Thursday, October 4, 2012

Pipe Threads and Leak-Proof Seals

Pipe thread is a spiral ridge on the end of a pipe that enables pipes to be joined together. For male fittings, this thread appears on the outer diameter of the pipe; if female, it appears on the inner diameter. By rotating a male pipe end into a female thread, the two fittings become joined.

To leak-proof a pipe thread seal, a high-density thread sealant is applied to the threads of the pipe before being screwed into a fitting so that the threads will make a seal. Since pipe threads are not machined to fit together perfectly, the thread sealant makes up the difference and is compressed between the grooves on the two halves.

Hernon’sDripstop 950 is a pipe joint and thread sealant that comes highly recommended even for use in the harshest environments including instances where oxygen and aggressive chemicals such as chlorine or powerful oxidziers are present. It’s high-density inert thread sealant and lubricant, specially formulated for severe high-pressure applications.

When engineers at Boeing and NASA needed to seal fuel gauges on the Delta class rockets, they turned to Hernon Manufacturing and the Dripstop 950 product.

Dripstop 950 is odorless, non-corrosive and hydrophobic. It’s totally non-migrating and remains where it is applied. It’s ideal for use in repetitive assembly and where disassembly is required, even after long periods of time. It can seal up to 10,000 psi on 1/2″ NPT threads. Dripstop 950 thread sealant is also stable up to 450°F, it will not melt and is non-flammable.

For more information about Dripstop 950 and Hernon Manufacturing, visit http://www.hernon-oxygensealing.com/.

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