An expansion joint’s purpose is reduction of pipe system failures. Though it’s a protective, preventative tool, an expansion joint can fail as well. Failure doesn’t manifest in only one way and results from many possible causes. To learn what these causes are, read these reasons why your expansion joints are failing.
Poor Design or Installation
The most common cause is poor system design or installation. Even if your expansion joints don’t have an intrinsic structural flaw, they must meet the specifications of your unique system to function properly. This includes accounting for axial, lateral, and angular forces appropriately. And when installing specifically designed joints, poor installation can create pressure buildup or other flaws that cause a failure when everything is running.
Inadequate Support
An extension of installation is the support expansion joints receive. If you lack proper supportive structures around your joint, it cannot adequately handle forces the support would ordinarily mitigate. Several types of expansion joints utilize anchors to a stable surface to accomplish this. In addition, pipe guides are important tools for limiting pipe buckling, which can compromise an expansion joints if the buckling is excessive.
Excessive Vibration
Another reason your expansion joints fail is excessive vibration. If conditions change in your pipe system, perhaps your fluids increase in temperature or quantity, this generally causes more stress on your components, leading to a failure at the weakest point if excessive.
It’s also possible to experience a failure because of sustained vibrations over time rather than sudden increases in vibrational forces. While expansion joints mitigate these vibrations, they eventually do lose integrity. Know the average lifespan of your expansion joints to plan appropriate upkeep to prevent these failures from happening.
Chloride Corrosion
Additionally, chlorides are a chemical enemy of expansion joints, causing permanent corrosion. Specific alloys react with these chlorides, and when they chronically contact joints without any water flushing, corrosion harms their integrity.
If you need new expansion joints because of a recent failure, consider partnering with Triad Bellows, a leading pipe expansion joint manufacturer.
