ADVERTORIAL TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION Unique wire-free lock for compression tube fittings


outclasses traditional solution installs in a fraction of the time of a wire lock and is suitable for new or retrofit applications


unique wire-free device for locking the nuts of two-ferrule compression fittings on instrumentation tubing is now available from the Instrumentation Products Division of Parker Hannifin – the global leader in motion and control technologies. Dubbed WireFree, the patented safety device is constructed almost entirely from 6Mo austenitic stainless steel for enhanced corrosion resistance. It has been developed at the request of a major supplier of instrumentation to the offshore oil and gas industry, which sought a better alternative to wire locking compression tube fittings on deepwater 'Christmas tree' fluid flow assemblies.


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Parker’s two-ferrule compression fittings have been used successfully for subsea instrumentation applications for more than 40 years and there is ample field data to show that they provide reliable long-term performance – making locking devices unnecessary. However, as energy companies strive to recover oil and gas from ever deeper offshore locations, the cost of retrieving subsea equipment for routine maintenance,


repair or overhaul


continues to escalate. In response, some OEMs are starting to fit wire locks to instrumentation tube compression fittings for deep sea applications, primarily to indicate that the fitting is secure and has not been tampered with or undergone any mechanical change since installation. This approach suffers from a number of disadvantages, not the least of which is that wire lock fittings are expensive to install.


Parker Hannifin u 01271 313131


Wire locking is a technique that is widely used in the aerospace industry to guard against components such as securing bolts and nuts on tube fittings working loose during service. It involves the use of pre-drilled parts – which cannot easily be retrofitted – and is only suitable for some types of fittings. The wire that is used is normally stainless steel, which is sharp and difficult to manipulate. And in the case of wire-locked compression tube fittings, it is important that the wire is not tensioned in such a way that it could cause the nut to rotate slightly and potentially compromise connection integrity.


Correctly installing wire


locking consequently demands skill and is time consuming – it can take anywhere between five and 15 minutes per component,


depending on


accessibility. On a typical subsea Christmas tree containing several hundred instrumentation tube compression fittings this can easily account for tens of hours of extra assembly time.


Parker’s new WireFree locking device is designed as a ‘fit-and-forget’ solution that overcomes all the disadvantages of wire locking. It can be fitted to standard compression fittings on new or existing systems very easily and quickly, without requiring any modification, realignment or disassembly of components. The device is also ideal for replacing existing wire locks during routine MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) operations – installers merely need to remove the wire before fitting the new unit.


u www.parker.com


Solvay Specialty Polymers' Torlon® PAI Chosen for Breakthrough Cam Sprocket in Polimotor 2 Automotive Project


and a premier global maker of fluid power products, performed final machining to incorporate a spur tooth design that reduces wear and optimizes transfer of transmission torque between the sprocket and the belt. Ultimately, the Polimotor 2 engine will incorporate two 4-in (102-mm) diameter sprockets, and one 2-in (51-mm) diameter sprocket in its valve train drive system.


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olvay Specialty Polymers, a leading global supplier of high-performance polymers, announced today that the Polimotor 2 project, led by legendary automotive innovator Matti Holtzberg, selected its high-performance Torlon® polyamide-imide (PAI) to replace conventional metal in the fabrication of an innovative cam sprocket design. Solvay is the principal material sponsor for this highly anticipated technical project, which aims to design and manufacture a next-generation, all-plastic engine for competitive racing in 2016.


“Solvay’s Torlon® PAI played a vital role in the success of our first Polimotor engine during the early 1980s; and the breadth, performance and versatility of the company’s materials technology


24 NOVEMBER 2015 | DESIGN SOLUTIONS


has definitely expanded since then,” said Holtzberg, who is also president of Composite Castings, LLC, based in West Palm Beach, Fla. “Solvay’s continuing advances offer the basis for even greater innovation in Polimotor 2 today, where its carbon-fiber filled Torlon® PAI enabled development of a mechanically strong,


but


extremely lightweight cam shaft sprocket. This is only the first of several new breakthrough applications using Solvay’s advanced materials technology that we expect to announce in the coming months.”


Allegheny Performance Plastics, LLC, a leading processor of high-performance thermoplastics, injection molded the net shape. Gates Corp., a premier manufacturer of power transmission belts


Cam sprockets are attached to one end of the cam shaft in an automotive combustion engine and, along with the timing belt, help maintain timing between the cam shaft and crankshaft. Despite constant exposure to high torque, extreme temperatures and vibration, as well as dirt, automotive fluids and road salt, cam sprockets must reliably deliver precise timing control to maintain optimal engine performance. If these sprockets overheat, chip, lose their shape or fail to perform reliably under load, everything from the crank to the pistons can quickly cease to work properly.


Cam sprockets are typically made from sintered


steel, aluminum or occasionally thermoset phenolic polymers. However, Polimotor 2 opted to mold its engine’s spur tooth cam sprockets using Solvay’s 30 percent carbon fiber-reinforced Torlon® 7130 PAI – an ultra-high performance grade launched by Solvay long after Polimotor’s earlier iteration during the 1980s.


Solvay Specialty Polymers u + 1 770-772-8580 u www.solvayspecialitypolymers.com


/ DESIGNSOLUTIONS


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