Things We Have Learned From

Designing
Being Sued
Systems
to
Compensate
for
Thermal
Expansion
and
Contraction

1
 Gap
No Gap

Things We Have Learned

Select a joint with the correct Movement.

Be careful with air

Everything has a pressure limit.

2
Things We Have Learned
Even Stainless Steel can be attacked

3
Things We Have Learned
Rubber joints need to be properly torqued

Rubber joints need to be properly RE-torqued

Rubber joints need to be properly restrained

4
 Things We Have Learned
Bellows joints need to be properly guided

Bellows joints need to be properly anchored

Anchor loads need to be understood

6 Model MC - 6 Corrugations
Anchor Load @ 150psi - 11,600#

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 This image cannot currently be display ed.

RiserF3Floor425Room24

Things We Have Learned

Sometimes people put in too many
expansion joints

Sometimes people dont put in enough

expansion joints

Use Any Natural Flexibility In

So Where Do We Start?
The piping layout

6
 2012 ASHRAE Handbook For a Basic Expansion Elbow
Hard Pipe
Anchor
A
Heating, Ventilating, and Air
B
Conditioning L= 3DE
L
Systems and Equipment (144in/ft)SA
C
Chapter 46 Anchor
Where = Thermal expansion of leg AB
D = Pipe Outside Diameter
E = Modulus of Elasticity
SA = Allowable Stress

Or this can be simplified to

L = 6.225 D

For a Basic Expansion Z Bend For a Basic Expansion Loop

Hard Pipe Hard Pipe

Where = Thermal expansion of run

L = 6.225 D D = Pipe Outside Diameter
Where = Thermal expansion of leg AB
L = 4 D D = Pipe Outside Diameter E = Modulus of Elasticity
E = Modulus of Elasticity SA = Allowable Stress
SA = Allowable Stress W = L/5
W
Anchor A H = 2*W
X Anchor
Anchor
Guide L Anchor
B Guide H
X
L L X X
Guide 2H 2H Guide
Anchor to Anchor Expansion Anchor to Anchor Expansion

7
 Types of Expansion Joints
So if we do not
have enough Internally Externally Flexible Pipe
natural flexibility Pressurized Pressurized Loop

What do we do?

The flexible pipe loop is also smaller and has

Flexible Pipe Loop less anchor load than a hard pipe loop

Flexible Pipe
Loop

On a flex loop the braid is the anchor

8
Corrugated
stainless
steel hose
by itself
has great
hoop
strength,
but poor
tensile
strength

Hose Basics