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To protect surfaces and improve sliding properties, wear pads are used in industrial
applications from earlier days. Also known as slider pads, wear pads increase the wear
resistance capability and provide higher strength. In this article, we will explore more
details about Piping Wear Pads.
1. They eliminate the metal to metal damage. There are two modes of damage that can
happen:
Metal to metal wears damage by rubbing caused by thermal and pressure fluctuations.
Wear pads fit on the pipe outer surface on support locations and preserve the pipe
material.
Galvanic Corrosion due to dissimilar metals: Galvanic corrosion by the electrochemical
reaction can occur when dissimilar metals remain in contact with each other. Pipe wear
pads isolate dissimilar materials and discourage galvanic corrosion.
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2. Wear pads eliminate the possibility of crevice corrosion of the piping system. When a
pipe moves over the structure, the motion can pull off the pipe’s outer layer. So, grooves
are created for microbes to creep in, resulting in crevice corrosion by bacteria. Wear pads
for piping systems to stop these corrosive cells to form by absorbing the surface impact
themselves and safeguarding the pipe material.
3. As wear pads are directly fixed on the pipe, they displace along with the pipe without
leaving any scope for dust or grit accumulation on the pipe surface which in turn avoids
damages that may be caused by dust or grit particles.
4. Installing composite wear pads does not require welding on the pipe which in turn
keeps the pipe system fully intact. They are usually fixed to pipes by extremely strong
epoxy adhesives.
5. Composite wear pads absorb the frictional forces within then keeping the parent pipe
material safe.
6. Wear pads safeguard the piping systems from damaging vibration effects by providing
a damping effect and increasing stiffness. Pipe wear pads help the parent pipe material
from banging on the support structures.
So, in a nutshell, wear pads drive long-term performance by reducing corrosion, wear,
and preserving pipes.
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The minimum length of pipe wear pads are calculated as follows:
For wear pads with line stops the minimum length of wear pad=structure (beam)
width+2*each line stop member dimension+2*one side gap for line stop+50 mm.
For wear pads without line stops the minimum length of wear pad= structure (beam)
width +maximum thermal movement at that support location+50 mm.
reducing corrosion.
damping vibration.
RF pad or Repads are used for pressure integrity. When a piping system is not able to
withstand pressure stresses locally due to removing metal for branch connection or high
stresses, Repads are used to provide local strengthening. Reinforcing pads are usually
provided in equipment nozzle connections, pipe branch connections, or trunnion
connections.
On the contrary, wear pads are used as pipe supports. They provide wear resistance and
high strengths to pipes in support locations.
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