Axi-Symmetrical Stress Analysis and Sealing Performance Evaluation of a Pipe Flange Connection Under Elevated Temperature and Internal Pressure

The pipe flange connections have been widely used in mechanical structures and these are mainly used under internal pressure and elevated temperature. Some investigations have been performed on mechanical behaviors such as the contact gasket stress distribution of pipe flange connection under internal pressure. However, the effects of elevated temperature on the sealing performance and mechanical behavior in the pipe flange connection have not been analyzed exactly. To design a pipe flange connection, it is necessary to know the effect of elevated temperature and the detailed flange strength for the hub and the contact gasket stress distributions in the connection. In this paper, the stress analysis of a pipe flange connection under elevated temperature and internal pressure is carried out taking into account a non-linearity and hysteresis of the gasket using the axi-symmetric theory of elasticity. The contact gasket stress distributions at the interfaces, the hub stress, in the pipe flange connection under elevated temperature and internal pressure are analyzed. Using the obtained contact gasket stress distributions, the amount of gasket leakage (He gas) is estimated. Leakage tests of the pipe flange connections were also conducted and the temperature of pipe flange connection was measured using thermoelectric couples. As a result, the difference of temperature between inner and outer is about 10%. The contact gasket stress was increased as the heated temperature was increased.