Basic Information about Expansion Joints

In the modern piping system, expansion joints are considered to be a great agent for solving immediate complications. These expansion joints are used to absorb the different directional movements, they can help in reducing noise and vibration, also are great for resisting shock, can relieve stress from pipes and anchors, and are very helpful for compensating the misalignments in equipment itself. These expansion joints are the best articles to be used in places where metallic loops are unacceptable and illogical.

With reference to their wide range of applications, expansion joints are being made in different shapes and with different materials as well. In this article we are going to discuss three main types of expansion joints:

• Metal bellows expansion joint
• Rubber expansion joint
• Teflon expansion joint

Metal Bellows Expansion Joints:

Metal bellows expansion joints are most popularly employed in pipes or the duct system that can be useful for preventing the damage usually caused by vibration, pressure, thermal growth and other mechanical factors. There are different shapes and sizes of metallic bellow joints available in the market, these metallic expansion joins also differ in the material they are made from. These different materials can be inclusive of all types of stainless steel or the high-quality nickel alloy steel.

Whichever pipes are used to connect two or more points, can be subjected to various reactions and these reactions can cause pressure and strain, some of the causes are:

• High weight 
• Expansion 
• Pressure on working temperature

Rubber Expansion Joints:

Rubber expansion joints just as the material suggests are flexible in nature. These joints are flexible connectors made from the elastomers or other fabrics with metallic augmentation that help in resisting the stress caused due to thermal expansion. When the pipes themselves cannot support movement then these rubber expansion joints are perfect agents to resolve this problem. Rubber joints are excellent for absorbing angular or lateral movement in order to avert any possible harm to the plant.

These rubber expansion joints can be used to overcome issues like:

• Reverberation, shock, and decomposition 
• To stop movement due to pressure 
• To ease the load-strain

Teflon Expansion Joints:

These expansion joints are said to be corrosion free agents that give an incomparable durability and reliability without needing to be replaced or maintained for a long time. These expansion joints are most famously used in the chemical companies where multiple types of acids and chemicals are processed.

Their best application areas are:

• For defusing vibration in pipes 
• Can be used to fix the misalignments