Universal Expansion Joint
Hydrostatic Testing is an extremely valuable step in the Expansion Joint and Flexible Piping manufacturing process. A leak on a product can cause thousands of dollars in maintenance costs, down machinery, and faulty equipment.
DME takes Hydrostatic Testing very seriously. From common single bellows expansion joints, to complex tied universal expansion joints, each one is thoroughly tested prior to arriving at the Quality Control department. The objective is to insure a leak tight final installation.
The process can be fairly simple though extremely time consuming. The process for testing a common expansion joint is as follows:
- The expansion joint is completely filled with clean potable water
- Using a hydrostatic test pump, pressure is slowly added to the liquid until required test pressure has been met, usually 1.5 X the working pressure
- The test pressure is held and observed for an average of 30 minutes
- As the expansion joint is holding at the required test pressure, an external inspection is conducted for leaks, instability and squirm.
- If a leak is detected, the expansion joint is sent back to the DME welding department for repair.
- After the expansion joint has been repaired or replaced, the entire Hydrostatic Testing procedure is performed once again.
DME believes in providing a quality product at a fair market value. A quality product requires extra care and attention, and at DME this means testing every product before it leaves the factory. You can always rely on the experienced team at DME, so contact a friendly Product Specialist today and see for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.
