Nylacast tensile strength testing.
of correct material selection lies within
understanding the full requirements and
demands of the application from cradle to grave,
taking into consideration a number of essential
factors which can easily be missed or disregarded.
The loading and operating temperature are
all fundamental points of consideration when
selecting a material, however a holistic approach
must be taken in reference to the application or
component properties and the function they
will undertake within the environment.
Once these points have been considered the
wide array of polymers available can then be
narrowed down to the range which can meet
and accommodate the relevant criteria and
requirements. Once this narrowed down list of
polymers has been generated, an often neglected
point of consideration in relation to the material
is its availability. Not simply can it be sourced
within the supply chain, more importantly is
it available in the correct size for the required
application.
For example, if after due consideration of
materials selection a design engineer comes
to the conclusion that a specific material will
prove to add significant value to the application
and its environment, the question needs to be
asked if this material is available in a size large
enough, or is that specific material, due to its
properties, only available in smaller sizes. The
machine-ability of the polymer also needs to
be considered, is it able to be machined, and
are there engineering firms experienced in this
material, especially if it is a new material on the
market.
Another vital point of polymer consideration
is the production process. Polymers are
unlike metals, as they can be processed and
manufactured in a number of manors; injection
moulded, extruded, cast. Each manufacturing
process results in a difference in material
properties, cast or extruded polymers offer
greater dimensional and structural strength in
comparison to injection moulded polymers.
Which material process best suits the
application? This will ultimately hold a strong
influence into how much the performance and
efficiency can be enhanced through the use of
engineering polymers for your application.
One way to greatly enhance the performance
and efficiency of the subsea environment
is not only through the use of engineering
polymers, but through investigating and
implementing material integration. This has
proven over many decades to harvest and
nurture outstanding levels of value to many
applications within the oil and gas industry.
This is delivered through using the best
qualities and advantages of two different
materials. Many engineers often relate to the
opinion that “Metals weaknesses are plastics
strengths” and vice versa. However, there
are many proven combinations of ferrous
and non-ferrous materials which work
outstandingly well together by combining
their advantages and ultimately eliminating
weaknesses in the application at hand.
The secret to utilising engineering polymers to
deliver increased performance and efficiencies
is to manipulate the best qualities of materials
according to the application needs. For
example, if an application is needed to run
at an operating temperature of 200°C you
may consider Polyether ether ketone (PEEK)
as in most circumstances it can reach 450°C.
However, if the application will continuously
be running at 300°C then a para-aramid may
be a better material choice as PEEK shows
signs of degradation between the temperatures
of 450°C and 500°C, as the application itself
will never reach these higher temperatures.
There is therefore no requirement for the
selection of a material which in this instance
would be over engineered for the application.
Combining state of the art Research,
Development and Testing facilities with more
than five decades of engineering know-how,
Nylacast use a team of industry experienced
engineers and chemists to assist customers
across the oil and gas industry with developing
equipment componentry from raw chemicals
and ingredients through to end products.
This entails material selection assistance in
addition to compliance with industry standard
and customer specific testing and
documentation. •
If you would like to know more about the
solutions discussed in this article please contact:
Nylacast Engineered Products
www.nylacast.com/energy
[email protected]
Nylacast Friction testing.
+44 (0) 116 276 8558