TPT March 2014

Technology News

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. 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.

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

The Provea testing bench

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: contact@provea-machine-tube.com Website: www.provea-machine-tube.com

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M arch 2014