What Are Expansion Joints?

What are expansion joints? They are an essential engineering component in construction and piping. They are often referred to as expansion bellows, as they take on a similar appearance to traditional fire bellows, featuring a compressible, tiered, and ridged design. Some people also call them movement joints because they function as flexible connectors between separate constituent parts that allow for and adapt to movement.

Expansion joints take pressure and stress off of your structures, absorbing vibrations and shock. They also reduce stress on structural anchors and guides, minimize noise, and adjust structures without causing damage or hindering functionality.

One of the major jobs of expansion joints in piping systems is to accommodate thermal expansion. They provide a structure that moves and adapts to different pressure expansions where intense heat is present. Their corrugations allow them to compress or expand with ease, compensating for any misalignment a pipe’s contraction or expansion generates.

Expansion joints move and respond to structural shifts in four different ways: axial compression, axial extension, lateral offset, and angular deflection. Their movement flexibility allows your piping structures to adapt to any pressure or thermal changes without snapping or eroding under extreme pressure.

Expansion joints are used to conjoin pipes, create pipe loops, and reduce noise and vibration. They are commonly applied in various piping and exhaust systems. They get attached to the ends of pipes and are set in place with anchors and guides. Improper anchoring and guiding may cause multiple issues and reduce the performance of the bellow.

Now that you know what expansion joints are and what they do, it’s time to find one that suits your needs. Expansion joints come in many forms, varying in motion capability, temperature compatibility, spring forces, diameter range, material structure, and pressure range.

At Triad Bellows, we’ll help you find the right expansion joints for your business. We provide multiple joints and offer high-quality custom expansion bellows specifically designed for your needs. Check out our products to enhance your piping systems with quality, functional, and engineer-innovative expansion joints.