Senior Flexonics Pathway

Engineered Metal Expansion Joints and

Engineering Services for Critical Use Applications

by
David Peterson PE
Company Background

• Pathwayy started in 1960s

• Acquired by Senior Plc in 1999
• Acquired Damper product line in 2003.
• Acquired
q WahlcoMetroflex in 2010
• Annual turnover $80,000,000
• Product in 80 countries
Dampers for All Industrial Processes
25% of Total Volume
Fabric Expansion Joints
10% of Total Volume
On-Site-Services
8% of Total Volume
Metal Expansion Joints
57% of Total Volume

40% Power Generation >

< 40% Petrochemical

P t h i l andd Refining
R fi i

20% Marine, Commercial,

Metal processing, Other >
Engineering Capabilities

• Cosmos FEA
• Caesar II Pipe Stress
Analysis
• 3D modeling with Solid
Works
• Fast design configuration
tools
• Extensive field experience
influences design
Capabilities

• High bays with heavy lifting capacity

• 250 Employees

• U Stamp • N Stamp • ISO 14001

• R Stamp • NPT Stamp • EJMA Member
• ISO 9001 • PED Certified
The Big Bay in New
Braunfels TX
Braunfels,
 Metal Expansion Joints

Typical
i l Bellows
ll Manufacturing
f i
Processes
Bellows Manufacturing

De-coil and shear to size

Roll the material

Bellows Manufacturing

W ld the
Weld th tube
t b

Pl i h the
Planish th weld
ld
 Bellows Manufacturing

Radiograph test of the

Bellows Longitudinal Seam
Dye Penetrant Inspect Bellows
Longitudinal Seam
Bellows Manufacturing

Punchh fform bellows

b ll
Bellows Manufacturing

Re-roll bellows

Trim bellows to length

Bellows Manufacturing

Dye penetrant examine the

bellows longitudinal seam
after
fte forming
f i where
he e
accessible.
Hydraulic Forming
Toroidal Bellows

Pressure

Pressure
Metal Expansion
p Joints

Design and Application

Design
Expansion Joint Standards

EJMA 5th Edition for Nuclear

EJMA 5 Editi f N l
And EJMA 9th Edition
Design
B31 3 Requirements for Expansion Joints
B31.3

• Must use the B31

B31.33 Appendix X lower bound fatigue curve.
curve
• Must design with B31.3 equations.
• Bellows attachments to Chrome Moly material must be buttered and
h t treated
heat t t d or the
th attachment
tt h t weld
ld mustt be
b heat
h t treated
t t d after
ft welding.
ldi
• Temperature correction factor for test pressure to be based on bellows.
• 100% PT or RT of bellows longitudinal seam before forming.
• 100% PT of bellows longitudinal seam after forming.
• 100% PT of bellows attachment weld.
• Pressure test manadatory, must engage any pressure thrust hardware.
• Minimum test pressure to be 1.5 times design regardless of test media.
Design
Types of Expansion Joint Bellows

Unreinforced Bellows
Vacuum to 300 PSIG

Reinforced Bellows
Up to 800 PSIG

Toroidal Bellows
Up to 2000 PSIG
Design
Bellows Forming

4”
4
.25 square inch area
A bellows gathers
material
i as iti forms such .0625”
0625”
Thick
that the finished bellows
has 3 to 5 times the
pressure carrying
capacity as the tube prior
to forming.
forming

Equivalent to
1” .25” wall pipe
Design
Stress / Performance Calculations

S2 - Hoop Stress < Code Allowable

at design temperature and pressure

S6 – Total Stress Range – theoretical

value for fatigue life calculation

Max Design Pressure for Stability –

must be greater than design Pressure

Spring rates
Fatigue
Expansion Joint Design
Fatigue
High Temperature Applications

• Published fatigue curves are based on

ambient temperature tests.
• Th mechanism
The h i for f failure
f il at high
hi h
temperature (above the creep range) is
creep rupture, a very different process.
• C
Creep rupture is
i time
i dependent
d d andd
temperature dependent.
Fatigue
High Temperature Bellows Testing
Fatigue
High Temperature Test Results

• Bellows material = Alloy 800H special chemistry

• Ambient fatigue life rated at 40,000 EJMA cycles
• T temperature = 620 Deg
Test D C
• One hour hold between each cycle
• Bellows annealed after forming
– 867 cycles to failure
• Bellows NOT annealed after formingg
– 58 cycles to failure
Fatigue
High Temperature Bellows Design

• Materials with most

history of use - Alloy
800H or T321H
• Heat treat after
forming for creep
g applications
range pp
• Avoid creep range
temperature by design
if possible
 Spring Rate Calculations

EJMA 9 Spring Rate Calculation for

Typical Bellows • Spring rate starts out linear
elastic
D
• Becomes
B plastic,
l i non-linear
li
C • EJMA attempts to evaluate
Force

B
A both conditions
F

• Catalog information, pipe

stress data based on working
spring
i rates
Deflection

D Actual Force A EJMA 9 Elastic Calc

B EJMA 9 Plastic Calc C Pathway Historical Calc

Spring Rate Calculations

Force vs Deflection in a
T i l Bellows
Typical B ll Cycle
C l

• Non-linear to full movement

• Returns linear initially

(Positive)
• Then goes plastic
• Neutral point shifts with
Working
each full cycle Actual

Force
Spring
Spring
Rate
Force

(Negative)

Deflection
Design
Axial Expansion

Axial Movement
Calculations per EJMA
C-1 and C-2
Design
Pressure Thrust Math Model

Ft Ft
Dm
A bellows can be
math modeled as a
spring and piston

Ft Ft
Dm
Design
Pressure Thrust Forces

24” Inside Diameter Bellows at 300 psig

Eff ti Area
Effective A = 500 sq. in.
i
Pressure Thrust = 300 x 500 = 150,000 pounds

or about 30 – Land Rovers

Guide and Anchor Requirements for Internally
Pressurized Axial Expansion Joints
Pressure Thrust
Loads to Be Considered on Anchor

• Pressure thrust at design pressure (AbPd)

• + Guide
G id friction
f i i force
f (μF
( n)
• + Bellows axial spring force (xFa)
• + Dynamic force due to fluid momentum(wV/g)
• Pressure thrust at test pressure (AbPt)
Pressure Thrust
A Field Example

A contractor buys an unrestrained, flanged x flanged expansion

joint for tank settlement.

Basic System:
3 Tanks with Discharge lines
14”Dia @ 175 Psigg
 Pressure Thrust
A Field Example

The Problem:
15^2 x Pi x 175 / 4 = 31,000 #
31,000#
, x 3 = 93,000
, #
Pressure Thrust
A Field Example

“Let’s fix it and

see if anyone
notices”

A bull dozer is
used to fix the
surprise that
happened
pp because
there was no
main anchor.
Pressure Thrust
A Field Example

“Come
Come onon, the
expansion joint
doesn’t look too
b d”
bad”
Pressure Thrust
Th Great
The G t Flixborough
Fli b h Disaster
Di t - Before
B f
Pressure Thrust
The Great Flixborough Disaster - During
Pressure Thrust
The Great Flixborough Disaster - After
Design
Lateral Movement

Lateral Movement
Calculations per EJMA C-
C-
4a, C-
C-4b, and C-
C-5
Design
Tied Universal Expansion Joints
Design
Hinge / Gimbal Expansion Joints

Angular Movement
C l l ti
Calculations per EJMA C-3
C 3 and
dCC-3a
3
Design
Hinge & Gimbal Expansion joints
Design
Pressure Balanced Elbow

Area of both bellows are equal

Pressure thrust forces cancel
Design
In Line Pressure Balanced
In-Line

Area A1 = Area A2
Pressure thrust forces
cancel

A2
Design
In Line Pressure Balanced
In-Line

A2
A1 = Area A2 – A1
A1

Pressure thrust forces

cancel
Liners
Vortex Shedding and Resonance

Flow moving past a curved surface results

in the build up of a vortex.

Force

The vortex is unstable and it breaks off

or sheds at a frequency that is
proportional
ti l to
t the
th flow
fl velocity.
l it
Liners
Vortex Shedding and Resonance

Each time the Vortex sheds it imparts a

small force to the object perpendicular to
the line of flow.

Force

Severe damage can occur if the frequency

of vortex shedding ever matches the
harmonic frequency of the object.
object
Liners
Vortex Shedding and Resonance

High
g velocityy Vortex sheddingg
flow causes imparts vibration
high frequency to the bellows
vortex shedding

At the right frequency A liner protects the

the bellows may bellows from flow
vibrate harmonically induced vibration
Liners
Resonance and High Cycle Fatigue
Liners
Resonance and High Cycle Fatigue

• High frequency vibration /

resonance results in millions
of low amplitude cycles
• Failure can be rapid and
dramatic
• Can be eliminated with a
properly designed liner
Liners
Telescoping vs Single

Single Telescoping
Liners
Single with Offset
Covers

Single Telescoping
p g

• Prevent external mechanical damage

• Control bellows operating temperature
• Isolate from weather effects
Covers
Example of Mechanical Damage

Damaged Bellows
Instability
Column Squirm

With increasing internal

pressure there is a
corresponding
p g increase in
the longitudinal compressive
force between each
convolution
Instability
Column Squirm

The internal pressure

required to buckle a
bellows is reduced as L/D
ratio increases

D
The end force required to
b kl a column
buckle l is
i
reduced as L/D ratio
L increases
Instability
Column Squirm

Excessive pressure can

result in column squirm,
gross deformation
Instability
In-Plane Squirm

Non-uniform
distortion of the
convolutions
Instability
In Plane and Column Instability
In-Plane

Deformation was due to an explosion that generated

pressure of unknown magnitude
Design
Externally Pressurized Expansion Joints

D
A column
l iin tension
t i
cannot buckle

A bellows exposed to
external pressure is
not subject to column
instability
Design
Externally Pressurized Expansion Joints

Media
Air

• Media is external to bellows - atmospheric pressure inside

• External pressure adds to bellows stability
• L/D ratio not important - column buckling cannot occur
• Long axial strokes are possible
Guide and Anchor Requirements for Externally
Pressurized Axial Expansion Joints

12 Dp
Design
Torsion

Torsional Movement
Torsional shear stress limited to .25*Sab at SFP
Ply Testable Bellows

•Critical service applications

•100
100 % Leak Redundancy
• Field Testable on or off line
• Eliminates emergencies
g
Ply Testable Bellows
Manufacturing

Telescope bellows Plies

Dye Penetrant Inspect Bellows

Longitudinal Seam
Ply Testable Bellows
Manufacturing

Telescope bellows Plies

Punch form bellows

Ply Testable Bellows
Manufacturing

Re-roll bellows

Trim bellows to rough length

Ply Testable Bellows
Manufacturing

Fuse plies by
together by
resistance welding

Bake out the bellows after

resistance welding or heat
treat as specified to
eliminate trapped water
 Ply Testable Bellows
Manufacturing

• Trim
T i bellows
b ll to final
fi l
dimension at the center of
the resistance weld
• Add and test ports
• Flow test to insure integrity

Test port detail

Ply Testable Bellows
Manufacturing

Bad
Weld
LEAK PATH

Resistance
welding is a
Good
critical element
Weld
Ply Testable Bellows
Considerations for Cold
Wall Expansion Joints
Applications
FCC Hot Wall and Cold Wall
 FCCU
Applications Applications
Appl cat ns
FCC
Applications
FCC
Applications
FCC
Applications
FCC
Applications
FCC
Applications
FCC
Applications
FCC
Applications
FCC
Applications
FCC
Applications
FCC Standpipes

• Critical Application
• Media hot gas and catalyst
• Design Temperature 1100F to
1450F
• C b
Can be repaired
i d on-line
li
Applications
FCC Regen Cat Standpipes

• Extension and lateral movement

• Erosive environment
• C
Corrosion
i
• Useful life 15 – 20 years
• Can be repaired on-line
Applications
FCC Standpipe Hardware

• Pantographic linkage • Limit rods

• Center gimbal • Slotted hinges
Applications
FCC Regen Cat Standpipe
Applications
FCC Spent Cat Standpipes

• Compression and lateral

movement
• Banked catalyst covers bellows
area
• Generally not a corrosive
environment
• Useful life 15 – 20 years
Applications
FCC Spent Cat Standpipe
Applications
FCC Standpipes
Applications
Cold Wall Expansion Joint Construction

• Downstream refractory Engineered Clearance

stop designed to
accommodate radial
differential growth
• High alloy liner seal
(T309) made of heavy
braid inserted with knit
wire held in place with
annealed pins

Critical Element
Applications
Cold Wall Expansion Joint Construction

• Liner transition designed

with low slope to
accommodate large
longitudinal temperature
gradient
• Armored internal
insulation pillow to keep
catalyst dust out of the
bellows liner cavity

Critical Element
Applications
Cold Wall Expansion Joint Construction

Thermocouple wired
• Cover to isolate bellows to convolution root
from weather and wind Critical Element

• Engineered
E i d externall Critical
C iti l Element
El t

insulation blanket to
maintain bellows
temperature above acid
dew point
• Thermocouples
p to verifyy
bellows temperature
Applications
FCC Cold Wall Expansion Joints
 Applications
Cold Wall Expansion Joint Construction

Pl Testable
Ply T t bl with
ith M
Monitor
it
• High alloy bellows
Alloy 625 LCF
material (Alloy 625
LCF) for maximum
fatigue life and to
resist acid corrosion
d i shut
during h t downs
d
• Ply testable with
accessible monitor
Applications
FCC Regen Overhead

• Media: Flue Gas & Catalyst

• Media Temperature: 1100°-1450°
• Cold Wall construction
• Movement: Lateral
• Useful service life 15-25 years
depending on bellows
temperature
Applications
FCC Regen Overhead

• Slotted hinges for dead weight

• Pipe style tie rods to keep tie
rods from bending g
Applications
FCC Regen Overhead for Reliance
Applications
FCC Power Recovery Expansion Joints

• Media: Flue Gas &

Catalyst
• Media Temperature:
1100°-1450°
• Movement: Angular
• Useful
U f l service
i life
lif 15
years
Applications
Hot Wall Expansion Joint Construction

• Start with the weld wire and the B31.3 Weld

Strength Reduction Factor, thinner is better
• Consider
C id 16-8-2
16 8 2 or equall to minimize
i i i pipe
i
wall thickness
Applications
Hot Wall Expansion Joint Construction

• Avoid heavy rings on hot pipe

Critical element
• Rings cause high thermal stress
and through wall cracks
• Failure mode is creep rupture
Applications
Hot Wall Expansion Joint Construction

Radial
R di l pins
i through
h h
lugs to hold floating
ring in Place

Shear ring attached

where pipe is cooler
and stronger

Weld design
g / location
Critical Elements
 Applications
Hot Wall Expansion Joint Construction

• Use generous kknuckle

U kl
radius at all high strain
transition points
• Analyze knuckle for
localized load with FEA
and adjust pipe wall
thickness as necessary

Expanded pipe minimizes

FEA on knuckle
stress riser at transitions Drives pipe wall thickness
Critical
C c element
ee e Critical element
 Applications
Hot Wall Expansion Joint Construction

• Overlap
O l li liner att
attachment for support
and to reduce
attachment weld strain
• Use reverse bevel weld
plus fillet to
approximate 100%
penetration
i weld ld

Liner attachment weld design

Critical element
Reduce liner / shell temperature
difference with overlap
Critical element
 Applications
Hot Wall Expansion Joint Construction

• Telescoping liners to
minimize liner gaps,
minimize potential for
insulation loss and flow
intrusion
• Armored insulation
ppillow engineered
g to
maintain bellows
temperature below
1000F
• I l t below
Insulate b l floating
fl ti
ring to allow use of low
cost materials Telescoping liner
Critical element
 Applications
Hot Wall Expansion Joint Construction

• For spring rate critical Critical element

applications, use low
friction bearings for
hi
hinge pins
i
• Gap hinges to avoid
contact under load
• Design bellows to
theoretical elastic
spring rate
• es g hardware
Design a dwa e too Gap hinges / no contact
contact.
bearing deflection Hinges pin / bearing Must consider differential
misalignment must be less thermal with gimbals.
tolerance, not stress than .8 degrees under load Critical element
Critical element
 Applications
Hot Wall Expansion Joint Construction

• Telescoping covers to
maintain bellows
temperature and protect Critical element
f
from weather
th
• Ply testable with
accessible monitor
• High alloy bellows
material (Alloy 625 LCF)
for maximum fatigue
performance
f andd tto resist
it
corrosion
Telescoping cover
Critical element
Applications
Hot Wall Expansion Joint Construction
Applications
Another Example of Floating Hardware
Applications
Catofin Units,
Units Styrene Production
Applications
Special Guide Concept for PRTs

• Guiding at PRT critical to

performance
• Dimensional tolerance very limited
• PRT generally centerline supported
• Guide must be centerline supported
• Axial load due to friction not
allowed.

PRT

Rocker Arm
Guide System
Application
Special Guide Concept for PRTs

Floating
Fl ti supportt
hardware

Centerline
vertical support
to match PRT

Rocker arm with

Center guide to lubricated bearing
resist lateral sway to minimize friction
Maintenance and Inspection
Math Modeling and Analysis
The End