’s maximum working pressure, at maximum working temperature, while being bent to minimum bend radius in either a 90° or 180° bend (depending on bore size).
The combined factors of the extremely rapid pressure rise and release, high temperature, and tight bends, over a large number of pressure impulse cycles soon sorts out the good designs from the bad. These conditions are tightly controlled, to ensure that the hose assembly is subjected to appropriate stresses before being approved.
Courtesy of RYCO Hydraulics.