Expansion Joints

&
Pipe Supports
Ganesh Kirdak
220M0011
Expansion Joints
An expansion joint or movement joint is an assembly designed to
safely absorb the heat- induced expansion and contraction of
construction materials, to absorb vibration, to hold parts together, or
to allow movement due to ground settlement or earthquakes.

Regarding EJMA: Expansion joints are Any device containing one

or more bellows used to absorb dimensional changes, such as those
caused by thermal expansion or contraction of a pipeline, duct or
vessel.
Expansion Joints Functions
 Maintaining the system stress within acceptable limits when
using expansion loop is unacceptable due to space limitation
and create unacceptable process condition.

 Maintaining the equipment nozzle load within acceptable

limits when using conventional method is still unacceptable.

 When the equipment such as Compressors, Turbines, Pumps

etc. necessitate isolating the mechanical vibrations from being
transmitted to the connected piping
Expansion Joints Type
Based On Material
 Metallic Expansion Joints
 Metallic Expansion Joints are installed in pipe work
and duct systems to prevent damage caused by thermal
growth, vibration, pressure thrust and other
mechanical forces.

 Materials : all types of stainless steels and high grade nickel

alloy steels.

 Any pipe connecting two points is subjected to numerous

types of action which result in stresses on the pipe. Some of
the causes of these stresses are: – internal or external pressure
at working temperature – weight of the pipe it self and the
parts supported on it – movement imposed on pipe sections by
external restraints – thermal expansion.
Application:
1) Heating and air conditioning installation
2) Hot water and fire protection system
3) Compressors inlet and outlet
4) Pipe with axial displacement by temperature or pressure
changes
5) Thermal motors refrigeration circuit .
 Rubber Expansion Joints
 Rubber Expansion Joints are a flexible connector fabricated from natural or
synthetic elastomers and fabrics with metallic reinforcements designed to
provide stress relief in piping systems due to thermal changes. When flexibility
for this movement cannot be designed into the piping system itself, an
expansion joint is the ideal solution.

 Movement compensation for lateral, torsional and angular movements. •

 Problems solved like:

– Vibration, Noise, Shock,
– Corrosion, Abrasion
– Stresses, Load Stress,
– Equipment Movement
– Vibration, Pressure Pulsation
– Movement in a Piping System

 Usage: It's widely used in water supply and drainage, Recycled water .Air
conditioning , compressor .etc
 Teflon Expansion Joints
 Teflon Expansion Joints
corrosion proof, non-aging with
extraordinary flex life and
unmatched reliability.
 Usage:
– widespread acceptance in the chemical processing industry,
– piping applications where acids and highly corrosive chemicals
are being handled
– commercial heating and air conditioning systems as pump
connectors and a strategic point throughout a system.

 They can be used to compensate for:

–Movement, Misalignment, Axial Travel
– Angular Deflection, and or Vibration in Piping Systems
Expansion Joints Movement
Types:
• Axial Compression
Reduction of face-to-face dimension measured
along the axis

• Axial Elongation
Increase of face-to-face dimension measured
along the axis
• Transverse or Lateral Movement
The movement of the joint perpendicular to the axis

• Vibration Absorption

The movement of the expansion joint due to vibrations which

are effectively intercepted and insulated against transmission
to remainder of systems.
 Angular Movement

The displacement of the

longitudinal axis of the joint
from its initial straight line
position (a combination of axial
compression)
Expansion Joint Type Based on
Usage/Function

1) Simple Expansion Joint

2) Universal Expansion Joint
3) Hinged Expansion Joint
4) Pressure Balanced Expansion Joint
5) Gimbal Expansion Joint
1) SIMPLE EXPANSION JOINT
The main use of single expansion joint
in a piping system is to absorb axial &
small amount of lateral & angular
movements in which it is installed.
2) Universal expansion joint

 Universal expansion joints contain two bellows with multiple

convolutions joined by a center pipe or spool, also known as
double or tandem bellows expansion joints

 Usage:
– absorbing any combination
of axial, lateral, or angular
movements in a piping system.

– Accommodate : excessive lateral movements or limitation on

the amount of lateral forces allowed on the connecting piping or
equipment.
3) HINGED EXPANSION JOINT

• Hinged expansion joints are usually used in sets

of 2 or 3 elements to absorb lateral deflection
in one or more directions in a single plane.
The hinges are designed strong enough to
take the axial pressure thrust and also to
transmit the piping deflections in a plane
perpendicular to the plane of hinge rotation.

• The magnitude of the lateral deflection that could be absorbed by a

hinged bellow is directly proportional to the length of spool piece
connecting the bellow elements.
4) Pressure Balance Expansion
Joint

The pressure balance expansion joint or

bellow design, which basically is a
combination of a Flow Bellow and
a Balancing Bellow.

• The axial thrust imposed by the imbalance area of the Bellow

under internal pressure is a main concern in designing the Piping
System employing such Bellows. The conventional method of
designing such systems is by employing Main Anchors to absorb
the above axial force. It is however not always practical (due to
space/ access constraints) to achieve these conventional
solutions. The excessive magnitude of the axial force could also
become prohibitive in some instances.
5)Gimbal Expansion Joint
The gimbal pipe expansion joint is basically same as the hinge
type, except that instead of being limited to deflection in only
one plane gimbal Expansion Joints are used to absorb angular
rotation in any plane, using two pairs of hinges attached to a
common floating gimbal ring.
 Pipe support
Objective:

The layout and design of piping and its supporting elements shall be directed towards
preventing the following :

1)Piping stresses in excess of those permitted in this code.

2)Leakage at joints .

3)Excessive thrusts and moments on connected equipment such as pumps and turbines
4) Excessive stresses in the supporting element.

5) Resonance with imposed or fluid –induced vibrations.

6) Excessive interference with thermal expansion and

contraction in piping .

7) Unintentional disengagement of piping from its supports .

Familiarization with Stress symbols:

Rest Anchor
Axial stop/Directional Stop

Spring Hanger
Rest
Y

Resting and Guide

Z
X
Global Co-ordinate System
When valves are located directly above a nozzle, spring are often
used to reduce the load on the pumps. Pumps should be located
where they can be easily supported , usually under or near the
edge of a pipeway.
Types of Pipe Support
Rigid Support

Rigid supports are used to restrict pipe movement in certain

direction(s) without any or limited flexibility in that direction.
Anchor :An anchor is a mechanical connection (welded and/or
bolted) between a pipe (or exchanger, etc.) and a structure. The
structure must be strong enough so that it cannot bend excessively
under large forces.
Directional Anchor: DA stops movement parallel to the center-line
of the pipe, but permits sideways pipe motion.
Guides: A guide stops sideways movement of a pipe, but permits
movement parallel to the pipe's centerline.

Rest Supports: A pipe support prevents downward motion of a

pipe. If the weight of the pipe acting down on the support is great
enough, upward motion of the pipe may not be possible.
Hangers: When the piping system moves up or down due to
thermal expansion, conventional rigid support is not feasible, as it
may not take load at all or it may act as a pivot. Under such
condition, it is recommended to use flexible support such as
spring hangers
Spring Support

Spring supports are used to support a load and

allow simultaneous movement. Spring supports
use helical coil compression springs (to
accommodate loads and associated pipe
movements due to thermal expansions). The
critical component in both the type of supports
are Helical Coil Compression springs.
Variables Effort support
Variable effort supports also known as variable hangers or variables are
used to support pipe lines subjected to moderate (approximately up to
50mm) vertical thermal movements.

Variable effort supports are used to support the weight of pipe work or
equipment along with weight of fluids while allowing certain quantum of
movement with respect to the structure supporting it.

Hot load is the working load of the support in the “Hot” condition i.e. when
the pipe has traveled from the cold condition to the hot or working
condition.

Load Variation (LV) or Percentage variation =[(Hot Load-Cold Load) x

100]/Hot Load or [(Travel x Spring Rate) x 100]/Hot Load. Normally MSS-
SP58 specifies max Load Variation ( popularly called LV) as 25%.
Constant effort support

Constant effort supports are used to support pipe lines subjected to large vertical
movements typically 150 mm or 250 mm. For pipes which are critical to the
performance of the system or so called critical piping where no residual stresses
are to be transferred to the pipe it is a common practice to use CES.

In a constant effort support the load remains constant when the pipe moves from
its cold position to the hot position. Thus irrespective of travel the load remains
constant over the complete range of movement.

Therefore it is called a constant load hanger. Compared to a variable load hanger

where with movement the load varies & the hot load & cold load are two different
values governed by the travel & spring constant. A CES unit does not have any
spring rate.
STRUTS
• It is a mechanical device, mainly used for
restriction of linear movement.
• This is preferred where conventional
guides/DA can not be installed due to non
availability of steel structure.
• It allows angular motion of ± 5°.
• Field adjustment of 2” - 4” can be done at
the time of installation.
SNUBBER (Shock Absorber)
Pipe Supports Duty
 Support piping system loads.
 Restrain or guide pping system elements.
 Permit movement of our piping system .
 Transmit pipe loads to structural members .
 Prevent heat transfer to the surrounding structure.
 To carry load .
 To withstand and dampen vibrational forces applied to
piping .
 To permit thermal expansion .
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expansion_joint

https://www.scribd.com/doc/134935186/Piping-Support
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/expansion-joints
Thank You