France bans use of asbestos

ISSN 1350-4789

August

1996

h

International

Newsletter

Number

32

Sealing Technology News . . . . . . . . . . .

1

EC&G sets up joint venture in China France bans use of asbestos Cefilac goes up for sale Sell-offs help TI profits leap Burgmann launches venture in Arab Emirates Tea& receives IS0 certification Poron Materials is named top supplier Fluoropolymer maker opens its doors Valve and seal makers converge Developments in automotive sealing Fluid sealing technology course

Static sealing

4

. PTFE sheet resists corrosive attack Sealant protects porous materials Pipe joint seal eases installation . Optimization of gasketed connections l

l

Dynamic

sealing

5

. Seals for toxic fluid transfer . New resilient seal for valves . Snap-in wiper excludes contamination

Features

7

. Economics of sealing materials: cost vs benefit guidelines . $bzevelopment of a new generation of split mechanical

Patents . . . .

12

Automatic machine for the production of gaskets Sealing of carrier tube for a fibre optic Three layer metal gasket with dual coating Joint assembly employing multi-ring gasket

Webwatch

15

Events Calendar

16

ELSEVIEK ADVAKCED ‘I’ECI INOLOGY

EG&G sets up joint venture in China EG&G has taken a majority stake in the Chinese mechanical seal manufacturer, Xian Yong Hua Petrochemical Machinery, in order to improve its service to the market there. Xian Yong Hua produces seals for utility, aerospace and industrial applications, and now forms a joint venture with EG&G Sealol. under the new name Xian Seal01 Mechanical Seals Co. Ltd. EG&G believes the purchase is a significant step forward in its continuing plan to meet customers’ needs in China and anticipates that this will help increase its participation in the Chinese economy. Xian Seal01 Mechanical Seals, situated in Xian City, Shanxi Province, and employing around 130 people, will be helped by the US group to improve its manufacturing systems and processes, together with its sales and marketing activities. It will also focus on transferring technology and on quality initiatives to support the joint venture’s product imporvement efforts. Contact: EG&G SeaIol, Industrial Division, 50 Sharpe Drive, Howard Industrial Park, Cranston, RI 02920, USA. Tel: +l 401 463 8700; Fax: +1401463 6198.

France bans use of asbestos France has prohibited almost entirely the production and use of asbestos from January 1997. The move followed presentation of a report from the national medical research agency, INSEFUM, which forecast almost 2000 deaths in 1996 in France as a result of exposure to asbestos. The French study expects most of the cases to be work related, which supports the observations of British researchers last year who found that building workers suffered the highest casualties from asbestos exposure. Twenty years ago, death rates were highest among factory workers manufacturing asbestos

Copyright 0 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd. England/96/$15.00 per item. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any form or by any means, electronic,

mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. (Readers in the USA, please see special regulations listed on back cover.)

News p r o d u c t s . C o n t a c t with the carcinogenic f i b r e s h a s s i n c e been c o n t r o l l e d , and the o c c u r r e n c e of m e s o t h e l i o m a , a c a n c e r of the lung lining, is now h i g h e s t a m o n g gas fitters, p l u m b e r s and w e l d e r s . Many w o r k e r s are u n a w a r e of the e x p o s u r e , it is c l a i m e d . INSERM'S p r e d i c t i o n is for a r o u n d 800 d e a t h s this year from m e s o t h e l i m i a , and 1200 from lung c a n c e r . It w a r n s of the d a n g e r of e x p o s i n g p e o p l e to even h i g h e r c o n c e n t r a t i o n s t h a n b e f o r e by r e m o v i n g the m a t e r i a l indiscriminately. The F r e n c h g o v e r n m e n t will p e r m i t the u s e of a s b e s t o s in b r a k e l i n i n g s and some p r o t e c t i v e clothing u n t i l alternatives are developed. C o n t a c t : INSERM, 101 Rue de Tolbiac, 7 5 6 5 4 C e d e x 13, P a r i s , F r a n c e . Tel: + 3 3 1 4 4 2 3 6 0 0 0 .

C e f i l a c g o e s up for sale Cefilac, the s e a l i n g division of F r e n c h c o m p a n y Le C a r b o n e L o r r a i n e , is to be s o l d . N e g o t i a t i o n s with a p r o s p e c t i v e b u y e r , as yet u n n a m e d , are at an a d v a n c e d s t a g e and an a n n o u n c e m e n t is e x p e c t e d in S e p t e m b e r 1 9 9 6 . Pechiney, the p a r e n t c o m p a n y , w i s h e s to d e v e l o p the s y n e r g y b e t w e e n its core b u s i n e s s e s , and this h a s led to the d i v e s t m e n t of Cefilac - - k n o w n as Helicoflex in the US. The s e a l i n g division p r o d u c e s m e t a l , c o m p o s i t e , s p i r a l w o u n d and m e c h a n i c a l s e a l s at its b a s e s in St E t i e n n e and M o n t b r i s o n , F r a n c e , and in Columbia, USA, for i n d u s t r i a l a p p l i c a t i o n s . A l t h o u g h it h a s been p e r f o r m i n g well, a c c o u n t i n g at one s t a g e for a r o u n d 10% of C a r b o n e L o r r a i n e s a l e s , its relatively s m a l l size and the n o n - c o r e n a t u r e of the b u s i n e s s h a s led to the sell-off. C o n t a c t : Le C a r b o n L o r r a i n e , T o u r M a n h a t t a n , C e d e x 2 I, 9 2 0 9 5 P a r i s La D e f e n s e 2, F r a n c e . Tel: + 3 3 1 4 7 6 2 8 8 0 0 ; Fax: + 3 3 1 4 7 7 3 5 5 5 4 .

S e l l - o f f s help TI p r o f i t s leap TI G r o u p h a s r e p o r t e d a 43% i n c r e a s e in f i r s t half profits. The effect of fiat s a l e s in some m a r k e t s was d a m p e n e d as p r o c e e d s c a m e in from the d i s p o s a l of t h r e e n o n - c o r e b u s i n e s s e s , t i g h t e r cost c o n t r o l s were i m p o s e d a n d l a s t y e a r ' s i n t e r e s t c h a r g e of £ 4 . 7 m was r e d u c e d to £ 2 . 7 m . I m p r o v e d p e r f o r m a n c e in the A m e r i c a s and the Pacific Rim m a d e up for s t a l e m a r k e t c o n d i t i o n s in E u r o p e . The c o m p a n y i n c r e a s e d p r e - t a x p r o f i t s from £ 8 7 . 4 m to £ 1 2 5 . 3 m in the f i r s t six m o n t h s of 1996. J o h n C r a n e c o n t r i b u t e d p r o f i t s of £ 4 7 . 9 m , as a g a i n s t £42. l m last y e a r . The g r o u p is still c o n s i d e r i n g for a n u m b e r of

2

s i z e a b l e b o l t - o n a c q u i s i t i o n s and says t h a t a s p e n d of up to £ 3 0 0 m c o u l d be h a n d l e d c o m f o r t a b l y . C o n t a c t : TI G r o u p , L a m b o u r n e C o u r t , A b i n g d o n B u s i n e s s P a r k , A b l n g d o n , O x o n O X I 4 IUH, UK. Tel: + 4 4 1 7 1 4 9 9 9 1 3 1 ; Fax: + 4 4 1 7 1 4 9 3 6 5 3 3 .

Burgmann launches venture in Arab E m i r a t e s B u r g m a n n o p e n e d a new s u b s i d i a r y in D u b a i , last m o n t h . B u r g m a n n M i d d l e E a s t f o c u s e s on distribution, p r o d u c t i o n , s e r v i c e a n d r e t r o f i t t i n g for m e c h a n i c a l s e a l s , p a c k i n g s and e x p a n s i o n j o i n t s for oil and gas p r o d u c t i o n , g e n e r a t i o n of p o w e r and desalination, r e f i n e r i e s and the p e t r o c h e m i c a l industry. The new b r a n c h is s i t u a t e d in J e b e l All Free Zone, a free t r a d e a r e a in D u b a i . From t h e r e , six c o u n t r i e s of the "Gulf C o r p o r a t i o n council" are s e r v e d , n a m e l y the U n i t e d Arab E m i r a t e s , S a u d i Arabia, Q a t a r , B a h r a i n and O m a n . B u r g m a n n has invested approximately DM 850 000 in this new subsidiary. Five e m p l o y e e s u n d e r the m a n a g e m e n t of M i c h a e l Gulliford a n d his d e p u t y W a l t e r S c h m 6 l l e r have m a d e m e d i u m - t e r m p l a n s for a s a l e s t u r n o v e r of DM 7m, the e q u i v a l e n t of a 20% m a r k e t s h a r e . 550 m2 were r e n t e d for offices, m a c h i n e o u t f i t and w o r k s h o p . All r e p a i r s , retrofits, s p a r e p a r t s and c o m p l e t e s e a l s can now be m a n u f a c t u r e d in D u b a i . This is B u r g m a n n ' s 2 9 t h foreign v e n t u r e following the formation of a s u b s i d i a r y in K o r e a and a j o i n t v e n t u r e in Indonesia. C o n t a c t : B u r g m a n n M i d d l e E a s t , PO B o x 6 1 3 1 0 , J e b e l All F r e e Z o n e , D u b a i , U n i t e d Arab E m i r a t e s . Tel: + 9 7 1 4 8 3 8 8 4 1 ; Fax: + 9 7 1 4 8 3 8 8 4 3 .

T e a d i t r e c e i v e s ISO certification T e a d i t Italia, m a n u f a c t u r e r of s e a l i n g and i n s u l a t i n g m a t e r i a l s , h a s been a w a r d e d c e r t i f i c a t i o n for I S O - 9 0 0 1 by Det N o r s k e V e r i t a s Italia S.r.1. T e a d i t c o n s i d e r s the a c h i e v e m e n t of this certificate to be a n a t u r a l step in the evolution of the p h i l o s o p h y of T o t a l Q u a l i t y M a n a g e m e n t , w h i c h all c o m p a n i e s w i t h i n the g r o u p have m a d e an integral p a r t of t h e i r individual c o m p a n y policies. The incentive to aim for the q u a l i t y s t a n d a r d w a s as a r e s p o n s e to i n c r e a s i n g d e m a n d from the m a r k e t p l a c e . T e a d i t p r o d u c e s a r a n g e of stuffing box p a c k i n g s for d y n a m i c and s t a t i c a p p l i c a t i o n s , y a r n s ,

Sealing Technology No. 32