Expansion joints are vital in helping facilities maintain their piping operations. However, they would not be as effective without technological advancements. Read below to discover three ways expansion joints have improved over time.
Taking on Pressure From All Directions
One way that expansion joints have improved is that products offer users the ability to absorb pressure from all directions. A universal expansion joint with two metal expansion bellows can absorb axial, lateral, and angular movement.
Designers can customize these joint products to enhance their effectiveness for the user. When they change the length of the joint’s center pipe, they can increase or decrease its ability to deflect and its cycle life.
Operating Without a Guide
Another way expansion joints have improved over time is that they can operate without a guide. An externally pressurized expansion joint is a good fit for applications that involve axial compression or extension and features a built-in guiding system.
This design allows the joint the operate without a first pipe guide in a piping run. In addition, the joint has the ability to operate in steam applications without a flow liner.
Multi-Plying Benefits
Expansion joints have improved with the development of mutli-ply bellows. A bellow plays the important role of absorbing movement while extreme temperatures move through the joint, and the multi-ply version has enhanced the component’s capabilities.
The multi-ply product consists of two or more tubes and provides an expansion joint with more flexibility than a single-ply product, which consists of a single tube. The multi-ply bellow can endure more fatigue and has a lower axial spring rate than the single-ply product. Users often use these joints in applications where vibration is present.
Triad Bellows is a trusted expansion joint supplier and a provider of metal bellows and couplings. We also offer our customers expertise on how to install joints. For more information, visit our website!
