The service life of vacuum integrated valve is determined by the combined effect of multiple factors, which cover all aspects from design and manufacturing to actual use. The quality of each link will directly or indirectly affect the durability and service life of the valve. Since this type of valve usually integrates multiple functional structures, the factors affecting its service life are more complex. It is necessary to comprehensively consider multiple dimensions such as material properties, structural design, processing accuracy, use environment, operating specifications, maintenance and quality control to fully understand the internal mechanism of its life loss.
Material selection is the basic factor affecting the service life of vacuum integrated valve. The material properties of key components such as valve body, valve core, and seals directly determine its ability to resist wear, corrosion, and aging. For example, if the valve body is made of materials with insufficient strength or poor corrosion resistance, it is easy to crack, deform or deteriorate when subjected to medium pressure or corrosive gas erosion for a long time, which will affect the sealing performance and mechanical strength of the valve; if the seal is made of rubber materials with insufficient elasticity or poor temperature resistance, it may age and harden quickly under conditions of frequent opening and closing or temperature fluctuations, resulting in sealing failure. In addition, if the material of the internal moving parts such as valve stem and spring is not wear-resistant, excessive wear will occur due to long-term friction, resulting in increased gap between parts, jamming of movement, and even structural damage.
The rationality of structural design plays a decisive role in the life of the valve. While the integrated design of vacuum integrated valve improves the functional integration, it may also bring potential life risks due to the complex structure. For example, if the flow channel layout is not fully considered during the design of the multi-channel integrated valve body, it may cause poor flow of the medium, generate vortex impact, and accelerate the wear inside the valve body; if the matching structure of the valve core and the valve seat is not designed reasonably, such as improper selection of the sealing surface form, it may cause problems of loose fit or excessive wear during frequent opening and closing. In addition, if the integrated valve is not equipped with an effective pressure balance structure or temperature compensation device, when the pressure fluctuates violently or the temperature changes greatly, the parts may suffer fatigue damage due to stress concentration, and cracks or deformation will form over time, shortening the service life of the valve.
The processing accuracy and manufacturing process of parts are the key technologies that affect the life. Many key parts of vacuum integrated valve, such as valve seat, valve core, sealing surface, etc., require extremely high processing accuracy. If there are dimensional deviations, insufficient surface roughness or excessive form and position tolerances during the processing, it will directly lead to poor matching of parts. For example, if the grinding accuracy of the valve seat sealing surface is not enough, there are microscopic bumps or scratches, even if the material performance is excellent, gas leakage will occur during sealing, and the friction loss between the valve core and the valve seat will be aggravated; if the matching clearance between the valve stem and the guide sleeve is not properly controlled, the clearance is too large, which will easily cause the valve core to shake and aggravate wear. If the clearance is too small, it may be stuck due to thermal expansion and contraction, affecting the normal operation of the valve. In addition, if the heat treatment process is not in place and the surface hardness of the parts is insufficient, the life will be shortened due to excessive wear in long-term use.
The adaptability of the use environment is an important external factor affecting the life of the valve. The temperature, pressure, medium characteristics and vibration and other environmental conditions faced by the vacuum integrated valve in actual operation will have a significant impact on its life. High temperature environment will accelerate the aging of seals and thermal fatigue of materials, while low temperature may cause seals to harden and materials to become brittle; frequent pressure fluctuations or exceeding the rated range will cause the valve body and internal components to be subjected to alternating stress for a long time, causing fatigue damage; if the medium contains dust, particles or corrosive components, it will aggravate the wear and corrosion of internal parts; and continuous mechanical vibration may cause bolts to loosen, components to move, and even cause structural cracks. If these environmental factors exceed the design tolerance range of the valve, it will greatly shorten its service life. Even within the design range, the long-term cumulative impact will accelerate the loss of components.
The impact of operating specifications and frequency of use on life should not be ignored. Correct operation can effectively reduce unnecessary loss of valves, while illegal operation may directly lead to failure or shorten life. For example, if too much force is used or the operation speed is too fast when opening and closing the valve, the valve core and the valve seat will collide violently, causing damage to the sealing surface; frequently switching the valve state beyond the designed opening and closing frequency will cause the active parts such as springs and sealing rings to fail prematurely due to fatigue; forcibly using the valve under overpressure or overtemperature conditions will cause the material to bear stress beyond the limit, causing irreversible plastic deformation or fracture. In addition, long-term use in a fully open or fully closed state without regular opening and closing actions may also cause the seal to stick or the active parts to get stuck, affecting the flexibility and sealing performance of the valve.
The timeliness and effectiveness of maintenance are key measures to extend the life of the valve. Regular maintenance can detect and deal with potential problems in a timely manner, preventing small faults from turning into major damage. For example, timely cleaning of dirt, rust and medium residue inside the valve can reduce corrosion and wear; checking the wear of the seal and replacing it in time can prevent seal failure; adding suitable lubricants to the active parts can reduce friction resistance and wear; regular functional testing and sealing inspections can detect signs of component fatigue or performance degradation in advance. On the contrary, if maintenance is not in place, minor wear or corrosion will gradually expand, eventually leading to valve failure and greatly shortening the life span.
The quality control system in the manufacturing process is the fundamental premise for ensuring the life of the valve. From material inspection to finished product testing, strict quality control can minimize congenital defects. For example, the raw materials are analyzed and tested for composition and performance to ensure that the materials meet the design requirements; in the part processing stage, key dimensions and form and position tolerances are controlled by precision testing equipment; the assembly process strictly follows the process specifications to avoid human errors; before the finished product leaves the factory, a comprehensive performance test is carried out, such as vacuum retention test, pressure test, life cycle test, etc. Only products that pass all tests can be put into use. This whole process of quality control can ensure that the valve has a reliable performance foundation when it leaves the factory, and provide guarantee for its long-term stable operation and service life.
The service life of the vacuum integrated valve is the result of the combined effect of many factors such as materials, design, manufacturing, use and maintenance. Any omission in any link may become a hidden danger of life loss. To extend the service life of the valve, it is necessary to form a complete guarantee system from scientific material selection and precision processing in the design and manufacturing stage, to environmental adaptation and standardized operation during use, and then to timely maintenance and quality monitoring in the maintenance stage. Only through the synergy of various links can the vacuum integrated valve maintain long-term and reliable working performance under complex working conditions.
