Thermally Induced Deflections in Bolted Flanged Connections

Abstract

Pressure vessel joints operating at high temperature are often very difficult to seal. The existing flange design methods do not address thermal effects other than the variation of flange material mechanical properties with temperature. It is possible to include the effects of temperature loading in joint analysis, however, presently very few guidelines exist for this type of analysis. This paper outlines the theoretical analysis used for the determination of the steady state operating temperature and deflections in bolted flange joints. It details the theoretical equations necessary to predict the temperature profiles and thermal expansion difference between the joint components necessary for the evaluation of the load redistribution for the two cases of a flange pair and a flange with a cover plate. The results from the theoretical models are verified by comparison to finite element results.