Expansion joints lend integrity to a piping system in industries as divergent as power plants and marine technology. Concerning the latter category, expansion joints allow cargo ships to release their main engines’ exhaust more easily. To learn more about how they support engine functionality, read more on the role of expansion joints in a ship’s main engine. Hold up to Extreme Temperatures The first role expansion joints play is in [...]
Pipe systems expand and contract when the temperature around them changes. Whether caused by the external environment or the internal fluids that pass through pipes, these temperature changes are frequent. Engineers must plan for these expansions and contractions during the design phase to mitigate the potential damage this causes. Pipe length and material affect the degree of change, but there are also several additional measures engineers can take. If you’d [...]
Expansion joints mitigate potential pipe damage due to extreme temperature, vibration, and movement. Two materials—rubber and metal—constitute many existing expansion joints, and each has respective advantages. To learn more about their differences and uses, read our guide to rubber bellows vs. metal bellows expansion joints. Rubber Expansion Joints Rubber expansion joints consist of elastomers (synthetic elastic polymer), fabric, and at times, metal reinforcers. Advantages of Rubber First, rubber joints [...]
Listed below are the most common types of pipe expansion joints, their differences, and how each functions. Simple Simple pipe expansion joints specifically withstand axial forces. Axial forces act upon the pipe’s axis. It is like the force used to crush a can of soda by placing your hands on the top and bottom of the can and pushing one hand to meet the other. Mitigating these crushing forces makes [...]
Custom bellows are important mechanical components that play a critical and sensitive role in the functioning of a manufacturing plant, industrial fluid pipes, and major structures in need of mechanical joints. There are 12 major attributes that characterize custom bellows: geometric constraints, end configuration, assembly method, vibration, temperature extremes, exposure, spring rate, life cycles, rigid stops, pressure differential, flexing, and stressing modes. Therefore, when buying custom bellows for industrial expansion [...]
Bellows are important mechanical products in several industries. They are highly used in liquid and gas companies, where they play a critical role in controlling pressure. They can contract or expand under pressure, which is very useful in the functioning of a pipe, manufacturing plant machinery, and other vessels. Triad Bellows is one of the leading companies in the production of stainless steel bellows in the United States. We offer [...]
Formed metal bellows are manufactured from reworked tubes using deep drawing techniques. The methods often used in forming metal bellows include hydro-forming and cold forming. The hydro-forming process is preferable because of its high dimensional accuracy. It also facilitates the smooth production of high-strength and light-weight components. The tube and sheet hydro-forming methods are the most common types of hydro-forming processes used in making multi-ply bellows. This post presents to [...]
Standard bellows have many engineering functions. In various industrial piping applications, bellows metallic expansion joints are used to compensate for movements in piping systems. The bellows metallic joints prevent vibrations, expansions, and any other changes from damaging pipes that cover long distances. This article presents to you different types of bellows metallic expansion joints and their respective uses. What are custom expansion joints? Metallic expansion joints are elastic vessels, [...]
When asking yourself "what are metal expansion joints used for?" it's important to remember that not all metal expansion joints, or compensators, are created equal. Each of the three basic types of metal expansion joints serves a unique purpose and has positive and negative traits that may impact the overall service life of your machine. What are Metal Expansion Joints Used For? As a general rule, metal expansion joints are [...]
A well-oiled machine is made up of many parts. These parts are all necessary and must be in perfect condition to power an advanced machine -- like a car, for instance. An exhaust flex joint is no different. To learn more about what is an exhaust flex joint purpose, and the part’s role within the automobile industry, continue reading. What is an exhaust flex joint? Exhaust bellows and flex joints [...]
