Tuesday, October 23, 2018

The Importance And Applications Of Metallic Expansion Joints

By Ryan Olson


Mostly, we judge things by face value. One may only see and perceive things as what they are on the dot. This can cause one to miss out on a lot of stuff, including the inner workings and values of structures and things. When you look at a building, bridge, sidewalk, or a piping system, for instance, you do not always factor in that they are what they are because of Metallic Expansion Joints.

Many kinds of physical processes affect the form and shape of all states of matter. Materials naturally expand or contract when subjected to changes in, say, temperature. When subjected to heat, for instance, the kinetic energy of its molecules increases and pushes the boundaries of the object, causing it to expand. When left to its own devices, the structure may develop cracks or fissures and may gradually collapse.

However, skilled engineering techniques have already found a nifty solution to this caveat. Metallic joints have been devised to take up the brunt of these thermal vagaries, as well as that of vibrations, pressures, and all possible mechanical forces you can think of. They have a self evident and well deserved nickname with compensators.

As per their appellation, they are usually made of stainless steel and other metal alloys. Sundry designs are available, and customized orders are also possible to place. Whatever the configurations, however, they always come with the following essential parts and components. There are flanges, tie rods, hinges, wire mesh, welding ends, inner sleeve, external cover, insulation, and bellows. The last is the most indispensable part of the mechanism, as it is the full force shock absorption factor.

Expansion joints are found in a wide range of industrial applications. They include, and are not limited to, power generation, petrochemical industries, desalination and desulphurization plants, ship building ports, water treatment facilities, oil refineries, iron and steel mills, and pressure vessels manufacturing. The type of compensator to purchase will depend on whether the facility will use one or some of the three movements, axial, lateral, or angular.

The advantages of metallic compensators are that they have a relatively minimal installation cost, and they only need marginal space. It is also energy efficient and its inherent flexibility allows it to absorb all three movements outlined above. Because of the durability of this material, no or little maintenance is required.

The main types of metallic joints are the single, universal, elbow pressure balanced, inline pressure balanced, hinged, gimbal, externally pressurized, toroidal, thick wall, slip type, and rectangular. They each absorb one, some, or all kinds of the three movements. Each also has its principal advantages and limitations. Lastly, they all have principal uses. For example, they may be best suited in stream lines, duct work, and containment vessels.

There are also so called expansion joint failures to watch out for. Damages may be incurred, if not in the manufacturing facility, then during shipping and transportation handling. Imprudent installation and lacking maintenance are also culpable.

To prevent this actuality of failure, one should be scrupulous enough to hire superior engineers that make sue of precise manufacturing processes and expert quality controls. The customer should also be sagacious enough to understand the nitty gritty of the function and technicalities of compensators. In the long run, this will make all the difference to the structural integrity, reliability, longevity, and safety of your system or structure.




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