In this paper the effect of a bolted joint on the dynamic response of a pipe will be presented. The problem is analyzed both experimentally and by computer modeling. Standard 2-in. (51mm) Schedule 40 steel piping with a Class 300 RFWN flange is used. The pipe is used as a simply supported beam at its ends with a 14.5-ft (4.42 m) span. It is connected at the midspan by two flanges, with or without a gasket, and high strength bolts. The gasket used is a flexible spiral wound steel gasket of 0.180in. (4.57mm) thickness. Two values of pre-tensioning, 25,000 psi (172.5 MPa) and 50,000 psi (345 MPa) are used in the high strength bolts connecting the two flanges. Experimental values of fundamental frequency are comparable to the values obtained by computer modeling. It is found that the presence of the gasket and the loading exerted by the bolts on the flanges had very little effect on the fundamental frequency of the pipe system.

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