Effect of Scatter in Axial Bolt Force on the Sealing Performance of 20” Inch Pipe Flange Connections With CSG Under Internal Pressure

Since a scatter in axial bolt force exists in assembling the pipe flange connections, it is important to evaluate the effect of scatter in axial bolt force on the sealing performance of pipe flange connection. The FE and experimental analyses were done to evaluate the effect of scatter in axial bolt force on the sealing performance of pipe flange connection with 20 “nominal diameter. The results revealed that the large diameter pipe flange connection was sensitive to the scatter in axial bolt force. Besides, the large diameter pipe flange affected more by flange rotation when internally pressurized. As a result, a larger diameter pipe flange connection with scattered bolt preload showed poor sealing performance. The experimentally obtained scatter in axial bolt force as assembled was taken into account in FE analyses and the effect of the scatters on the contact gasket stress distributions was shown numerically. FE results show that the sealing performance is reduced due to the distributed gasket stress and bolt force scatter in the axial direction.