ASME Swivel flanges

Easier bolt alignment and reduced installation time

Description & application use
Swivel Ring Flange sets consist of a butt weld swivel hub with a rotatable outer bolt ring which allows for easier
alignment of the bolts to the mating flange. For all piped applications Swivel Flanges can save considerable
installation time. Freudenberg Oil & Gas Technologies (FO&GT) provides a full range of swivel flanges to
suit all classes of ASME B16.5 (sizes<24) and B16.47 (sizes>24) flanges. All FO&GT flanges benefit
from the extensive experience that FO&GT has gained in over 25 years of flange design, development and manufacture.

360 rotational swivel

ring to simplify bolt
alignment

Recessed metal retaining

circlip providing full flange
face for bolt tensioners.

Are all Swivel Flanges designed the same ?

There is no international standard for swivel ring flanges and
this can lead to under design on a fundamental level. Whilst
the ASME 16.5 and 16.47 codes are applicable for weld neck
flanges, they are not applicable to swivel ring flanges beyond
the bolt pattern and bolt sizes. ASME offer alternative rules
that consider swivel ring flanges as non-standard, or loose type
flanges, but detailed design and Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
has to be conducted to ensure components are not undersized
or over stressed.
The effect of undersized or lightweight designs can often
be seen on site with deformed and bent swivel rings which in
turn results in bending of the bolts and potential loss of gasket
seating force.
Care must also be taken to avoid mismatch between the flexural
properties of the swivel flange and the mating weld neck
flange. By ensuring these properties are well matched, an even

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compression on the sealring is obtained, thereby minimizing the

opportunity for bolts to be overtightened during installation.
Freudenberg Oil & Gas Technologies removes these potential
modes of failure at the design stage, preferring to manufacture
the swivel rings using high strength carbon steel, with a design
process supported by in-house software and FEA. The hub
would be manufactured to the customers mating material
specification.
FO&GT swivel flanges also feature a stainless steel retaining
circlip that holds the swivel ring in place during assembly. This
can be easily removed and refitted, allowing the swivel ring
and hub interface to be lubricated for easy rotation during
installation. This circlip replaces more complex retaining
methods such as welded retainer clips.

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Swivel Flange Features

1

Standard weld prep. Special weld preps available.

Optional weld overlay (CRA) for seat longevity and for use with
stainless steel gaskets.

Recessed metal retaining circlip providing full flange face for bolt
tensioners.

Robust swivel hub design. Hubs assessed for hydrostatic design

pressures and external loads. Hub material to suit client pipework.

Fillet radius on swivel hub to reduce stress concentration at shoulder interface whilst maintaining low bearing contact stress.

RTJ grooves or flat facings to suit client applications. Custom seal

profiles or non-standard RTJ gaskets can be accommodated if
required.

Material
Swivel Flange hubs can be manufactured from materials
to suit any pipe network. FO&GT has experience in the
production of connectors from carbon steel, Duplex,
Super Duplex, Stainless Steels, Nickel Alloys and specialist
materials. Swivel rings are made from high strength carbon
steel. Swivel flanges hub can be supplied with Nickel Alloy
or stainless steel inlay to the seat areas when necessary to
meet erosion or corrosion requirements.

Bolting
Bolt sets for swivel flanges are supplied to meet the clients
specifications. Longer bolts are required compared to weld
neck flanges to accommodate the increased thickness of
the swivel ring. All materials, coatings and types of bolting
can be supplied. Customer to advise if bolt tensioning will
be used.

Coating
A wide variety of coating and paint systems are available
using our in-house blasting and coating facility.

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Cut view of Swivel Flange

62,273 mm

Large blend
radius to match
pipe section.

Special flange facings

available to reduce
bolt bending and
improve bolt tensioning. For further details contact FO&GT.

Optional environmental seal available.

10

Robust swivel ring design based on FO&GT rules that exceed ASME
requirements. High strength Carbon Steel as standard.