Tube Flaring
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Tube Flaring
Tube flaring is a process used to form an extremely tight seal at the end of a tube. The flaring creates a funnel shape at the end of the tube that is made to exactly match the shape of what it is being fitted against. During the installation of the tube, the flare is matched with a threaded fitting, with the inside of the tube's flare fitted against the cone-shaped end of the fitting. A flare nut is then screwed onto the fitting, which brings the inside of the flare flush against the fitting. This creates a tight seal that eliminates the need for a gasket between the tube and the fitting, and allows liquids and gases to pass through the tube securely. For tubes that are subject to more stress and wear, double lap flaring helps make the tube end stronger by giving the inside surface of the flare a larger, slightly thicker diameter. The tube flaring process is frequently used on fuel and brake applications in the automotive industry and on piping applications in the plumbing industry.
The most common angle for flared tubes is 45°. In the tube flaring process, a common tool is used to make the two basic types of flares: single flares and double lap flares. The tool consists of a die block that has holes in it for different sizes of tubing, a clamp that locks the tube ends into the holes, and a yoke with a cone-shaped compressor screw attached to it. In order for the tool to work properly, the tube end should be cut off squarely and have smooth edges. Once the tube end is clamped into the die block, the yoke fits over the top of it and a t-shaped handle is used to move the compressor screw into the tube, making a single flare at the end of the tube. To make the double lap flare, the same tool is used, except adaptors are added that will turn in the edge of the tube before the double flare is made. The size of the flare depends on how far the end of the tube extends beyond the top of the die block. It can take some time to do the process correctly because the resulting flare has to be big enough to fit snugly against the fitting, but small enough so that the flare nut threads will fit over it.
