Assembly of Gasketed Bolted Flange Joints Using Torque Control of Preload Method: FEA Approach

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Abid ◽  
Yasir Mehmood Khan ◽  
David H. Nash
Keyword(s):  
Control Method ◽  
Nonlinear Finite Element ◽  
Torque Control ◽  
Flange Joint ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Stress Variation ◽  
Elastic Interactions ◽  
Bolt Preload ◽  
Torque Values ◽  
Bolted Flange

This paper presents the results of the assembly of a gasketed bolted flange joint employing the torque control of preload method using nonlinear finite element analysis. It has been observed that bolt preload scatter due to elastic interactions, flange stress variation, bolt bending due to flange rotation and gasket contact stress variation are very difficult to eliminate when using the torque control method. The behaviour of a gasketed joint using two different target torque values is discussed in detail.

Optimized bolt tightening procedure for different tightening strategies—FEA study

2016 ◽  
Vol 231 (2) ◽  
pp. 236-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Abid ◽  
Ayesha Khan ◽  
Masroor Hussain ◽  
Hafiz Abdul Wajid
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element Analysis ◽  
Finite Element ◽  
Optimization Algorithm ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis ◽  
Nonlinear Finite Element ◽  
Torque Control ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Pipe Joints ◽  
Bolted Flange

This paper presents results of detailed nonlinear finite element analysis of gasketed bolted flange pipe joints of different sizes (1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 20 in.) of 900# pressure class for achieving proper preload close to the target stress values with and without considering yielding at bolt and flange and gasket crushing recommended by ASME and industrial guidelines for optimized performance using customized optimization algorithm. In addition, two strategies torque control method and stretch control method are used which is a normal practice in the industry.

Tightening Sequence for Bolted Flange Joint Assembly

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susumu Kumakura ◽  
Kumiko Saito
Keyword(s):  
Control Method ◽  
Torque Control ◽  
Flange Joint ◽  
Nuclear Plants ◽  
Torque Coefficient ◽  
Bolted Flange ◽  
Joint Assembly

Bolted flange joint assembly has been widely used in chemical and nuclear plants. Insufficient bolt loads in the bolted flange joints lead to serious accidents. The insufficient bolt loads are due to inappropriate bolt tightening methods in many cases. In order to obtain target bolt loads by the torque control method, it is especially important to know a torque coefficient and an appropriate tightening sequence. Another problem exists because where mating flanges are tightened by multiple bolts. It is known that it is extremely difficult to obtain a uniform bolt loads among the multiple bolts. In this study, new and any experimentally examined, tightening sequences for the bolted flange joints using multiple bolts are proposed. As a result, the proposed tightening method was proved to be more effective than that by the ASME method.

Finite Element Analysis of a Gasketed Flange Joint Under Combined Internal Pressure and Thermal Transient Loading

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Abid ◽  
Javed A. Chattha ◽  
Kamran A. Khan
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element Analysis ◽  
Steady State ◽  
Internal Pressure ◽  
Thermal Loading ◽  
Flange Joint ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Transient Loading ◽  
Thermal Transient ◽  
Transient Thermal ◽  
Bolted Flange

Performance of a bolted flange joint is characterized mainly by its ‘strength’ and ‘sealing capability’. A number of analytical and experimental studies have been conducted to study these characteristics only under internal pressure loading. In the available published work, thermal behavior of the pipe flange joints is discussed under steady state loading with and without internal pressure and under transient loading condition without internal pressure. The present design codes also do not address the effects of steady state and thermal transient loading on the structural integrity and sealing ability. It is realized that due to the ignorance of any applied transient thermal loading, the optimized performance of the bolted flange joint can not be achieved. In this paper, in order to investigate gasketed joint’s performance i.e. joint strength and sealing capability under combined internal pressure and transient thermal loading, an extensive nonlinear finite element analysis is carried out and its behavior is discussed.

Correlation on Scatter Between Torque Coefficient and Bolt Preload in Pipe Flange Connection

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuya Omiya ◽  
Masahiro Fujii
Keyword(s):  
Control Method ◽  
Torque Control ◽  
Flange Connection ◽  
Bolt Preload ◽  
Torque Coefficient ◽  
Gasket Material

In this paper, a mechanism of variation in axial bolt force in pipe flange connection during bolt tightening process is investigated. Especially, Correlation between torque coefficient and bolt preload is investigated. The actual pipe flange connection is tightened by a wrench due to the torque control method. Axial bolt forces were measured in the tightening process. The three types of gasket are chosen in this paper. As a result the good relationships are seen between torque coefficient and axial bolt force. The effect of gasket material on the relationships between torque coefficient and bolt preload is not seen.

Bolted Flange Joint Made of Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) for Oil and Gas Pipelines

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhsin Aljuboury ◽  
Md Jahir Rizvi ◽  
Stephen Grove ◽  
Richard Cullen
Keyword(s):  
Glass Fibre ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
High Strength ◽  
Flange Joint ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer ◽  
Linear Behaviour ◽  
Glass Fibre Reinforced ◽  
Gasket Material ◽  
Bolted Flange

The objective of this work is an experimental and numerical investigation for a bol Richard Cullen ted composite flange connection for composite pipes, which are used in the oil and gas applications, and obtain a joint with high strength and high corrosion resistance. For the experimental part, we have designed and manufactured the required mould, which ensures the quality of the composite materials and controls its surface grade. Based on the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section X, this GFRP flange has been fabricated using biaxial glass fibre braid and polyester resin in a vacuum infusion process. Numerically, an investigation is carried out using 3D finite element analysis (FEA) of a bolted GFRP flange joint including flange, pipe, gasket and bolts. This model has taken into account the orthotropy of the GFRP material and the non-linear behaviour of the rubber gasket material for both the loading and non-loading conditions. Furthermore, the leakage propagation between the flange and the gasket has also been simulated in this investigation by using the pressure-penetration criteria PPNC in ANSYS. Finally, the flange has been tested under the internal pressure and the agreement between the experimental and numerical results is excellent.

Effects of Scatter in Bolt Preload of Pipe Flange Connections With Gaskets on Sealing Performance

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshiyuki Sawa ◽  
Mitsuhiro Matsumoto ◽  
Satoshi Nagata
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element Method ◽  
Finite Element ◽  
Internal Pressure ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Torque Control ◽  
Stress Distributions ◽  
Flange Connection ◽  
Gas Leakage ◽  
Bolt Preload ◽  
Sealing Performance

It has been well known that a scatter in axial bolt forces of pipe flange connections tightened by the torque control method is substantial. It is necessary for evaluating the sealing performance of the pipe flange connections with the gaskets subjected to intemal pressure to know the contact gasket stress distributions due to the scatter of the axial bolt forces in the connections tightened by the torque control method. This paper deals with the leakage of the pipe flange connections with a spiral wound gasket and that with a compressed sheet gasket tightened by the torque control method. The scatter in the axial bolt forces was measured in the experiments. The contact gasket stress distributions at the interfaces of the pipe flange connections with the gaskets were calculated under the measured axial bolt forces by using elasto-plastic finite element method (FEM) taking into account hysteresis and non-linearity in the stress-strain curves of the gaskets. The effects of the scatter in the axial bolt forces tightened by the torque control method on the gas leakage were also examined by using the actual pipe flange connections. As the result, a difference in an amount of gas leakage measured was found to be substantial between our study and PVRC procedure. By using the calculated contact gasket stress distributions under the internal pressure and the results of the leakage tests, the sealing performance was evaluated. It is found that the sealing performance is worse in the actual pipe flange connection than that evaluated by PVRC procedure.

A Novel Methodology to Optimize the Tightening Sequence in Bolted Flange Joints

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linbo Zhu ◽  
Abdel-Hakim Bouzid ◽  
Jun Hong
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Tests ◽  
Elastic Interaction ◽  
Pressure Vessels ◽  
Successful Operation ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Bolt Preload ◽  
Safety And Reliability ◽  
Complex Structural ◽  
Leakage Failure ◽  
Bolted Flange

Abstract Bolted flange joints are the most complex structural components of pressure vessels and piping equipment. Their assembly is a delicate task that determines their successful operation during the service life. During bolt tightening, it is very difficult to achieve uniformity of the target bolt preload due to elastic interaction and criss-cross talk. The risk of leakage failure under service loading is consequently increased because of the scatter of the bolt preload. In previous work, an analytical model based on the theory of circular beams on linear elastic foundation was proposed to predict the bolt tension change due to elastic interaction. Based on this model, this paper presents a novel methodology for the optimization of the tightening sequence. The target preload and the load to be applied to each bolt in each pass can be calculated to achieve uniform final preload and avoid bolt tension reaching yield under a number of specified tightening passes. The validity of the approach is supported by experimental tests conducted on a NPS 4 class 900 welding neck flange joint and by finite element analysis on this bolted joint using the criss-cross tightening and sequential patterns. This study provides guidelines for bolted flange joints assembly and enhances its safety and reliability by minimizing bolt tension scatter due to elastic interaction.

Stress Analysis and the Sealing Performance Evaluation of Pipe Flange Connections With Gaskets Subjected to Internal Pressure and External Bending Moment: Effects of Scatter in Bolt Preload

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshiyuki Sawa ◽  
Wataru Maezaki ◽  
Satoshi Nagata
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element Method ◽  
Internal Pressure ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Bending Moment ◽  
Torque Control ◽  
Stress Distributions ◽  
Gas Leakage ◽  
Bolt Preload ◽  
Sealing Performance ◽  
Spiral Wound

It has been well known that a scatter in axial bolt forces of pipe flange connections tightened by the torque control method is substantial. It is necessary for evaluating the sealing performance of the pipe flange connections with the gaskets subjected to internal pressure and external bending moment to know the contact gasket stress distributions due to the scatter of the axial bolt forces in the connections tightened by the torque control method. This paper deals with the leakage of the pipe flange connections with a spiral wound gasket subjected to internal pressure and external bending moment tightened by the torque control method. The scattered axial bolt forces were measured in the experiments. The contact gasket stress distributions at the interfaces between pipe flanges and the gasket were calculated under the measured axial bolt force by using elasto-plastic finite element method (FEM) taking into account hysteresis and non-linearity in the stress-strain curves of spiral wound gasket. The effects of the scatter in the axial bolt forces tightened by the torque control method on the gas leakage were also examined by using the actual pipe flange connections under internal pressure and external bending moment. By using the calculated contact stress distributions and the results of the leakage tests, the sealing performance was evaluated. It is found that the sealing performance is worse in the actual pipe flange connection than that evaluated by PVRC procedure.

3-D Non-Linear Finite Element Analysis of a Non-Gasketed Flange Joint Under Combined Internal Pressure and Axial Loading

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Abid ◽  
Abdul W. Awan
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element Analysis ◽  
Finite Element ◽  
Internal Pressure ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Axial Loading ◽  
External Loading ◽  
Flange Joint ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Bolted Flange

A number of analytical and experimental studies have been conducted to study ‘strength’ and ‘sealing capability’ of bolted flange joint only under internal pressure loading. Due to the ignorance of the external i.e. axial loading, the optimized performance of the bolted flange joint can not be achieved. A very limited work is found in literature under combined internal pressure and axial loading. In addition, the present design codes do not address the effects of axial loading on the structural integrity and sealing ability of the flange joints. From previous studies, non-gasketed joint is claimed to have better performance as compared to conventional gasketed joint. To investigate non-gasketed joint’s performance i.e. joint strength and sealing capability under combined internal pressure and any applied external loading, an extensive 3D nonlinear finite element analysis is carried out and overall joint performance and behavior is discussed.

Preload Assurance in Bolted Flanges With a Model and Test Based Optimized Assembly Procedure

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Du ◽  
Fei Song ◽  
Haoming Li ◽  
Ke Li
Keyword(s):  
Target Function ◽  
The Other ◽  
Quantitative Prediction ◽  
Assembly Process ◽  
Physical Test ◽  
Torque Distribution ◽  
Elastic Interactions ◽  
Bolt Preload ◽  
Assembly Procedure ◽  
Bolted Flange

Abstract Bolted flanges are widely used to connect pipelines in many industries. To assure sealability of a flange, generation of proper preloads in the bolts during the assembly process is critical. However, in the existing standard practice, identical torques are typically applied to all bolts to assemble the flange. Due to elastic interactions between the bolts, tightening one bolt can alter the tensile loads in the other bolts. Hence, the resultant preloads can vary significantly. Even with an improved makeup sequence, the variation in the bolt preloads can be still substantial, as high as 60%. This could pose a risk of leakage. When the bolted flange works under non-benign conditions, such as vibration, pressure and temperature variation, the risk could become even higher. This paper introduces a new methodology to greatly enhance the preload assurance in bolted flanges with an optimized assembly procedure, which is enabled with advanced numerical modeling. A significantly improved uniform distribution of bolt preloads is achieved by optimizing the makeup torques, which is implemented by using physical test data as input and uniformly distributed preloads as the target function. The complexity of the elastic interactions between the flange, the sealing gasket, and the bolts presents uncertainties for the numerical model for quantitative prediction of the torque distribution that is required to yield uniform resultant bolt preloads. This paper resolves this modeling limitation through iterations between modeling and testing. These iterations calibrate and finally validate the model to generate the optimized makeup torque distribution which then leads to improved bolt preload uniformity. Based on the tests conducted on two different sizes of API flanges, 3-API-15K and 5-API-10K, the final preload distribution variation has been reduced to around 30% by utilizing the optimized makeup torque distributions.

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