One phenomenon that is encountered in the pressure vessel and piping world is flange rotation.

Rotation
can occur when some form of raised face flange is used, with no contact outside the bolt circle.
As illustrated in the figure to the right, the outer edges of the flange are pulled
toward each other as the bolts are tightened. The inner diameter of the
gasket can be partially unloaded by this process. The effective sealing width
of the gasket is reduced, concentrating the stress on the outer diameter of
the gasket. In addition, thermal expansion and/or contained pressure can
also cause flange rotation.
With thermal expansion and/or contained pressure, the tension in the bolts
decreases as the outer edges of the joint move toward each other. So there
can be a simultaneous increase in stress on (a portion of) the gasket and a
decrease in bolt tension.
In LNG applications, the differential thermal gradients generated result in
differential thermal expansion and contraction in the flanges, which can be detrimental to the sealing
integrity of the joint. Thermal gradients bring about a change in the stiffness of the gasket, which affects the
gasket contact stresses and can result in flange rotation.
Engineers who cope with flange rotation say that it can induce non-
uniformity in gasket contact stresses and significantly increase the
difficulties of sealing a joint and increasing the risk of leakage. Some even
say that rotations as small as 0.10° can make a tight seal almost
impossible.
One way to prevent excess flange rotation is to insert a metal ring between
flange surfaces, outboard of the bolts, as shown in the figure to the left. The
ring must be correctly dimensioned for the flanged joint to work correctly.
However, if it is too thin, the flange may still be able to rotate. If it is too
thick, it may prevent the bolts from properly preloading the gaskets. If it
allows for gasket deflection but prevents rotation, it will provide an outboard
support or fulcrum for the flanges and minimize rotation.
ASME Code recommends that the value of “hG” (radial distance from gasket load reaction to the bolt circle)
should be kept to a minimum to reduce flange rotation at the sealing surface. This results in a very small
clearance between the bolt circle diameter and the gasket, and necessitates a large number of small
diameter bolts rather than a smaller number of large diameter bolts.