Why do industrial valves fail under high-pressure conditions?
Been losing my mind over this valve situation at work. We’ve had two industrial valves give out under high pressure in the last month, and my boss is eyeballing me like I’m missing something obvious. I swear we’re following all the specs, but something’s clearly off. Are these things just not built like they used to be, or am I overlooking some weird pressure‑cycle issue or material flaw? I’m no newbie, but this one’s got me second‑guessing everything. If anyone’s dealt with valves tapping out way sooner than they should, I could really use some insight before the next one blows—literally.
High pressure failures usually come from a combo of things — pressure spikes (not just steady pressure), fatigue from rapid cycling, improper material for the fluid/temp, or small install issues like misalignment and vibration. Even valves rated for high pressure can die fast if they’re seeing surges or cavitation. I’d start by checking for pressure transients and whether the valve material actually matches the process conditions, not just the PSI rating.
Been in that boat—turned out we had micro-cracks from pressure cycling that weren’t obvious until it was too late. Also found out the hard way that some suppliers cut corners on seals and welding. I started sourcing replacements through a USA based valve manufacturer that offered better specs and QA reporting—big difference. Might be worth checking if your valve materials or pressure ratings match the real-world conditions, not just what’s on paper.