Armstrong International, based in Three Rivers, Michigan, was a leading manufacturer of steam traps, pressure regulators, valve fittings, and steam system control products supplying the US Navy for shipboard steam distribution applications throughout World War II and the Cold War. Armstrong steam traps were installed throughout Navy engineering plants and auxiliary steam distribution systems — in laundry systems, heating systems, and steam-to-steam heat exchangers — where they performed the critical function of discharging condensate from steam lines while blocking steam passage.

Asbestos in Armstrong Steam Trap Components

Armstrong steam traps operating in Navy shipboard steam service used asbestos-containing sealing materials as standard components through the 1970s:

  • Steam trap body gaskets — asbestos sheet or spiral wound gaskets sealing the trap body cover to the trap body, disturbed whenever trap covers were removed for inspection, bucket replacement, or internal cleaning
  • Trap body-to-flange gaskets at steam trap inlet and outlet connections to the steam piping system — asbestos sheet gaskets at the flanged connections to the steam line
  • Internal valve seat packing on some Armstrong trap types using asbestos packing in internal valve arrangements
  • Strainer gaskets on the strainer (sediment separator) installed upstream of steam traps — asbestos gaskets on strainer cover connections requiring removal during routine strainer cleaning

Steam Trap Maintenance in Engineering Spaces

Steam trap maintenance was a routine engineering plant maintenance task performed throughout the engineering plant and auxiliary steam distribution aboard Navy ships:

  • Boiler Tenders (BT) were responsible for steam trap maintenance in the auxiliary steam systems associated with the main propulsion boilers — feedwater system steam traps, boiler room heating traps, and related auxiliary steam equipment
  • Machinist’s Mates (MM) maintained steam traps in machinery space applications — sealing system steam traps, turbine gland steam traps, and auxiliary steam service traps
  • PM card procedures for steam trap maintenance specified periodic trap cover removal, bucket inspection, and gasket replacement — all generating asbestos fiber during the gasket removal and replacement procedure

Pressure Regulators and Control Fittings

In addition to steam traps, Armstrong supplied pressure regulators, relief valves, and steam control fittings to the Navy using the same asbestos-containing gasket and packing sealing components. Pressure regulator maintenance — required periodically throughout the ship’s steam system — involved removal of regulator body covers with asbestos gaskets.

VA Claims

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from steam system maintenance in Navy engineering plants. Boiler Tenders and Machinist’s Mates who performed steam trap and pressure regulator maintenance involving asbestos gaskets and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.