The use of food grade silicone tubing in food delivery has become more widespread, such as the production and delivery of alcohol, the delivery of beverages and milk. However, people have also found a problem in practical applications, that is, the lifespan of food grade silicone tubes is different. So what are the factors that affect the life of food grade silicone tubes?
The length of life of a silicone tube is affected by various external factors such as over-processing, photo-thermal causes, oxidation causes, radiation causes and mechanical fatigue. Among these external causes, the influence of ozone activity is an important factor.
It has been found through practical experience that the chemical activity of the hose is greatly increased when the silicone tube is operated in an environment with a high ozone content. The silica gel molecules in the silicone tube are more susceptible to oxidation, leading to molecular chain rupture, which changes the performance of the silicone tube and shortens its life. In addition, when the food-grade silicone tube is in a humid, light environment for a long time, it is easy to accelerate its aging rate without proper protection measures.
In addition to environmental factors, if the operator installing the silicone hose coupling and hose assembly does not use the correct installation method, the life of the food grade silicone hose will be greatly reduced. Especially when the hose is bent, the degree of bending is too large to shorten the service life. In addition to the improper use of the connector, or the random addition of the silicone hose itself is an incorrect installation method, will shorten the life of the silicone tube.
All of the above factors will affect the service life of food grade silicone tubes, so it should be used reasonably during use to extend the life of silicone tubes.