 | Thickness measurements on rubber tubes or hoses are important for quality control. With no need to cut up the part, ultrasonic thickness gauges can provide instant thickness measurements by coupling an ultrasonic transducer to one side of the part. The minimum diameter of the tube is usually limited to 0.080 in. (2 mm), although thin-walled rubber tubing can be flattened to aid in making the thickness measurements. In some rubber hoses, reinforcing materials such as fibers or steel wires make the total wall thickness measurements more difficult or impossible, especially in the case of woven fabric reinforcement. In cases with fabric or woven reinforcement, it is usually possible to use the Magna-Mike™ 8600 Hall-effect thickness gauge to measure the total thickness of the tubing. The disadvantage of using this gauging method is that a small target ball needs to be inserted inside the tube to make the wall thickness measurements. |
Recommended Equipment to Measure the Thickness of Rubber Hoses and Tubes
Instrument and transducer recommendations for rubber hoses and tubes depend on variables such as hose/tube diameter, thickness range, and type of rubber. Precision thickness gauges such as the 38DL PLUS™ gauge, the Magna-Mike 8600 gauge, and the 45MG gauge with Single Element software are used with a variety of transducers, including:
- V260 Sonopen™ transducer for thin-walled tubing with diameters between approximately 0.080 in. (3 mm) and 0.2 in. (5 mm)
- M110 transducer for larger diameters and wall thicknesses up to approximately 0.4 in. (10 mm)
- M1036 transducer for thicker hoses
In some cases, the High Penetration software option for the 38DL PLUS and 45MG gauges will also be required. Contact Evident for assistance with selection of the instruments and transducers.
