Evaluation of environmental friendly Ag-PTFE composite coating for use in threaded compression fittings

Threaded tubular fittings are used in a wide variety of industries for critical applications involving fluid transfer in a pressurised or vacuum system. These fittings are made of corrosion resistant metals such as stainless steel which are desirable in corrosive operating conditions; however, stainless steel is prone to galling which can cause threads to seize, resulting in loss of productivity. To prevent this, threads are electroplated using silver (Ag) coatings which prevent galling and serve as a solid lubricant during the connection make-up process. The Ag cyanide electroplating process currently used in industry is both hazardous to human health and its wastes are detrimental to the environment. The objective of this work is to evaluate environmental friendly self-lubricating Ag and Ag-polytetrafluoroethylene composite coatings using a non-cyanide electroplating process against the commercially available cyanide Ag coating through the analysis of torque-angle signatures and the torque-angle slope which characterises the make-up process. Results from the experiments suggest that the non-cyanide Ag-polytetrafluoroethylene coating is a potentially viable replacement option. Investigation and analysis of the coating performance have also highlighted potential risks of failure through poor lubrication during the make-up process and suggestions for improving the make-up process.