Playing CSI on a windlass failure

C4ENG I hope you are taking the piss out of us with the nylon tube, pipe fitting and duct tape.

I would have thought the builder might have used aeroquip or parker flexible hose with re-usable fittings to make the connection between the rigid stainless tubing and the windlass itself.... That's how I would like to see something like that.

I wouldn't trust that for this application, it will probably work long enough to get you home. But I would change it ASAP. The breaking strength of that hose is only around 350 psi. Plus the even weaker point would be the hose blowing off of the nylon fitting because it is only hose clamped.

I think the guy is making a joke ... from what we have read though, maybe not.

In any event, if a swagelok blew off it is because it was not made up properly to begin with, it was not swaged with the correct tool. It may even have been done in-situ, but this is not the way to make a high pressure connection.

That is the reason for the headshaking, making a swagelok connection is more involved than just slipping the bits on the tube and cranking the nut around till it won't move anymore ... though I have seen lots of them done that way by well meaning but unskilled workers. Most of those fittings fail under vibration eventually and then the tube has to be replaced or a piece spliced in, either way it's expensive and the result of poor training.

Hi,

I have tried to help you out here- Posting complete crap does not endear you to anyone.

If yo think your plastic creation is handling 3000 PSI I would check the method of measuring the pressure. The manufacturer of your Windlass states a max pressure of 2500 PSI some 20% less that what you claim to be pumping through a garden hose.

Maybe 300 psi max for about 5 mins !!!!! That assy, would hold to 150 psi if made up properly, all burrs removed , squared ends, fully sholdered and true st stl clamp. after that, pray........

I forgot to add that the half-fast original assembly didn't swage the ferrule to the tube, it just work hardened the tube so that the half-fast repair job is probably going to blow out again eventually.

What are the correct tools? According to the video posted above, all that is needed for the swagelok fitting assembly is wrenches and a magic marker?

They make a swaging tool and gauge that allows you to set the ferrule without damaging the fitting by overtightening, misalignment, or setting the depth improperly.

When you are working with tubing larger than 1/4" it is easy to screw it up as the tolerances are fairly tight.

Interesting. So Swageloc doesn't seem to show/know the correct way to make up their own fittings?

Hey, I thought it was funny.

They make the tools, ask them. And ask the guy who made up the original fitting why it failed.

Are you talking about the MHSU and AHSU swaging units?

Hi,

There are Tools and Install Instructions listed on Pages 55 on in the manual.

I tried to pull these out and post them but they are too big, same when I scanned them at 100 dpi.

The techniques in the manual were definitely missing in the video.

I have always been of the understanding that the de burring of the cut end and correct depth insertion in the fitting were essential to a long a successful service life.

The crevice corrosion issue I posted about previously was encountered in a system pumping up to 60 bar ( 900 psi) Sea Water through it. Any time fittings were opened there was always damage to the mating surfaces. An application of Silicone Gasket Paste let dry before returning to service was successful for a couple of uses before the fittings were completely goosed.

C4ENG

How big is this hyd/circuit 15hp ? If so how big is the fluid tank in volume ? 10 gal or less is to small !! the heat generated will cause the fittings and steel lines to expand and contract too much. How long is the capstan operated are you anchoring in deep water? if so throw that fitting away and make up a 6000 psi flexable loop to span the short gap that your pictured repair portray's(sp). Hyd motors and pumps have a large variety of thread / o-ring specifications. Purchase the correct ones to convert/change to a JIC 37' deg fitting (I think?) ,mount the males with good quality pipe dope (not teflon tape) in the pump/motor ports, dry fit the hose and females mark the hose and fittings and then have the ends pressed with a hyd swagging tool.Bent/pre fomed steel hyd lines that span a fixed distance and are usually not in the same plane that are installed and or removed after the pump and motor are hard mounted need to be flexed/bent to be installed and the compression nuts bind when not tightened in a alternating fashion 1/4 to 1/2 turn at one end of the line to the other while wiggeling the line to ensure that itis bottomed out and isn't binding .Hope this helps and K1W1 tolerances though exacting are too( IN )for most boat work!

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