A Study on the Behavior of Single- and Twin-Gasketed Flange Joint Under External Bending Load

Abstract

Gasketed flange joints are widely used in pressure vessels and piping systems. They are subjected to bending load due to differential thermal expansion, wind load, self-weight, etc., in addition to assembly and internal fluid load. Most of the flange designs are based on equivalent pressure method to include the effect of external bending loads. The behavior of gasketed flange joint is complex due to the nonlinear hysteretic behavior of gasket material and contact interfaces between joint members. It becomes more complex when the joint is subjected to bending load at elevated temperatures. In the present work, performance of a flange joint has been studied under internal pressure and external bending load at elevated temperatures. A 3D finite element model is developed, considering the nonlinearities in the joint due to gasket material and contact between its members along with their temperature-dependent material properties. The performance of joint under different bolt preloads, internal fluid pressures, and temperatures is studied. Flange joint with two gaskets (twin-gasketed flange joint, TGJ) placed concentric is also analyzed. The results from finite element analysis (FEA) are validated using four-point bending test on gasketed flange joint. The sealing and strength criteria are considered to determine the maximum allowable bending moment at different internal fluid temperatures, for both single- and twin-gasketed flange joints with spiral wound gasket. Twin gasket is able to withstand higher bending moment without leakage compared to single gasket. Results show that the allowable load on flange joint depends on operating temperature and gasket configuration.