Is a sheet of a semi-flexible material anchored at its periphery and most often round in shape. It serves either as a barrier between two chambers, moving slightly up into one chamber or down into the other depending on differences in air pressure, or as a device that vibrates when certain frequencies are applied to it.
Diaphragms are generally used in control valve actuators, pneumatic pumps and compressors.
The materials of construction is rubber which include Neoprene, Buna N, Viton, EPDM; thermoplastic compounds which include TPO, TPEE, PTFE and combination of the two (rubber and thermoplastic), depending upon the temperature and chemical properties of the fluid.
In case of air compressors: A stationary element between stages of a multistage centrifugal compressor. It may include guide vanes for directing the flowing medium to the impeller of the succeeding stage. in conjunction with an adjacent diaphragm, it forms the diffuser surrounding the impeller.
