GEARENCH PETOL Slim Grip Tongs - Manual (Page 9)

7
Environmental Conditions
Tongs operate in widely varying environments, from wet outdoor conditions to mildly or
highly corrosive industrial atmospheres. They can also be exposed to abrasives such as sand
or grit.
The possible effects include:
Moisture - Corrosion and rust reduce strength by causing pitting and cracking.
Temperature - Very cold temperatures reduce strength by embrittlement.
Chemical Solutions or Vapors - Corrosive attack of components’ grain structure and/or
the mechanical connections between the components (crevice corrosion) may occur.
Cracking often is microscopic. Propagation to complete failure can be eventual or
sudden.
Abrasives - Accelerated wearing and scoring of the articulating members may occur, with
a corresponding reduction in strength.
These conditions, when coupled with normal wear, can result in environmentally assisted
failure. It is impossible to predict life under complex conditions, as the degree of hostility
and its effects are dependent on many variables such as temperature, time of exposure,
concentration of corrosive atmosphere or medium, degree of abrasive wear, etc. Establishing
the degree and frequency of unpredictable dynamic loading is also difficult.