Pipe Alignment Guide | Triad Bellows

PIPE ANCHOR

Proper pipe anchors and guides are essential to an installation of expansion joints. Pipe alignment guides and anchors will prevent the pipe from squirming or buckling during the compression cycle. Otherwise, your pipeline system may experience failure. This could put the safety of your workers in jeopardy, and the leakage may cause water damage to your facility. A structural piping engineer can assist you with the anchor design that is right for your system.

Pipe anchors at each end of the pipe run must be stronger than the force needed to compress the joint combined with the internal pressure thrust. Depending upon system pressure, this force may be many thousands of pounds. Triad Bellows will provide you with the pressure thrust force created by the expansion joint. This information will be needed by the structural piping engineer.

Pipe alignment guides permit axial movement of the pipe while restraining both lateral and angular movement. How many pipe guides you install and where you will place them will depend on the system’s pressure rating as well as your pipe’s flexibility. Guides should be installed per the above chart. View our piping spacing chart below.

Proper Alignment of Anchors and Guides

The location of the expansion joint also determines proper location of pipe guides and supports. The illustration below shows 2 guides on each side of the joint because the joint is installed in the middle of the piping run. As you install the pipe anchors, ensure you leave enough space for your employees to service them later. You will make their jobs easier so that they can be more efficient in their work.