pipingdesigners.

com Training Seminar Section - 1 E: Gaskets & Bolts By: Anton Dooley Gaskets and Bolts
Introduction Now that we have covered the different types of flanges, let's briefly cover the subject of gask ets and bolts. We shall only cover what a piper is required to k now. We will first discuss gask ets and then bolts. GA SKETS A gask et form s the seal necessary between flange connections to prevent leak s; There are different types of gask ets. The type of gask et is dependent upon three things: 1. Pressure and Tem perature of the line; 2. Com m odity of the line; 3. Facing of the flanges they are placed between. Ex am ple: A line at 800 would tak e a different type of gask et than would a line at150, even though they both could have raised face flanges. Also, it naturally follows that a flat face flange would tak e a different type of gask et than would a ring joint flange. Who Selects the Gasket Material? The Piping Material Engineer selects the type of gask et necessary for a particular line and we find this inform ation in the Piping Material Specification. There are three general types of gask ets. 1. Raised face 2. Full face 3. "Ring Joint Flange" gask et Raised Face Gaskets First, let's discuss the raised faced gask et. It is used on flanges with raised faces. It's outside diam eter is fabricated so as to align itself within the bolts. The m aterial used m ay be either m etallic or nonm etallic. The m ost com m on m etallic gask ets are: Corrugated, m etal, corrugated double jack et asbestos filled, and spiral wound. Non m etallic gask ets would be of m aterials such as graphite, cardboard or rubber. Full Face Gaskets The second type of gask et is the full face gask et. They are norm ally used for flat faced flanges and the O .D. ex tends to the outer edge of the flange face with holes provided for the bolts. Why would we use a full faced gasket on flat faced flanges? Flat faced flanges are som etim es m ade of cast iron, which is brittle. Unless a full faced gask et is used, we run the risk of crack ing the flange as the bolts are tightened. The com m on m aterials used for this type of gask et are: Graphite, cardboard or rubber. Both the raised faced gask et and full faced gask et have varying thick nesses, based on pressures and tem peratures. In order to calculate the dim ensions to flanges or valves on our isom etric, we have to k now the thick ness, so we can either add or subtract it to arrive at a dim ension on the iso. The m ost com m on com pressed thick nesses are 1/16" and 1/8". The m aterial specifications will indicate the gask et com pressed thick ness. Metal Ring Joint Flange Gasket The third type of gask et is the m etal ring gask et. The cross section of the ring is either oval or octagonal. It fits into m achined groves in the flange faces, nam ely ring joint. This type of gask et is m ade of solid m etal and is used in high pressure or high tem perature service.

BOLTS In conjunction with gask ets, there are two different types of bolts that are used with flanged connections. Stud Bolts Machine Bolts

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The material of the bolts will not be important in Piping Design for the most part, but there is a maximum temperature at which the machine bolt can be used. Above that, we usually go to stud bolts. The temperature depends upon the material and it again is selected by the Material Engineers. Bolt Lengths The Piping Designer needs to be aware of the length of the bolt for m aterial purposes and to verify there is adequate clearance for bolt rem oval. Generally this length is pre-defined, but m ay need to be adjusted in certain situations Boss and Cap Screws There will be particular instances when cap screws will be used instead of bolts; for ex am ple, at a turbine or com pressor where flange connections m ay be the "boss type." Here you would have just a m achined surface with tapped holes to accom m odate cap screws. BOLT IDENTFICA TION Machine Bolt : Machine bolts have a square forged head and requires only one hex nut. Stud Bolt : Stud bolts do not have heads. They are com pletely threaded from end to end and require two hex nuts to install. Cap Screws: Cap screws have hex heads on them and are stronger than m achine bolts and require only one hex nut. Stud bolts are the m ost com m on type of bolt used in Piping. They have these three advantages: 1. The stud bolt is m ore easily rem oved if corroded. 2. Confusion with other bolts at the site is avoided. 3. Stud bolts in the less frequently used sizes and m aterials can be readily m ade from round stock . In conclusion, the m ost im portant thing about gask ets and bolts is the thick ness of the gask et (as far as we in Piping Design are concerned). This inform ation is found in the Piping Material Specification. For additional inform ation about gask ets and bolts see the "Standards" tab on the pipingdesigners.com website.

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