Thickness measurements on rubber tubes or hoses are important for quality control reasons. With no need for cutting up the part, ultrasonic thickness gauges are capable of providing instant thickness measurements by coupling an ultrasonic transducer to one side of the part.

Minimum diameter of the tube is usually limited to 0.080 in. (2.0 mm), although thin walled rubber tubing can be flattened to aid in making thickness measurements. In some rubber hoses, reinforcing materials such as fibers or steel wires make total wall thickness measurements more difficult or even impossible, especially in the case of woven fabric reinforcement.

Equipment: The recommendation for instrument and transducer selection depends on many variables of which hose diameter, thickness range and type of rubber are the most important. Typically, a rubber hose with a minimum diameter of 0.080 in. (2.0 mm) or a maximum thickness of 0.125 in. (3 mm) can be gauged with a Model 35DL or Model 35 and a 10 MHz or 20MHz contact transducer to a calibrated accuracy of ±0.002 in. (±0.05 mm), or better.

For thickness measurements on rubber tubing with walls thicker than 0.125 in. (3 mm) it may be necessary to use the Models 35DL-HP or 35HP and an M106 contact transducer. It is recommended that Panametrics be consulted for final selection of instrumentation.