Initial field testing of Tuff-Tube began with an 8” diameter Tuff-Tube at an Iowa soybean processing facility in 2005. At the start of the test period, this facility was wearing completely through a standard ¼” urethane sheet being used as a traditional bolt-in spout liner each year and at times also wearing through the steel spouting itself. Designed specifically for ease of installation, the patented Tuff-Tube is made of a custom blended urethane specifically formulated for these types of abrasive applications.
     The Tuff-Tube test installation was so successful, that after 3 years of the test the international soybean processing company that allowed us to do the testing mandated that Tuff-Tube be installed in all its facilities during any new construction, remodel, or changes to current facilities.
     In 2015, after handling over 22 million bushels of soybeans and a decade in service, the original Tuff-Tube was pulled from testing for a comprehensive wear examination. The cross sectional graphics (figures 1, 2 and 3) show the minimal amount of wear (thickness lost) that occurred after 22 million bushels of soybeans. As seen in the graphics, over 50% of the thickness of the Tuff-Tube remains at the thinnest section of the piece. 22 million bushels of soybeans and the Tuff-Tube still had more than half of its service life left!

The bottom line is that TUFF-TUBE WORKS and it works for a very long time.