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Another AMERICAN First: 60-inch AFC Flex-Ring Valve

Posted by AMERICAN News - |

Weighing in at nearly 30,000 pounds and with a height of more than 13 feet, AMERICAN Flow Control’s (AFC) 60-inch Series 2500 Flex-Ring boltless restrained joint valve is the first and the largest resilient wedge gate valve (RWGV) in the industry without flanged ends. The Flex-Ring resilient wedge gate valve was already available in sizes up to 48 inches.

Benefits of this valve include: significant labor savings as it takes less time to install than flanged-end valves; no flanged joint fasteners to corrode; and the ability to deflect once it’s installed, making it ideal for soil that is shifting or settling such as in locations near structures or tanks. The valve is for use on ductile iron pipe and spiral-welded steel pipe.

“As utilities are challenged with delivering water across greater distances, bigger valves are needed,” said Derek Scott, marketing and technical manager for AFC. “This is the first time in our industry you can get a gate valve of this size without flanged ends. It’s another AMERICAN first, and a great addition to our existing line of Flex-Ring products.”

The valve was initially developed for use in the Karegnondi Water Authority (KWA) project, which will supply 60 million gallons of water a day to the Flint, Michigan, area. AMERICAN will supply spiral-welded steel pipe, ductile iron pipe, valves and hydrants for the project. Bringing the 60-inch Flex-Ring valve to market was a collaborative effort among several groups at AMERICAN including AFC Sales, Research and Development, AMERICAN Valve and Hydrant (AVH) in Beaumont, Texas, and AMERICAN SpiralWeld Pipe (ASWP).

“This is the first time in our industry you can get a gate valve of this size without flanged ends. It’s another AMERICAN first, and a great addition to our existing line of Flex-Ring products.”
AFC Marketing and Technical Manager Derek Scott

“This new product offering underscores AMERICAN’s role as a leader and innovator in the industries we serve,” said Scott. “We have had a great deal of success providing this valve in sizes up to 48 inches. For many years, an alternative was needed to traditional flange connections in buried service applications. Our new 60-inch offering will allow us to meet that need.”