Leak Behavior and Prediction of Metal Ring Joint Gaskets in Simplified Leak Test With Grooved Platen

Author(s):  
Yuya Omiya ◽  
Masahiro Fujii

Abstract Pipe flange connection with metal gasket is used under high temperature and pressure in place required high sealing performance. It has been known that gasket compressive force, which is closely related the leakage decreases by internal pressure action. Since the pressure is very high in metal gaskets, the sealing performance evaluation in internal pressure action is important. However, there is little research that evaluates a little leakage, metal gasket is empirically used up to the present time. Therefore, evaluated sealing performance of metal gasket, it is necessary to clarify the sealing mechanism. In this study, evaluated effect that decreasing of gasket compressive force affects leakage in both octagonal type and oval type in ring joint gasket by simplified leak test using grooved platen and finite element method stress analysis, evaluation method of leakage in metal gasket is proposed. Based on this evaluation method, decision method of initial tightening force that guaranteed one amount of leakage to design internal pressure is shown in pipe flange connection with metal gasket.

Author(s):  
Toshiyuki Sawa ◽  
Mitsuhiro Matsumoto ◽  
Satoshi Nagata

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.


Author(s):  
Yuya Omiya ◽  
Toshiyuki Sawa

Pipe flange connections with gaskets in chemical plants, electric power plants and other industrial plants are usually exposed to elevated internal pressure with cyclic thermal condition. It is important to investigate the sealing performance of pipe connections under long term severe thermal exposure swings to ensure operational safety. In this study, the effects of cyclic thermal conditions on the sealing performance and mechanical characteristics in larger and smaller nominal diameter of pipe flange connection are examined using FEM calculations. Helium gas leakage is predicted using the contact gasket stress obtained from the FEM results. On other hand, the leakage tests using the smaller nominal diameter of pipe flange connection were conducted to measure the amount of helium gas leakage and to compare with the predicted amount of gas leakage. As the results, the contact gasket stress distributions were changed dramatically under cyclic thermal condition and elevated internal pressure. In the pipe flange connections with smaller nominal diameter, the contact gasket stress was the smallest in the restart condition. On other hand, the minimum contact gasket stress in the pipe flange connection with larger nominal diameter was depending on the materials of connection. In the pipe flange connection with larger nominal diameter, the contact gasket stress distributed and changed in the radial direction due to the flange rotation. A fairly good agreement was found between the experimental leakage result and predicted leakage results.


Author(s):  
Yoshio Takagi ◽  
Hiroyasu Torii ◽  
Toshiyuki Sawa ◽  
Yuya Omiya

Since an external bending moment affects the sealing performance of pipe flange connection, it is important to investigate this effect. This paper analyzed the contact gasket stress distribution of pipe flange connections and evaluates the effect of external bending moment on the sealing performance from the viewpoint of changes in contact gasket stress. The study includes the FE analyses and the experimental leakage tests. The FE analyses suggested the large decrease of contact gasket stress at tension side and small increase at compression side. The difference in change in contact gasket stress was caused by the non-linear hysteresis characteristics of stress-displacement curve of gasket. The FE analyses also suggested that the loading order, internal pressure and external bending moment, also affected the sealing performance due to the non-linear deformation characteristic of the gasket. The sealing performance when the external bending moment applied prior to the internal pressure was degraded more than when the internal pressure was applied prior to the external bending moment. The experimental leakage tests using helium (He) gas were analyzed by the finite element method and discussed. This paper also evaluated the stress distribution in the pipe flange under external bending moment. The results suggested that the hub stress dominated the flange structure and the most important factor in designing the flange.


Author(s):  
Toshiyuki Sawa ◽  
Rie Higuchi

The stresses of a bolted flange connection with a cover of pressure vessel (CPV) in which a spiral wound gasket is inserted, under internal pressure are analyzed taking account a hysteresis of the gasket by using the finite element method (FEM). The leakage tests were also conducted using an actual bolted flange connection with a CPV with a spiral wound gasket. Using the contact stress distribution of the bolted flange connection with a CPV under internal pressure and the tightness parameter, the values of the new gasket constants were obtained by taking into account the changes in the contact stress. A difference in the new gasket constants between the estimated values obtained from the actual bolted flange connection with a CPV and the values obtained by the PVRC procedure was small. In addition, a method to determine the bolt preload for a given tightness parameter was demonstrated. The obtained results of the bolt preload for the bolted flange connection with a CPV were in a fairly good agreement with those obtained by the PVRC procedure under a lower pressure application. However, a difference in the bolt preload was about 7% when the internal pressure was increased.


Author(s):  
Toshiyuki Sawa ◽  
Ryo Kurosawa ◽  
Yasuaki Tatsumi

Bolted joints with gaskets such as non-circular flange connections have been widely used in mechanical structures, nuclear and chemical industry, and so on. They are usually used under internal pressure as well as other loadings such as thermal, impact loadings and so on. In designing the non-circular flange connections with gaskets, it is important to evaluate the sealing performance of the non-circular flange connections with gaskets subjected to internal pressure. An important issue is how to evaluate the sealing performance in the box-shape bolted flange connections by using the contact gasket stress distributions at the interfaces, how to reduce a number of bolt and nuts, that is, how to enlarge the bolt pitch, and how to determine the initial clamping bolt force (preload) by using the new gasket constants. In this paper, the stresses of box-shape flange connection with gaskets subjected to an internal pressure are analyzed using the finite element method (FEM), taking account a hysteresis in the stress-strain curves of the gasket. The contact gasket stress distributions when the internal pressure is applied to the connection are analyzed. The leakage tests were conducted using an actual box-shape flange connection with a gasket Using the contact gasket stress distributions at the interfaces under an internal pressure (Helium gas was used) and the amount of the leakage measured in the experiment, the sealing performances are evaluated experimentally and theoretically by changing the bolt pitch in the connections. Discussion is made on the effect of the bolt pitch on the sealing performance in the above connections.


Author(s):  
Satoshi Nagata ◽  
Toshiyuki Sawa

This paper deals with the behavior of a gasketed flange connection with a cover plate subjected to internal pressure. A calculation method to obtain the bolt force and the gasket reaction changes due to internal pressure using a load factor is introduced and the equations to obtain the load factor for the gasketed flange connection with cover plate using a simplified model are shown. By using 3 inch flange connection with cover plate a spiral gasket inserted, an experimental test is carried out and bolt force changes are measured due to internal pressure. The changes of the bolt force and the gasket reaction due to internal pressure are estimated by the load factor based calculation. Finite element analysis is also performed. The calculation results and the experimental ones are compared one another. It is demonstrated that the calculated bolt force change shows fairly good agreement with the experimental test results. This shows the proposed method may be applicable for the design calculation considering the sealing performance of the connection. When the required gasket stress is given to achieve the target tightness in the operating condition, the appropriate initial bolt preload can be determined by using the proposed method.


Author(s):  
Ryou Kurosawa ◽  
Kentaro Tenma ◽  
Toshiyuki Sawa

The oil pan wavy-shaped flange connection, while is a type of the box-shaped flange connections, has been used for the oil-pan in the vehicles such as cars and motorcycles to seal inner fluid. Though the light weight of these connections is important, the design method has not been established, since no research for evaluating the sealing performance of the wavy-shaped flange connections has been conducted. In this paper, The contact gasket stress distribution in a oil pan wavy-shaped flange connection under the internal pressure is examined taking into account a gasket hysteresis using finite element method (FEM) for estimating a location where a principal leakage occurs and for calculating the amount of leakage. Leakage tests were also conducted to validate the estimated results using an actual connection under internal pressure. The effects of flange shape and difference in types of inner fluid (gas / liquid) are examined on the contact gasket stress distributions and the sealing performance in the connections. It is found that the estimated amount of leakage is in a fairly good agreement with the measured results. Furthermore, discussion on the effect of the bolt spacing and the gasket width on the sealing performance are made.


Author(s):  
Yuya Omiya ◽  
Koji Itano

Since a scatter in axial bolt force exists in assembling the pipe flange connections, it is important to evaluate the effect of scatter in axial bolt force on the sealing performance of pipe flange connection. The FE and experimental analyses were done to evaluate the effect of scatter in axial bolt force on the sealing performance of pipe flange connection with 20 “nominal diameter. The results revealed that the large diameter pipe flange connection was sensitive to the scatter in axial bolt force. Besides, the large diameter pipe flange affected more by flange rotation when internally pressurized. As a result, a larger diameter pipe flange connection with scattered bolt preload showed poor sealing performance. The experimentally obtained scatter in axial bolt force as assembled was taken into account in FE analyses and the effect of the scatters on the contact gasket stress distributions was shown numerically. FE results show that the sealing performance is reduced due to the distributed gasket stress and bolt force scatter in the axial direction.


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