Taylor Forge, headquartered in Palos Park, Illinois, was a major manufacturer of forged steel pipe fittings, flanges, and high-pressure piping system components for industrial and marine applications. Taylor Forge forged steel elbows, tees, reducers, flanges, and fittings appeared throughout US Navy steam plant engineering systems aboard steam-powered surface ships and in shore-based steam plant infrastructure at naval stations and shipyards. Taylor Forge fittings in high-pressure steam systems used asbestos gaskets at every bolted flange joint in the steam distribution network.

Asbestos in Taylor Forge Flange Systems

Taylor Forge flanges and fittings required asbestos sealing gaskets throughout the period of Taylor Forge Navy supply:

  • Raised-face flange gaskets — Taylor Forge raised-face flanges used in high-pressure steam line connections used asbestos spiral-wound or full-face asbestos sheet gaskets to seal the flange joint faces against steam pressure. Every Taylor Forge flange pair in the steam system required an asbestos gasket at the mating faces
  • Ring-joint flanges — high-pressure Taylor Forge ring-joint flanges used on main steam and superheated steam piping in boiler plant connections used asbestos-compatible metal ring-type joints at each high-pressure connection point
  • Reducer and elbow asbestos gaskets — forged steel reducers and elbows connected with Taylor Forge mating flanges used asbestos sheet or spiral-wound gaskets at each connection point, creating multiple asbestos gasket change-out events per fitting during the plant’s maintenance lifecycle
  • Valve body flange connections — Taylor Forge flanged connections at valve body inlet and outlet ports used asbestos gaskets at the flange pairs connecting the valve bodies to steam system piping

Taylor Forge fittings appeared in shipboard and shore-based steam systems:

  • Boiler plant steam distribution piping — the main steam distribution piping connecting boiler plant steam drums to auxiliary and propulsion steam consumers used Taylor Forge and competing forged-fitting brand elbows, tees, and reducers with asbestos gasket connections throughout the steam distribution network
  • Auxiliary machinery steam supply — steam supply piping to auxiliary machinery (feed pumps, steam-driven pumps, heating systems) used Taylor Forge fittings with asbestos gasket connections at each piping joint
  • Naval shipyard steam plants — shore-based steam heating and utility plants at naval shipyards and naval stations used Taylor Forge fittings in the distribution piping, with Pipefitter (PF) and other trades performing gasket maintenance in these shore steam systems

VA Claims

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from steam system pipe fitting maintenance in Navy engineering service. Engineering ratings who performed maintenance on Taylor Forge and other forged fitting manufacturers’ flange systems with asbestos-containing gaskets and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.