Metflex develops bends with undersea umbilical

ERJ staff report (PRW)

Blackburn, UK – Precision rubber moulding specialist, Metflex, has launched a range of high performance rubbers designed for demanding subsea applications, reported Plastics & Rubber Weekly.

MetflexSubsea NRX is a natural rubber available as moulded shapes for pipeline connectors, protective shielding and umbilical connection systems.

“The NRX range of rubber materials are the result of a three year subsea rubber development programme working closely with the offshore industry,” said Steve Parry, director of development, Metflex. “These new rubber grades are designed to assist engineers in meeting the challenges of long term water immersion, robust handling and rigours of subsea deployment.”

According to the company, natural rubber has many advantages over other materials for subsea applications including a very high tensile strength, an ability to absorb dynamic stresses and good abrasion resistance.

The NRX rubbers offer temperature resistance in the range -50 to +80°C, 67-73 shore hardness and a compression set up to 14 percent. In large rubber blocks, where greater stiffness is needed, Metflex is able to supply mouldings containing single and multiple metal inserts.