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Stainless Steel Tube Fittings
Tube fittings
Complementing our stock of round tube is a range of tube fittings. The more common tube fittings include bends (45, 90 and 180 degree), tees, reducing tees, eccentric and concentric reducers, BSM unions and tube clamps.
Tube bends – Bends are generally stocked as 45, 90 or 180 degree. Three common manufacturing processes are pulled bends (cold drawn bend), pressed bends and lobster back bends. The process of manufacturing often relates to the diameter of the bend and the thickness of material used. Up to and including 152.4mm the bends are generally pulled, by far the most commonly supplied bends. Pressed bends can be from 101.6 to 305mm OD. Lobster back bends are generally supplied in diameters 101.6mm and above and these bends are used generally to suit spiral welded tube.
To maintain a level of quality and consistency Atlas stocks pulled bends with an extended leg. The importance of this style of bend ensures each end of the bend is finished off true and accurate. The extended leg gives the ability to maintain the original circularity of the tube and a precise 45 or 90 degree radius measured from across the end face of the bends.
Tees – Two common processes of manufacturing are welded or pulled tees. To maintain product quality and consistency welded tees are stocked as opposed to pulled tees. Tees are stocked in two forms; equal or reducing. An equal tee has all three branches of the tee equal in diameter. A reducing tee has a reduced diameter of tube on the branch section of the tee.
As tube fittings are often used in the food industry and hygiene is important many of these fittings are stocked in a polished finish.
BSM unions
British Standard Milk (BSM) stainless steel unions were designed specifically for tube installation in the dairy industry, but they are now commonly used in food and beverage processing and the pharmaceutical industries where crevice-free hygienic conditions are required. A commonly used term is ‘CIP’ which comes from the phrase Clean In Place.
RJT (Ring Joint Type) – often referred to as a standard union comprises an ‘O’ ring style gasket. This leaves a small crevice internally where the liner and male part of the union overlap, this is not suitable for permanent CIP.
CIP (Australian style) – developed from a RJT union, features a gasket iving the desirable characteristics for CIP installation. The gasket fills the crevice between the liner and male part of the union.
CIPFF – the FF stands for ‘Flat Face’ and refers to a BSM modified upporting CIP installations. The gasket is moulded completely filling the crevice between the liner and male part and allows a small lip to give a flush finish on the ID of the fitting. The liner and male parts of this union ave been modified creating a flat face style sealed with a flat face gasket. flat faced liner and male part used in a CIPFF union are shaped differently to that used in an RJT or CIP union.
Note: Temperature rating for EPDM "E" gasket material is -51ºC to 148ºC.
