Finite Element Simulation of Bolt-Up Process of Pipe Flange Connections

Achieving uniform bolt preload is difficult when tightening a pipe flange with a number of bolts. Several bolt-tightening strategies have been proposed so far for achieving uniform bolt preloads. It seems, however, that effective guidelines for tightening pipe flange connections have not been established. In this study, a numerical approach is presented for estimating the scatter in bolt preloads and achieving the uniform bolt preloads when tightening each bolt one by one in an arbitrary order. Numerical analyses are conducted using three-dimensional FEM as an elastic contact problem. The analytical objects are pipe flanges specified in JIS B 2238 with an aluminum gasket inserted. The validity of the numerical procedures proposed here is ascertained by experiment.