A customer recently reached out to us via our website with an interesting inquiry. They explained that they currently have a hydraulic system with both flared fittings and Swagelok tube fittings. However, they have been facing pressure to replace the Swagelok fittings with flared fittings due to concerns about reliability. They requested any literature we could provide regarding the effectiveness of Swagelok fittings and any practical limitations they may have.
We immediately reached out to the customer to delve deeper into their concerns. This particular customer, who operates in the defense industry, has been using Swagelok tube fittings for over a decade without encountering any issues. However, their stringent quality process prompted them to conduct a thorough evaluation of the potential failure risks in their application. In fact, the engineering management even encouraged our contact, an operations engineer, to scrutinize the reliability of our tube fittings in their high-pressure 3000 psig hydraulic system rotary application, ensuring that the Swagelok tube fitting could truly meet their requirements without the nut ever loosening.
Our account manager promptly provided the customer with 3 product test reports (PTRs) and a detailed copy of Swagelok's limited lifetime warranty. Among these reports, PTR-3222 proved to be exactly what they needed. In this particular report, Swagelok conducted rigorous testing on their tube fitting assemblies, specifically focusing on the fatigue endurance of 316 stainless steel Swagelok tube fittings with advanced geometry back ferrules. The tests were conducted under controlled laboratory conditions, subjecting the fittings to various levels of applied alternating bending stress. Throughout the entire duration of the test, there was absolutely no leakage detected from the fittings. The test only concluded when the tube fractured or when the test sample surpassed an impressive 10 million cycles. For a more in-depth look at the findings, you can refer to the comprehensive product test report PTR-3222.
As a result of this interaction, we decided to write up a quick defense of Swagelok tube fittings in relation to flare fittings.
Swagelok tube fittings are commonly preferred over flare fittings for various reasons:
While flare fittings have their specific use cases, Swagelok tube fittings are generally preferred in industries where leak-free and reliable connections are critical, such as oil and gas, chemical processing, aerospace, and semiconductor manufacturing, among others.
To find out more about how Swagelok Northern California can help you make a selection between single ferrule vs. double ferrule tube fittings for your fluid system installation, contact our team today by calling 510-933-6200.
Morgan holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from University of California at Santa Barbara. He is certified in Section IX, Grab Sample Panel Configuration and Mechanical Efficiency Program Specification (API 682), and he is well versed in B31.3 Process Piping Code. Before joining Swagelok Northern, he was a manufacturing engineer at Sierra Instruments, primarily focused on capillary thermal meters for the semiconductor industry (ASML).