| Expansion Joints refers to a metal bellows expansion | | | | You can find these joints used in any system that |
| joint designed to absorb axial, lateral and angular | | | | transports fluids or liquids. You may not know this, but |
| motions in piping systems. They are designed to | | | | even food production uses these joints in mechanical |
| alleviate piping stress, compensate for movement, | | | | systems. |
| reduce noise, and isolate vibration. | | | | I know one plant involved in food production where the |
| Expansion joints are designed just for your individual | | | | piping system transported milk, cream, high fructose |
| needs. Either metal bellows or sliding expansion joints | | | | corn syrup, and a variety of other food ingredients into |
| are used in a wide range of situations with each | | | | the production area. |
| installation designed to hold up to extremes of | | | | Expansion joint solutions have been created for |
| pressure temperature and sometimes even traffic. | | | | industries and technologies like airline altitude sensors, |
| Each application has its own unique properties and | | | | piping for machine coolants, petrochemical processing |
| challenges, so each one will require a custom-made | | | | industry, applications involving high and low pressure |
| solution. You want to stick to an experienced | | | | steam, the nuclear power industry, medical technology, |
| fabricator when you specify the type of expansion | | | | food ingredient management, Industrial engines and |
| joint that you need. Skilled engineers have many years | | | | pump systems. |
| of experience in this area and will be glad to assist you | | | | All of these material handling systems had expansion |
| in designing an expansion joint that meets your | | | | joints to deal with the temperature variations. In addition |
| demands. | | | | to normal production stress, we also have to consider |
| Each metal bellow is designed from scratch with | | | | the temperature fluctuations that occur during cleaning. |
| specifications for pitch, convolution height, thickness, | | | | Sometimes these range from very high temperatures |
| number of plies, convoluted length, skirt length, and | | | | to low temperatures in the course of a very short |
| inside/ outside diameter requirements. | | | | length of time. |
| Joint design has specifications for working pressure, life | | | | When designing your expansion joints it will certainly be |
| cycle, and spring rate which are entirely dependent on | | | | wise to stick with a manufacturer that has experience. |
| the situation and needs for the final assembly. | | | | One mistake in fabrication or an engineering specs can |
| These considerations, and some very specific | | | | cause an entire process to break down at a time |
| mathematical formulas, are part of what insures that | | | | when you don't want it to. Infrastructure is very |
| an expansion joint meets the standards set by the | | | | important part of any company and not something to |
| Expansion Joint Manufacturers Association. EJMA | | | | be taken lightly. |
| specifications have been created to ensure that | | | | Expansion joints need to be carefully designed to take |
| expansion joints are able to perform under the | | | | the extremes of pressure and heat in a piping system |
| specifications that are listed for it. This is for the benefit | | | | so little-known possibilities are accounted for in the |
| of everybody's productivity and safety. | | | | system and all through your business. |