LITTLE P.ENG. FOR ENGINEERING CONSULTANCY SERVICES

Flanges are discussed in previous post (ASME B31.3 Limitations on Flanges). Additional requirements for flanged joints are provided in para. 312 of ASME B31.3. These discuss conditions where flanges with different strengths are bolted together. This can involve two flanges of the same or different materials or with different ratings, or a nonmctallic and metallic flange bolted together. In both cases, precautions are required to avoid overloading the weaker flange. In additio

Joint Stiffness It is important to recognize that the individual components of flanges, gaskets, nuts, and bolts operate together as a system. Gasket companies are continually fielding questions from concerned users about their ‘‘gasket’’ leakage. Gasket leakage is symptomatic of a broader problem. To focus exclusively on the gasket as the cause of the leakage fails to recognize that the flange joint operates as a system, and a systems approach should be used to design flange