When Lubrication Grease Hose is kept in open outdoor environments for an extended period, it will gradually turn brittle, harden and lose toughness. The longer the storage period, the more obvious the brittleness. This is an irreversible aging phenomenon caused by long-term interaction between the hose material and natural outdoor conditions, and it constitutes the primary cause of hose loss during outdoor storage. Most Lubrication Grease Hose stored in open air will develop brittleness damage of varying degrees, seriously affecting subsequent service performance.
The primary trigger for brittleness of Lubrication Grease Hose stored outdoors is continuous ultraviolet radiation. The main material of Lubrication Grease Hose is high molecular flexible material, which relies on its molecular structure flexibility to achieve bending resistance, compression resistance and oil resistance. Ultraviolet rays in outdoor sunlight have strong penetrating power and continuously break polymer molecular chains on the surface and inside the hose, gradually destroying the flexible structure of the material. Under prolonged sunlight exposure, the originally soft outer layer of the hose slowly hardens and loses elasticity. Initial exposure only causes slight reduction in toughness. After months or even years of open-air storage, a large number of molecular structures break, and the hose completely loses flexibility and becomes stiff and fragile.
Complex temperature and humidity fluctuations outdoors further accelerate the brittleness process of Lubrication Grease Hose. Day and night temperature differences and seasonal temperature variations in outdoor environments are dramatic. High-temperature heating in daytime expands the hose and temporarily reduces material toughness; rapid cooling at night makes the hose contract. Repeated thermal expansion and cold contraction continuously stretch and squeeze the hose structure and cause fatigue aging of the material. Meanwhile, rainwater, dew and humid air continuously soak the hose surface. Moisture permeates tiny pores of the material. Combined with temperature changes, freeze-thaw and deliquescence effects take place, gradually weakening the structural stability of the hose material and making it harder and more brittle.
In addition, wind-blown sand, dust in the open air and air oxidation serve as auxiliary inducing factors. Outdoor wind-blown sand continuously abrades the hose surface, forming tiny scratches and damaging the original protective layer of the hose. This allows ultraviolet rays and moisture to penetrate the hose interior more easily and speeds up aging and brittleness. At the same time, when the hose is exposed to air for a long time, oxidation reactions proceed continuously. The material deteriorates gradually, flexible components keep decreasing and hard components account for an increasing proportion, ultimately leading to overall brittleness of the hose. Dust and mildly corrosive air in some open-air sites also slightly erode the hose surface and aggravate brittleness.
During daily storage, unused Lubrication Grease Hose should preferably be placed indoors in cool, dry, shaded and well-ventilated areas. Waterproof and sun-shading tarpaulins or storage boxes can also be adopted for sealed storage to isolate ultraviolet rays, wind, rain, temperature fluctuations and air oxidation erosion. Proper basic protection can greatly slow down aging and brittleness of the hose. The hose can maintain favorable flexibility and service performance even after long-term storage, avoiding idle loss and premature scrapping and effectively reducing replacement costs of equipment consumables.