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STORAGE AND SHELF LIFE CONDITIONS
Hose, Connectors & Adaptors Handling,
Storage & Traceability – Hose
4 years 6 years
39
maximum age maximum utilisation
of hose material limit of hose line It is well known that, with time, rubbers age and their physical
2 years maximum properties change. Eventually, the same rubbers can lose their
storage duration optimal characteristics for the applications to which they are
production date production date dedicated.
hose material assembly
Consequently the targets for the storage methods of rubber
based products are aimed to avoid or reduce at minimum
fig. 1 - Hose storage and utilisation limits level the aging of rubbers:
according to DIN 20066, part 5.
• reduce the storage period to a minimum, considering rub-
bers are subjected to ageing with time;
• guarantee the best storage conditions, carefully considering
all the main parameters influencing the ageing process.
Also, hose storage requires particular conditions for the best
results in maintaining the products initial properties and
characteristics.
The following table lists the main specifications regarding
storage conditions for hoses:
specification issue date
ISO 8331 Ed. September 1991
BS 5244 Ed. 1986, reaffirmed 1996
DIN 20066 Ed. October 2002
SAE J1273 Ed. August 2004
Summary of their recommendations:
ISO 8331: Rubber and plastics hoses and hose assemblies –
Guide to selection, storage, use and maintenance
Max. storage duration
<4 years before assembly operation
<2 years for hose assemblies
If further storage periods cannot be avoided, hoses should be
inspected and/or tested before use (tests are not specified).
This specification does not state any max. service life duration
for the hose assembly.
DIN20066: Hydraulic fluid power; hose assemblies; assessment
of service performance (fig. 1)
Max. storage duration
<4 years before assembly operation
<2 years for the assemblies
Stress conditions are quoted which are potentially able to reduce
the hose assembly service life.
A max. functionality period of 6 years is indicated including the
storage period as assembly. As a consequence each storage
period consumes an equivalent part of the service life of the hose.
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BS 5244: Application, storage and life expiry of hydraulic rub-
ber hoses and hose assemblies
40
Max. storage duration for hoses and assemblies
<3 years: no tests required on the hose
• 3 - 5 years: hydraulic proof pressure tests required
• 5 - 8 years: hydraulic proof pressure tests, impulse test, burst
test, cold flexibility test, electrical test required
>8 years: hose to be scrapped
Max. storage duration for assemblies installed on stored equip-
ment
<3 years: no tests required on the assemblies
• 3 - 5 years: hydraulic proof pressure and burst test required
>5 years: assembly to be scrapped
The service life duration of a hose assembly is quoted as being
“dependent on the equipment” (to which the hose has been
fitted), therefore stating that a general estimate is not possible.
It advises that “records be kept for each type of equipment
with a view to establishing a working life for each particular
application”.
SAE J1273: Recommended Practices for Hydraulic Hose
Assemblies
Max. storage duration
Rubber hose:
<10 years in bulk form
<10 years for assemblies passing visual inspection and proof
test
Thermoplastic or PTFE hoses: considered unlimited
The specification reports general requirements on factors that
can affect hose products in storage.
The specification does not give indications on hose assembly
service life duration, stating that it is unpredictable, considering
the combined effects of all the factors involved. Each system
has to be carefully analysed for the purpose.
The Specification gives general criteria for a maintenance pro-
gram of hose assemblies, to be carried out by the users. The
maintenance program must suit the specific application and
each specific hose on that application.
The specification asks to evaluate factors such as the nature
and severity of the application, past history, etc., to establish
the frequency of visual inspections and functional tests.
In all the specifications, general storage conditions and
installation guidelines are supplied. Generally the following
parameters are listed and relative qualitative suggestions are
included.
Temperature
Generally 0 to 35°C (preferably 15°C)
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Humidity
Very humid or dry conditions should be avoided: the recom-
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mended conditions are around and/or not higher than 65%
of relative humidity
Light
Hoses should be protected from sunlight or strong artificial
lights: it is generally suggested to paint the warehouse win-
dows with red or orange colours, and/or to maintain the
hoses stored in closed boxes.
Oxygen and Ozone
Mercury vapour lamps or tubes, closeness to high-voltage
electrical equipment, etc., should be avoided because of the
harmful effect of ozone on rubber based products.
Hoses should be protected from the circulating air and packed
in closed boxes.
Oils, solvents, greases
The potential contact of stored hoses with aggressive sub-
stances must be avoided.
Heat sources
Hose should be stored away from potential heat sources,
electric and magnetic fields
Storage areas should not be in the proximity of equipment that
may generate electrical or magnetic fields, or may be able to
induce currents in metallic parts, which in turn, generate heat.
Storage methods
Whenever possible hoses should be stored in a relaxed state,
without imposed stresses and strains.
Coils should be as large as possible and at least to the mini-
mum recommended hose bend radius.
Hydraulic hose should be stored in such a way to avoid abra-
sion of the external cover through accidental contact with
storage systems.
Handling methods
Hydraulic hose should be handled in a way that avoids possi-
ble impact damage or hose cover abrasion.
Additional Manuli Rubber Industries observations and
considerations:
Manuli Rubber Industries fully meets all the above mentioned
requirements regarding the storage conditions for hoses and
assemblies. Warehouses are designed to guarantee the best
storage conditions without any decay of the rubbers proper-
ties and product performances, ensuring that hoses are deliv-
ered to customers in optimum condition.
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Should there be a problem related to a batch of hose then it
may be necessary to trace it back to the manufactured batch.
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This can be achieved by recording the manufacture code
within the quality system. The batch number of Manuli hose is
the production date branded on the back of the hose.
In addition:
• Consideration should be given to stock rotation. Hose with
an older manufacture date should be sold first, (unless a spe-
cific manufacture period is requested). Manuli hose boxes
have a coloured circle on the box indicating the year of
manufacture.
• There appear to be no general international recommenda-
tions for the storage of connectors and adaptors, however,
it is important to take precautions to prevent damage or
deterioration.
• Connectors and adaptors are supplied in boxes with internal
protective plastic bag. It is preferable that they remain in those
boxes until ready for use. This will prevent accidental damage
and environmental attack. Connectors and Adaptors will dete-
riorate if subject to external influences such as dampness,
humidity and contamination. Contamination may become
lodged in the connectors & adaptors and cause eventual
problems when fitted to a hose assembly on an application.
Damage to the hose assembly and/or the application may
result!
• Connectors with O-Rings should be stored in their original
boxes and not exposed to day-light. They should also be
stored away from electrical equipment to prevent ozone attack.
• Care has to be taken to avoid damage to threads, as a result
of storage, handling and after installing onto a hose.
• External male threads & flange faced inserts are particularly
vulnerable and extra care during handling needs to be taken.
• All inserts fitted to hose assemblies should be capped to pre-
vent accidental damage and ingress of contamination.
• Should there be a problem related to a connector or adaptor
then it may be necessary to trace back to the actual manu-
factured batch. This can be achieved by recording the
manufacture code within the quality system. The box num-
ber gives this trace-ability.
• Connectors and Adaptors also have a coloured circle on the
box indicating the year of manufacture, therefore, the old-
est boxes would be bought to the front of the shelves with
newer ones being stored behind.
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SERVICE LIFE CONSIDERATIONS
Hydraulic hose and hose assemblies have a limited (finite) serv-
ice life depending on the service conditions to which they are
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subjected. A very severe application will result in a reduced life
duration, a less demanding application will result in a longer
service life for the same hose.
Submitting hose and hose assemblies to conditions more
severe than the recommended limits significantly reduces serv-
ice life; but also the exposure to combined functional parame-
ters closed to the recommended limits, for example constantly
at the maximum recommended operating temperature, use at
maximum rated working pressure and minimum bend radius,
etc. will reduce service life.
Eventual failures due to the missing use of proper selection cri-
teria for the components, installation and maintenance, may
result in injury to personnel and/or damage to equipment.
Hose assemblies must be preliminarily selected according to
the detailed guidelines supplied in this manual. In addition
when in service, they should be regularly inspected for dam-
ages according to the equipment preventive maintenance
program. Assemblies showing signs of wear or damage
should be replaced immediately; criteria to evaluate the hose
assemblies and their eventual replacement are (see also SAE
J1273) signs of significant deterioration, for example:
• leaks at hose, fitting or in hose;
• damaged, cut or abraded cover;
• exposed hose reinforcement;
• kinked, crushed, flattened or twisted hose;
• hard, stiff, heat cracked or charred hose;
• blistered, soft, degraded, or loose cover;
• cracked, damaged or badly corroded fittings;
• fitting slippage on hose, etc.
Maximum service life results can be achieved if the hose
assembly is subjected to correct functional conditions, com-
plying with recommendations outlined in this manual and the
catalogue.
The actual service life of a given hose assembly in a given
application is dependent on many variable factors, including
those below, the main ones affecting service life duration:
Hose selection and routing
Carefully analyse each system and application: design routings
(installation configurations) and select hose and related com-
ponents to meet the system-performance and hose-service-life
requirements, and to minimise the risks of personal injury
and/or property damage.
Torsions, reduced bend radii, external tensile loads and/or
crushing stress applied on the hoses should be avoided.
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Excessive vibrations and/or severe flexing installations should
be properly studied in order to find suitable solutions.
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Operating temperatures
Operating temperatures specified refer to the maximum tem-
perature of the fluid being conveyed. High heat conditions
may have an adverse effect on hoses due to degradation of
the rubber which will limit hose usefulness and reduce fitting
retention. In particular the applications for which permanent
high temperature level is present, may be in continuous
service 24 hours per day, must be carefully treated: continuous
use at maximum temperatures together with maximum pres-
sures should always be avoided. In fact they may cause a dete-
rioration of physical properties of the tube and cover, thus
reducing the service life of the hose.
Also consider that different fluids conveyed can cause involve
a different degradation of rubbers: that’s why the maximum
temperature of each hose does not apply to all fluids but must
be checked also in correlation to the fluid being conveyed.
Pressure surges
Generally, all the hydraulic systems develop pressure surges
(rapid transient rise of pressure) which may exceed also the
relief valves set up. Exposing the hose to surge pressures
above the maximum operating pressure will reduce the hose
life and must be carefully considered. It is also necessary to
know that most of the surges can be recorded only with elec-
tronic sensors due to their short duration, not being indicated
by many common pressure gauges: the hose selected must
have rated pressure higher than the maximum pressure peak
or surge of the system.
Ambient temperatures and environmental conditions
Very high or low ambient (outside the hose) temperatures, will
affect cover material and the hose structure, coupling area,
etc. thus reducing the service life of the assembly, involved by
the rubbers aging phenomenon, also affecting the fitting
retention capability.
Also the extremely severe environmental conditions such as
sunlight exposure, powder, abrasive contacts with stones, on
the ground, external bodies, etc. (e.g. under carriage applica-
tions on mobile equipment, marine/ships applications) must
be considered with a proper selection of the hose, for exam-
ple special cover compounds, special fittings, or dedicated
protections of the assemblies.
The severe environmental conditions, if present, must be prop-
erly considered in the selection of special compounds or the
study of proper protections and safety systems for the assem-
blies in order to avoid the life reduction due to fast aggressive
actions of the external agents on the hose/rubbers.
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Chemical resistance
Consider the chemical resistance of the tube compound with
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the working fluid, following the chemical compatibility chart
recommendations.
But also the cover compound has to be considered in this
analysis: covers are generally resistant to oil drops rather than
for complete immersion in the fluid, are resistant to cleaning
solvents diluted in the water, dust of grease, powder, drop of
fuels, etc.
Also fittings and O-Rings must be considered in the chemical
resistance analysis.
Improper selection of the products will lead to a potential pre-
mature failure of the assemblies.
Hose fittings
Manuli manufactures hose fittings to meet applicable interna-
tional standards. It is possible to select a fitting with a connect-
ing end that has a performance rating lower that the hose rat-
ing. In selecting hose fittings, please consider the performance
rating of the connecting end, avoiding potential leaks at the
termination end.
Maintenance
Hose assemblies in operation should be inspected frequently
for leakage, kinking, abrasion, corrosion or any other signs of
wear or damage. Worn or damaged hose assemblies should
be replaced immediately.
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The influence of design on the expected life of hose
assembly.
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Pressure surges and pressure spikes have tremendous effects on
working life of pressure hoses. For a quantitative approach on
the damage caused by pressure fluctuations it is possible to refer
to SAE J1927. Note that this spec. and its interpretation is only
valid for applications with variable amplitude pressure where the
majority of the peaks are between 100 and 200% of the rated
pressure. Within this range the damage is considered to be an
increase of the fatigue stress and therefore a reduction of the life
of the hose, higher peaks will create permanent damage of the
structure and eventually will burst the hose.
Considering the structural specifications defined in the norms it
is possible to construct a P-N “cumulative damage curve” based
on the tests (burst tests and impulse cycle tests).
As an example consider SAE 100R2 hoses: burst pressure is
defined as 400% of pressure rated and impulse point is defined
as 200,000 cycles at 133% of pressure rated.
Considering a cumulative damage curve following the equation,
Pa = Pb (N)S, where:
Pa = Zero to max amplitude of pressure cycle
N = Cycles of failure at pressure amplitude Pa
Pb = Burst pressure (one cycle life)
S = Slope of curve on a log-log plot
The curve can be represented as a straight line on a log-log curve.
% RATED 1000
PRESSURE
BURST
400
REF
P-N
CUR
VE
133% IMPULSE
100
1 10 100 1,000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000
IMPULSE CYCLES
The effect of the amplitude of spikes can be inferred from the
graph: consider that if 200,000 spikes of 133% of pressure rated
will not fail the assembly, while only 2,000 impulses of 200% of the
pressure rated can seriously impact the service life of the assembly.
On a system architecture design, the use of this graph is para-
mount: in applications where the maximum pressure and the
probability of occurrence of the spikes and surges are known, it
allows to select the proper hose. As long as the application defined
as a P-N combination is below the curve the hose is appropriate.
