What Is a Flexible Hose?
A flexible hose is a flexible tube featuring an outer layer woven with stainless steel strips or wires.
Flexible hoses are flexible enough to be bent at will, yet strong enough to be protected by stainless steel. Flexible hoses are characterized by their resistance to external environments, vibrations, heat, and ground subsidence.
Uses of Flexible Hoses
Flexible hoses are used for gas and liquid piping. They can be used for any type of gas (air, gas, steam), liquid (chemicals, water, oil), pressure, or atmosphere.
Flexible hoses, which can be displaced at both ends, are used for piping in the moving parts of hydraulic and pneumatic equipment. They are also used for the piping connecting buildings and seismic isolation equipment, as they can withstand ground subsidence and ground movement caused by earthquakes.
Flexible hoses are also used for piping connecting pumps, compressors, and engine exhaust pipes, which are subject to vibration. Vibration transmission to the piping is reduced, thus preventing damage.
The flexibility of flexible tubing allows it to be used for piping with complex shapes. It reduces the number of piping components needed, thus reducing man-hours.
Flexible tubing is also used for medical components. Catheter tubing is made of PTFE liner and SS304/PEEK blades, etc., and is covered with flexible tubing for high safety.
Structure of Flexible Hose
A flexible hose consists of a tube, outer blades, and tube fittings at both ends. The tube is made of bellows-processed stainless steel such as SUS304, cross-linked polyethylene tube, silicone rubber, or PTFE. The blades are made of stainless steel such as SUS304, and wire and strip materials such as PEEK.
Flexible tubes with excellent flexibility are protected by stainless steel to improve strength and increase pressure resistance.
Vibrations generated by machinery and other equipment are absorbed by the flexible hose, preventing damage to the piping itself.
In addition, when ground subsidence or earthquakes occur and the ground collapses or shakes, the flexible hose bends freely with the movement of the ground, preventing damage to or destruction of piping.