Marine rubber airbags play an important role in ship launching, hauling, landing, and vessel relocation. During operation, the airbag must be capable of safely and stably withstanding internal pressure and the substantial load imposed by the vessel. Therefore, their quality should be verified from the procurement stage onward.
During procurement, inspection should cover the product specifications, materials, construction, manufacturing process, and testing.
1. Product Specifications
Verify the product against the purchase specifications, including size, length, diameter, working pressure, number of reinforcement layers, end fittings, air valve, marking, batch number, drawing, and technical data. These specifications provide the basis for the subsequent inspection.
2. Rubber Body
Inspect the entire rubber surface for defects such as cracks, cuts, blisters, pinholes, delamination, excessive flash, abrasion, deformation, manufacturing defects, and foreign-material contamination. Particular attention should be given to the joints, shoulder areas, and areas around the end fittings.
3. Reinforcement Layers
The reinforcement is a structural component that helps the airbag withstand internal pressure and working loads. Since the reinforcement is embedded inside the rubber, its inspection should be supported by drawings and production documentation. Verify that the cord material, number of layers, configuration, orientation, overlap, and bonding comply with the specified requirements.
4. End Fittings, Valve, and Dimensions
Inspect the fittings, threads, valve, sealing, rubber-to-fitting connection, alignment, corrosion, and mechanical damage. Dimensions such as length, diameter, circumference, and fitting position should also be verified against the approved drawing or technical specification.
5. Gastightness (Leak) Test
Pressure and gastightness testing should be performed in accordance with the applicable standard and approved product specification. Under ISO 14409:2011, each airbag is subject to a gastightness test as part of acceptance testing. The airbag is inflated to a certain pressure and held for the specified period while pressure loss and leakage are monitored.
6. Inspect the Manufacturing Process
Airbag quality is strongly influenced by the manufacturing process, from material selection, compounding, reinforcement, assembly, forming/assembly, vulcanization, and final inspection. To verify these processes, a visit to the manufacturing facility is recommended.
the manufacturer’s quality-management and process-control systems should also be reviewed. ISO 9001 can serve as an indicator of a structured quality management system, while ISO 14001 relates to environmental management. Where required by the procurement terms, TKDN (Domestic Component Level) should also be verified based on the applicable regulations and supporting documentation.
Documents such as material specifications, inspection reports, pressure test reports, certificates of conformity, and batch/traceability records are important evidence that the product has been manufactured and tested under a controlled process.
Do you need a marine rubber airbag? Contact PT Samudera Luas Paramacitra at Hotline (+62) 823 2018 9998 or email admin@niri-rubber.com.
