Flexclad Heat Shrink Tape

 Flexclad Heat Shrinkable Tape - Application Guide

     Flexclad heat shrinkable tape is used to prevent corrosion on pipe bends in distribution networks and corrosion protect straight line pipe with outside diameters less than 2.375".  Flexclad tape consists of a radiation crosslinked polyolefin backing, coated with a specially formulated viscoelastic adhesive.  

     The tape is wrapped around the preheated pipe.  A separate closure is used to fix the tape end to the pipe surface.  Because of its flexibility, Flexclad tape conforms to the shape of the pipe surface.  When heated, the backing shrinks and forces the adhesive to flow and fill the weld area and other surface irregularities.  

     The shrinking tape exerts force on the sealant, which results in a perfectly tight seal.  Flexclad tape has the additional advantage of reduced craft sensitivity when installed on site.  When cooled, the product bonds extremely well to the steel pipe, to its own backing at the overlap and to various pipe coatings.  Flexclad tape resists abrasion, impact and penetration and has a high resistance to cathodic disbondment.  The product does not require primer.  

The exposed steel should be cleaned using a wire brush or grit blasting.
Steel and adjacent pipe coating should be free of all foreign materials such as dirt, rust, oil, grease and moisture prior to installation.  No primer is needed.

Preheat the joint area to 60C and the adjacent coating to 60C using a propane torch.  Verify the temperature with a contact pyrometer or similar quality temperature measuring device.

Pull the appropriate length of Flexclad off of the roll.  Position the tape with at least one complete wrap onto the pipe coating.  The tape should overlap onto itself by at least 3/4 of an inch.

Wrap the tape tightly around the bend until the bend is completely covered, assuring a minimum overlap onto each wrap.  The tape should extend onto the other side of the pipe coating with at least one complete wrap.  The tape end should be fixed with a closure. 

Adjust the torch to product a steady, bushy yellow flame.  Slightly heat the tape surface with the yellow portion of the flame, starting at the last wrap.  Move the torch spirally around the bend to assure equal heating of the tape, until the adhesive flow becomes evident at each overlap. 

The tape surface should be smooth without any entrapment of foreign materials.  The adhesive should be visible at the tape sides and at each overlap.  

Example of Flexclad being shrunk at a recent training. 

Installed Flexclad - excellent option for bends.

How to Coat Pipe Bends

 Flexclad Heat Shrinkable Tape for Pipe Bends (and more!)

 A roll of Flexclad 50x1500/165

     Flexclad heat shrinkable tape is used to prevent corrosion of pipe bends in distribution networks.  The tape consists of a radiation crosslinked polyolefin backing coated with a specially formulated viscoelastic adhesive.  The tape is wrapped around the preheated pipe.  A separate closure is used to fix the tape end to the pipe surface.  Because of its flexibility, Flexclad tape conforms to the shape of the pipe surface.  When heated, the backing shrinks and forces the adhesive to flow and fill the weld area and other surface irregularities.  

    The shrinking tape exerts force on the sealant, which results in a perfectly tight seal.  Flexclad tape has an additional advantage of reduced craft-sensitivity when installed on site.  When cooled the products bonds extremely well to the steel pipe, to its own backing at the overlap, and to various pipe coatings.  Flexclad tape resists abrasion, impact and penetration and has a high resistance to cathodic disbondment.  Flexlad does not require a primer of any kind (though if you chose to use it with an S1301M Epoxy Primer - some technical values will be even better).

    Flexclad is sold in rolls that are 50 feet long.  It is stocked and available in widths of 2", 3" and 4".  It can be used for bends, for some fittings, for field joints on small pipe and just many other applications.  Call today to discuss what Flexclad can do for you!

Flexclad Heat-Shrinkable Tape Wrap for Pipe Bends

FLEXCLAD Heat-Shrinkable Tape Wrap for Pipe Bends

Hand-wrapped, heat-shrinkable corrosion protection tape.

Product Description:

 
Construction: Multi wrap construction:
Adhesives: Semi-crystalline mastic sealant (Flexclad), High-shear strength copolymer adhesive (Flexclad-II-C30).
Backing: Flexible, radiation cross-linked, low density polyethylene.
 

FLEXCLAD tapes are stretchable, hand-wrapped, heat-shrinkable tapes used for corrosion
protection of pipe bends and also for small diameter straight pipes in distribution networks.
 

FLEXCLAD is available in 2 mechanical classes: B30 = FLEXCLAD; C30 = FLEXCLAD-II-C30.
 

The installation is carried out directly on the cleaned and prepared pipe surface without any primer. During installation, FLEXCLAD(-II) is to be wrapped spirally around the bend with a 50% overlap. The carrier is heated and shrinks tightly around the substrate; at the same time, the sealing adhesive melts and is forced into all surface irregularities, forming a thorough coating and a complete bond with the substrate.

Product features/benefits

• Different mechanical classes
Provides options to the customer and allows cost savings.
• Highly flexible
Easy to apply at both low or high temperatures & on pipes of small
diameter.
• Compatible with varying pipe diameters
Minimizes inventory, thus saving money.
• Self-tensioning, heat-shrinkable backing
Easy to use. Saves time.
• No special equipment required
Keeps installation costs low.

Product selection guide

Max operating temperature - 50°C (122°F)
Compatible line coatings - PE, FBE, Tape & Coal Tar
Min preheat temperature - 70°C (158°F)
Recommended pipe preparation - ST3 or SA 2½
Soil stress restrictions - None
Performance - EN 12068 B30

Product thickness:

Backing (as supplied) - 0.020 in. (0.5 mm)
Backing (fully free recovered) - 0.020 in. (0.5 mm)
Adhesive (as supplied) - 0.028 in. (0.7 mm)

Common FLEXCLAD Sizes: FLEXCLAD type products are available:

as a roll (closure patches included)

Supplied with a width of 35 mm in a roll of 50 ft

Supplied with a width of 50 mm in a roll of 50 ft

Supplied with a width of 75 mm in a roll of 50 ft

Supplied with a width of 100 mm in a roll of 50 ft

Flexclad: Heat Shrinkable Tape

 Flexclad:  Heat Shrink Tape

Flexclad 100-15000/165 - a 4" x 50 ft roll of heat shrink tape

Flexclad heat shrinkable tape is used to coat small diameter pipe (less than 2"), bends, 

some fittings and occasionally, girth welds.  It offers all of the convenience of a cold applied

tape, with the technical superiority of a heat shrinkable sleeve.

Flexclad is available in rolls that are 50 feet long and in standard widths of 4", 3" and 2".

The Flexclad is shrunk around an already cleaned (and preheated) substrate.  The shrink tape

is then shrunk using a propane torch, forming what essentially becomes a continuous coating.  

We recommend that:

 2" Flexclad be used for pipe sizes under 8"

3" Flexclad be used for 8" and 10" pipe

4" Flexclad be used for pipe sizes 12" and larger

The truth is that any width Flexclad can be used with any substrate diameter.  They would all work 

fine, but the tape might not be used as 'efficiently' as it could be.  What I mean

by this is that using a 4" wide Flexclad on a 2" pipe will almost certainly result in 

a greater than necessary overlap (which means some material is "wasted").  

At the same time, using a 2" Flexclad on a 20" pipe would waste a LOT of material

as you'd get such a little amount of coverage per lap.

In any case , it is a great product with a long successful use history.