A New Test Method for Measuring the Combined Effects of High Temperature Immersion and Mechanical Action on Elastomeric Hose

Conventional laboratory screening tests have not provided a completely reliable basis upon which to predict the service life of high performance automotive hose. The limitation of most test procedures is that they fail to simulate combinations of environmental conditions likely to be encountered in service.

A high temperature immersion/flexure machine has been developed that eliminates the limitation of past test procedures. It is capable of rapid and accurate evaluation of tube candidates. This new procedure offers the potential for the examination of properties of a wide variety of elastomeric compositions before resorting to costly and time-consuming fabrication of hose required for impulse and field testing. The results to date have shown excellent agreement with data obtained from long-term hose impulse.