A Stress Analysis of Pipe Flange Connections

The use of pipe flange connections is standardized in the codes of JIS, ASME, DIN and so on. However, these codes are almost entirely dependent on experience, and subsequently some problems concerning pipe flange connections have been encountered. In the present paper, the distribution of contact stresses which governs the sealing performance is analyzed as a three-body contact problem, using an axisymmetrical three-dimensional theory of elasticity. The effects of the stiffness and the thickness of raised face metallic gaskets on the contact stresses and the effective gasket seating width are shown by numerical calculation. Moreover, stresses produced on the hub, the load factor (the relationship between an increment of bolt axial force and an internal pressure), and the maximum stress caused in bolts are analyzed. For verification, experiments are carried out. The analytical results are satisfactorily consistent with the experimental results.