An Analytical Solution for

Evaluating Gasket Stress Change

in Bolted Flange Connections
Subjected to High Temperature
Loading

Abdel-Hakim Bouzid
Associate Professor
Ecole de Technologie Superieure,
Mechanical Engineering Department,
1100, Rue Notre-Dame Ouest,
Montreal (Quebec) H3C 1K3, Canada
Phone: 514-396-8563
Fax: 514-396-8530
e-mail: hakim.bouzid@etsmtl.ca

The tightness of bolted flanged joints subjected to elevated temperature is not properly
addressed by flange design codes. The development of an analytical method based on the
flexibility of the different joint components and their elastic interaction could serve as a
powerful tool for elevated temperature flange designs. This paper addresses the effect of
the internal fluid operating temperature on the variation of the bolt load and consequently on the gasket stress in bolted joints. The theoretical analysis used to predict the
gasket load variation as a result of unequal radial and axial thermal expansion of the
joint elements is outlined. It details the analytical basis of the elastic interaction model
and the thermally induced deflections that are used to evaluate the load changes. Two
flange joint type configurations are treated: a joint with identical pair of flanges and a
joint with a cover plate. The analytical models are validated and verified by comparison
to finite element results. fDOI: 10.1115/1.2042480g

Akli Nechache
Graduate Student
Ecole de Technologie Superieure,
Mechanical Engineering Department,
1100, Rue Notre-Dame Ouest,
Montreal (Quebec) H3C 1K3, Canada
e-mail: anechache@mec.etsmtl.ca

model that includes the radial expansion difference between the

flange and shell while Sawa et al. f13g and Bouzid et al. f14g
treated the axial expansion difference between the bolt, the gasket,
and the flange. Brown et al. f15g included both effects for a pair of
identical flanges using a simple model that ignores the heat transfer of the hub to the outer boundary and the gasket, nonlinear
behavior.
Differential thermal expansion is a potential source of load
change in gasket and bolts. The thermal expansion coefficient of
the gasket being substantially different than that of other joint
members, and particularly the bolts, any change in temperature
has a direct impact on gasket compression. In our previous papers
f16,17g, thermal profile and the axial, radial displacement and
distortions of a flange pair and a flange with a cover plate subjected to thermal loading have been modeled analytically. The
joint was broken into separate components namely the shell, the
hub, the flange ring, the bolt, the gasket and the cover plate when
applicable.
This paper presents an analytical approach to evaluate the effect
of thermal loading on the tightness behavior of bolted flanged
connections provided with seals. In particular the study will focus
on the effect of the thermal expansion and distortion of the individual joint components on the redistribution of load. The elaborate analytical model provides a good estimate of the steady state
bolt and gasket load changes. The bolted flange joint assemblies
studied are of small and large diameter size for the cases of flange
pairs and flanges with cover plates.

Introduction
Flange designs have been the subject of a lot of criticism for the
past decade. Of major concern is the lack of the traditional design
procedures f1g to quantify tightness and the effect of temperature.
With the new strict environment protection regulations and the
ever-increasing safety and hazard requirements in N.A, Europe,
and Japan, the current code design procedures f24g are being
revised to include leakage as a design parameter f5g. While most
flanges have been operating satisfactorily in the past, there exist
several problematic flanges that are very difficult to seal f6g. This
is especially true with those flanges operating at high temperature
f7g. Relaxation of the gasket due to thermal transients and creep
are the main causes to blame f8g. In its present form, other than
the material properties variation with temperature the ASME code
flange design procedure does not account for the effect of temperature. A loss of more than half of the initial operating gasket
load is commonly encountered in flange joints with certain gaskets operating at relatively high temperature. While appendix S of
the ASME code addresses vaguely the load relaxation due to temperature, it remains the designers hard task to quantify this effect
and add additional margin of safety in the bolt load. Usually, good
engineering practice coupled with some experience with certain
gasket types may result in a good knowledge of the relaxation
load to be accounted for f9g. For critical applications, however,
the common practice is to apply hot torquing after the first start-up
to recover the load loss due to gasket creep f10g.
In the literature, there are very few papers that address analytically the effect of temperature on the bolt and gasket load
changes. While the effect of creep due to the bolts and flanges was
relatively well analyzed by many researchers in the past, the load
loss due to gasket creep remains to be addressed f11g. In addition
to this temperature effect, due to the fact that the different joint
elements are at different temperature, the axial and radial expansion difference causes load changes. Dudley f12g presented a

Theoretical Analysis
Elastic Interaction Analysis. The three basic elements that
form a bolted flanged joint are the flange, the bolts, and the gasket. The flange is composed of three different elements namely,
the shell, the hub, and the flange ring. The junctions of the
cylinder-hub and hub-ring represent geometrical discontinuities.
As with pressure, when thermal loading is applied to a joint, different radial displacements and distortions at these junctions are
generated for the above-mentioned joint components. However, in

Contributed by the Pressure Vessels and Piping Division of ASME for publication
in the JOURNAL OF PRESSURE VESSEL TECHNOLOGY. Manuscript received July 6, 2004;
final manuscript received May 29, 2005. Review conducted by: Sam Zamrik.

414 / Vol. 127, NOVEMBER 2005

Copyright 2005 by ASME

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Fig. 2 Displacements due to temperature a radial and b

axial

s4d The bolt is represented by linear elastic spring while the

gasket nonlinear behavior is considered according to the
approach detailed in f19g.
Radial Displacements. The radial displacement and the rotation of the individual bolted joint components during the three
different phases; initial tightening, pressurization, and thermal
loading, are given as follows:
Shell. The radial displacement and the rotation of the cylinder
shell, at any axial position on the cylinder due to pressure and
temperature are given as follows:
1

us =

M 1e
2bs2Ds

Fig. 1 Flange analytical model

+
order to preserve the continuity of displacement and rotation discontinuity edge loads sshear forces P1 , P2 and moments M 1 , M 2d
are created as shown in Fig. 1.
The model used to simulate the joint shown in Fig. 2 is similar
to the one pioneered by Waters f18g with two additional mechanical elements: the bolt and the gasket that are represented by
springs of linear elastic and nonlinear nonelastic stiffness, respectively. For the case involving a blind cover plate, plate stiffness is
included. Also, the flange is considered to rotate rigidly without
distortion with respect to the point of gasket reaction located in
the gasket-flange contact region. Before conducting the elastic
interaction analyses, it is worth noting the theoretical reference
used to treat the different joint elements:

us =

bsx

scos bsx sin bsxd +

P1ebsx cos bsx

s2 nsdri2
p + usTsxd
2Ests
1

P 1e
2bs2Ds

bsx

s1d

1
M 1ebsx cos bsx
b sD s

scos bsx + sin bsxd

s2d

where

bs =

3s1 ns2d

s1 + nsdasDTs

usTsxd =

2bs2ts

Ets3

and Ds =

rs2ts2

s3d

12s1 ns2d

ebsxscos bsx sin bsxd

x
sT8 Tsod
,s so

+ asrs Tso +

s4d

and

Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology

2bs3Ds

+ usTsxd

s1d The cylindrical shell is treated using the theory of beam on

an elastic foundation.
s2d The flange is considered to be either a circular plate with a
central hole for small flanges or a circular ring for large
diameter flanges.
s3d The hub is treated using the theory of cylindrical shell with
linear varying thickness.

NOVEMBER 2005, Vol. 127 / 415

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dusTsxd s1 + nsdasDTs b x
a sr s
e s cos bsx +
=
sT8 Tsid
dx
b st s
,s so

usTsxd =

E g 3x 3

Mh =

n2f d

12s1

duh E f g3xs1/2d
fC1S9sd + C2S10sd + C3S11sd
=
dx 48s1 n2f d

s5d

+ C4S12sdg +

Hub. The hub is considered as a cylindrical shell with a linearly

varying thickness. Its radial displacement uh at any axial position
is given by the following equation:

+ C4S8sdg
s6d

S9sd = s 2 bei8sd + 4 beisd + 8 ber8sdd

s1 + n f da f DTh
2b2hth

+ a f rh T fh +

S10sd = s2 bersd 4 bersd + 8 bei8sdd

bhx8

scos bhx8 sin bhx8d

x8
sTso T fhd
,h

r=

12s1 n2f d
g2r2h

s7d

1/4

bh =

S12sd = s2 kersd 4 kersd + 8 keisdd,

and
S5sd = bersd + 2 bei8sd
S6sd = beisd 2 ber8ssdd
s15d

S7sd = kersd + 2 kei8ssdd

3s1 n2f d
r2ht2h

s8d

S8sd = keisd 2 ker8ssdd

C1 , C2 , C3 , C4 are the constants of integration which are given

from the boundary conditions. ber, bei, ber8, and bei8 are the real
and imaginary parts and their derivatives of the Bessel function
J0sxe3pi/4d, ker, kei, ker8, and kei8 are the real and imaginary parts
and their derivatives of the Bessel function K0sxepi/4d.
The rotation uh, the bending moment M h and the shear force Ph
are obtained by the successive derivative of the displacement and
are given as follows:

Flange Ring. The radial displacement, the rotation, and the moment of the flange ring are given in terms of the applied loading
such that

pr2h
s2 n f d + uTh
2E f yx2

DS

k2 + 1
tf
+ n f + u f + uTf srid
2
k2 1

uf =

ri
P2
P
Ef
tf

uTf srd

af
=
s1 + n f d
r

where

duh
= xs3/2dfC1S1sd + C2S2sd + C3S3sd + C4S4sdg
uh =
dx
+

s14d

S11sd = s 2 kei8sd + 4 keisd + 8 ker8sdd

The taper angle may be expressed in terms of the thickness of the

cylindrical shell as g = ts / x1 allowing the hub thickness th at any
location to be expressed in terms of x as gx where x is shown in
Fig. 1 and x8 = x2 x.
Also
= 2bx,

s13d

where

where
uTh sx8d

s12d

12s1 n2f d

E f g3r2xs1/2d
dM h
fC1S5sd + C2S6sd + C3S7sd
=
dx
24s1 n2f d

Ph =

uh = xs1/2dfC1 ber8sd + C2 bei8sd + C3 ker8sd + C4 kei8sdg

pr2h
s2 n f d + uTh
+
2E f gx

s2 n f dpr2hy 2

F E

s9d

s16d

T f srdrdr

ri

s1 n f dr2 + s1 + n f dri2
r2o ri2

ro

T f srdrdr

s17d

where
E f t3f

s10d

S3sd = keisd 2 ker8sd

Mf =

srb rgd
srg rid 2 2
ri
r it f
M2 +
P2 +
Fb +
srg + ri dp s19d
rm
2rm
prm
2rm

with

S4sd = kersd 2 kei8sd

and uTh is the rotation due to the axial and radial gradients and is
given by

1
6
k2 ln K
3
s1 n f d + s1 + n f d 2
K1 p
p
sK 1d

Y=

duTh sxd s1 + n f da f DTh b x8

a f rh
sTso T fhd
e h cossbhx8d +
=
dx
b ht h
,h

with K =

DTh is the average temperature difference across the thickness of

the hub small and large ends. Neglecting the thermal gradient
effect, the moment and force are given by

for a plate

s20d

ro
ri

Axial Displacement. The axial displacements of the different

416 / Vol. 127, NOVEMBER 2005

6
for a ring
ln K

and Y =

s11d

s18d

Mf

where

S2sd = bersd 2 bei8sd

uTh sxd =

2 p r iY

uf =

S1sd = beisd + 2 ber8sd

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ing due to thermal gradient as shown in Fig. 2sbd.

component of the joint are caused by mechanical loads and thermal expansions and are given as follows.

Axial Displacement Compatibility. The final force in the bolt

is given by operating the relation of axial compatibility. The axial
displacement of the nut represents the number of turns carried out
during initial tightening. This displacement remains unchanged
during operation; it is calculated by the sum of all axial displacements of the various elements,

Gasket. The axial displacement of gasket is given as follows:

Fg
a gT gt g
Kg

wg =

s21d

Kg is the equivalent gasket stiffness that depends on the level of

stress reached during bolt-up and is obtained by linear interpolation of unloading curves as described in f19g.
Bolt. The axial displacement of bolt is given as follows:

i
e

p
e

Fe
Ke

we =
nAbEb
lb

s23d

w f = srb rgdu f wTf

s24d

wTf = a f t f sT fg T fbd

s25d

+ abTblb sagTgtg + 2wTf + C8d

s29d
where for a pair of identical flanges,

and for a flange with a cover plate

C5 = 1,

Cover Plate. The axial displacement of a cover plate is given as

follows:
wp =

K8p

K9p

wTf

a0 p

a psT pi T pod 2 2
srb rgd

2t p

A B

C D

fC1

C2

C3

C4

C6 =

Fig

Fib

K8p

K9p

s26d

P1

Fgf

C7 =

K8p

Fbf
K9p

a0 p,

and C8

a psT pi T pod 2 2
srb rgd
2t p

s31d

Finally, a system of 13 equations with 13 unknowns is obtained.

Eight equations are generated using Eqs. s6d, s9d, s12d, and s13d at
the points x = x1 and x = x2, and 5 others using Eqs. s1d, s2d, s16d,
s18d, and s29d,

where K8P, K9P, and a0 are constants given in f20g and wTf is the
axial expansion difference given by Eq. s25d. The last term of Eq.
s26d is the cover plate displacement difference produced by bend-

F G

s30d

C5 = 2 and C6 = C7 = C8 = 0

where

Fbf

s28d

Fib Fig
Fbf Fgf
+
+ C5srb rgduif + C6 =
+
+ C5srb rgdu ff + C7
Kb Kg
Kb Kg

Flange Ring. The axial displacement of the flange ring at the

bolt circle relative to gasket reaction location is the result of
flange rotation and the axial expansion difference neglecting any
deformation resulting from stress and is given by

Fgf

s27d

with

s22d

where
Kb =

T
e

Dn = wig + wib + wip + wif = wgf + wbf + w pf + w ff

Fb
+ a bT bl b
Kb

wb =

ow =ow =ow

Dn =

M1

P2

M2

FbfgT = fUg

uh1 uh2 u f

uh1

s32d

where

A=

x1 s1/2d ber8s1d
x3/2
1
2

x3/2
1

S1s1d

E f g3r2x1 s1/2d

x1 s1/2d bei8s1d
2

S5s1d

24s1 n2f d
E f g3x1 s1/2d
S9s1d
48s1 n2f d

x1 s1/2d ker8s1d
x3/2
1

S2s1d

E f g3r2x1 s1/2d

24s1 n2f d
E f g3x1 s1/2d
S10s1d
48s1 n2f d

B=

E f g3r2x1 s1/2d

S7s1d

S8s1d
24s1 n2f d
E f g3x1 s1/2d
S12s1d
48s1 n2f d

24s1 n2f d
E f g3x1 s1/2d
S11s1d
48s1 n2f d

0 0 1

x3/2
1
S4s1d
2

S3s1d

E f g3r2x1 s1/2d

S6s1d

x1 s1/2d kei8s1d

0 0 0

0 0

0 0

0 0 0

0 0

0 0 0

1 0 0 0

s34d

Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology

s33d

NOVEMBER 2005, Vol. 127 / 417

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C=

x2 s1/2dber8s2d
x2 s1/2d bei8s2d
x2 s1/2d ker8s2d
x2 s1/2d kei8s2d
3/2
3/2
3/2
x2
x2
x3/2
x2
2
S1s2d
S2s2d
S3s2d
S4s2d
2
2
2
2

s
1/2
d

s
1/2
d

s
1/2
d
E f g 3r 2x 2
E f g 3r 2x 2
E f g 3r 2x 2
E f g3r2x21s1/2d

S
s
d

S
s
d

S
s
d

S8s2d
5 2
6 2
7 2
24s1 n2f d
24s1 n2f d
24s1 n2f d
24s1 n2f d
E f g3x2 s1/2d
E f g3x2 s1/2d
E f g3x2 s1/2d
E f g3x2 s1/2d
S
s
d
S
s
d
S
s
d
S12s2d
9
2
10
2
11
2
48s1 n2f d
48s1 n2f d
48s1 n2f d
48s1 n2f d
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
1
0
0
0
D=
ri K2 + 1

+ nf
E f t f K2 1
r it f

2rm
0

U=

0
ri
rm
0

s35d

s36d

r2hs2 n f d
p uTh1
2E f gx1
r2hs2 n f d
p uTh1

2E f gx21
gri
p

4
2
rhs2 n f dg2
p

12s1 n2f d
r2hs2 n f d
p uTh2

2E f gx2
r2hs2 n f d

p uTh2
2E f gx22
gri

p
4
r2hs2 n f dg2
p

12s1 n2f d
s2 nsdri2
p usT

2Ests
usT
K2 + 1
ri

p uTf
E f sK2 1d + n f
sri rgdsr2g + ri2d
p
2rm
C9Fib + C5srb r jduif + C10p + abTblb sagTgtg + 2wTf + C8d

s37d

418 / Vol. 127, NOVEMBER 2005

0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
tf
1
0

2
rb rg
E f t3f
0

prm
2 p r iY
0 C5srb rgd
C9

2bs3Ds 2bs2Ds
1
1
2
2 b s D s b sD s
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0 1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1 0
0
0
0 1 0
0
0
0 1 0

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Fig. 3 3D finite element models

Fig. 4 Mechanical behaviors of gasket materials

For a pair of identical flanges

C9 =

S D

1
1
Ap
+
and C10 =
p
Kb Kg
K

For a flange with a cover plate

s38d

1
1
1
1
Ap Ap
+
+
+

and C9 =
a0 p
Kb Kg K8p K9p
Kg K8p

C9 =

sad ASTM A-105 for the flange and the plate for which k
= 47 W / m / C, a = 12.53 106 C1, E = 190 000 MPa, n
= 0.3;
sbd ASTM A-193 B7 for the bolt for which k = 37 W / m / C,
a = 14.13 106 C1, E = 175 000 MPa, n = 0.3.

s39d

Three types of gaskets were used; CAF sCompressed Asbestos

Fiberd for the 16 and 36 IN. flanges, CMS sCorrugated Metal
Sheetd for the 52 in. flange, and SW sSpiral Woundd for the 24 in.
flange.
The mechanical behavior of the joint is represented by nonlinear curves of gasket contact stress versus axial displacement. The
curves are used for both the analytical and FE models and are
obtained from load-compression tests conducted on rigid platens.
Figure 4 presentS test data from the three types of gaskets used for
this study. The thermal characteristics are from f22g: a = 3
3 106 C1 for CAF, a = 8.63 106 C1 for CMS, and a
= 11.73 106 C1 for SW.

where

pG2
Ap =
4

s40d

A system of thirteen equations is formed to solve for the thirteen

unknown namely C1, C2, C3, C4, P1, M 1, P2, M 2, uh1, uh1, uh2, u f ,
and Fbf. When the final bolt load Fbf is known, the final gasket load
is obtained using the axial equilibrium relationship
Fgf = Fbf + A p p

s41d

FEM Modeling
To validate the analytical model that estimates the gasket load
changes due to a temperature variation, the results from threedimensional numerical F.E. modeling of different assemblies including identical flange pairs and flanges with cover plates were
compared. Because of symmetry of both geometry and loading, it
is possible to model only an angular portion that includes half of
the bolt. In the case of an assembly with an identical flange pair,
only one flange including half of the gasket thickness is modeled
because of symmetry with respect to a plane that passes through
the gasket midthickness ssee Fig. 3d. In the case of a flange with a
cover plate a portion of the latter is also modeled.
The program developed using Ansys 7.1 f21g was used to treat
three bolted joints of flanges used in pairs and three others used
with cover plates having three different sizes namely 16, 24, 36,
and 52 in. The loading is applied in three stages. The first stage
refers to the initial bolt-up achieved by applying an axial displacement to the bolt to produce the initial target bolt stress that depends on the flange size. The second phase consists of applying
pressure with an internal fluid. An equivalent longitudinal stress is
applied to the shell to simulate the hydrostatic end thrust. The
third phase, which is of most interest in our study, is the heat-up
of the joint at the temperature of operation of the internal fluid.
Steady state thermal loading is therefore applied by introducing a
difference in temperature between the internal fluid and external
fluid saird of 400 C. Existing space between the flange and the
bolt is modeled by volume elements. The mechanical and thermal
properties assigned to this part are those of the air at an average
temperature of the flange calculated near the hole.
The materials selected to run the analysis of these bolted joints
are:

Results and Discussion

The application of temperature to a bolted joint through an
internal hot fluid can cause load change according to the three
effects that take place simultaneously. The first one is the result of
the difference in the axial thermal expansion between the flange,
the gasket, and the bolts because their temperatures and thermal
expansion coefficients are not the same as expressed by the last
term, Eq. s27d. The second effect originates from the difference in
the radial expansion between the thinner hub and shell and the
much thicker flange and is quantified by Eqs. s4d, s7d, and s16d.
The third effect is caused by the hub and shell distortions or
rotations due to both the axial and radial thermal gradients as
expressed by Eqs. s5d and s10d.
The second and third effects are combined together in a study
that quantifies flange rotation resulting from only radial expansion
and rotation differences between the flange and the hub and the
shell and the hub due to the radial and axial thermal gradients.
Figures 57 show the relative axial displacements of the 16, 24,
and 52 flanges from which the upper and lower flange ring face
rotations are deduced. It is to be noted that no bolt load or pressure load is applied when obtaining these displacements. The rotation difference between the two faces is due to the varying axial
expansion of the flange ring resulting from a radial thermal gradient. A good agreement exists between the analytical model and
the FE model.
Figures 815 are the results of the radial distributions of the
gasket contact stress obtained by 3D finite element analysis and
analytical model. The distribution of gasket contact stress is obtained from the gasket load and flange rotation, the details of

Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology

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Fig. 5 Flange rotations of 16 in. HE flange used in pairs due to

temperature loading only

Fig. 8 Radial distribution of gasket contact stress in 16 in. HE

flange used in pairs

which are in f19g. Figures 8, 10, 12, and 14 are the plots of the
four size flanges used in pairs while Figs. 9, 11, 13, and 15 are
those of the same size flanges used with cover plates. The graphs
show that the radial distribution of the gasket contact stress is

more pronounced for the assemblies with flanges used in pairs.

This is observed for the three loading phases; the initial bolt-up,
the pressurization, and the heat-up. The gasket contact stress is
higher at the gasket outside diameter in the case of a flange pair

Fig. 6 Flange rotations of 24 in. HE flange used in pairs due to

temperature loading only

Fig. 9 Radial distribution of gasket contact stress in 16 in. HE

flange used with cover plate

Fig. 7 Flange rotations of 52 in. HE flange used in pairs due to

temperature loading only

Fig. 10 Radial distribution of gasket contact stress in 24 in.

HE flange used in pairs

420 / Vol. 127, NOVEMBER 2005

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Fig. 11 Radial distribution of gasket contact stress in 24 in.

HE flange used with cover plate

Fig. 14 Radial distribution of gasket contact stress in 52 in.

HE flange used in pairs

because a flange ring rotates more than a cover plate of the same
thickness. In general, it could be said that the analytical gasket
distributions compare relatively well with those obtained by FEA.
In all cases, the gasket load decreases when pressure is applied.
Depending on the size of the flange and the pressure value, the

unloading effect could be very high. The gasket load is further

decreased after the application of a temperature of 400 C in all
cases. This additional decrease of gasket load is mainly due to the
flange ring rotation caused by the three previously mentioned effects. Similar behavior trend is observed with all flange cases with
a more pronounced pressure effect. However, the cases of flanges
with cover plates show a relatively lower gasket stress variation
due to temperature. This is attributed to the effect of plate inward
bending illustrated in Fig. 2sbd and produced by the thermal gradient through its thickness which tends to stretch the bolt and
therefore increasing its load. This effect counterbalances the effect
of radial expansion and distortion difference that produces additional flange rotation during heat-up.

Conclusion
An elastic interaction model that considers steady state thermal
loading of a bolted joint has been presented. The model is based
on Waters early work to which flexibility of the gasket and bolts
has been added. The thermal deflection in the radial and axial
direction has been coupled to the equilibrium and compatibility
equations to find the solution of the gasket and bolt load variations
due to a temperature change.
The proposed analytical model was verified against the more
accurate 3D FEM on four different size flanges used either in pairs
or with cover plates. The analytical results of the gasket stress

Fig. 12 Radial distribution of gasket contact stress in 36 in.

HE flange used in pairs

Fig. 13 Radial distribution of gasket contact stress in 36 in.

HE flange used with cover plate

Fig. 15 Radial distribution of gasket contact stress in 52 in.

HE flange used with cover plate

Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology

NOVEMBER 2005, Vol. 127 / 421

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distributions estimated from flange rotations compare well with

those of FEM. The use of the proposed analytical solution of the
load redistributions in bolted joints subjected to steady state thermal loading is recommended for large diameter flanges used at
high temperature.

Subscript

Nomenclature

Superscript

5
5
5
5
5
5

b
f
g
h
p
s

refers
refers
refers
refers
refers
refers

to
to
to
to
to
to

bolt
flange
gasket
hub
cover plate
shell

i 5 refers to initial condition

f 5 refers to final condition spressurization, thermal loadingd
T 5 relative to temperature

a 5 coefficient of thermal expansion of joint element sm/m/Cd

n 5 Poissons ratio of joint element
g 5 taper hub angle sradd
5 dimensionless position on hub
r 5 hub flexural rigidity sm1/2d
u 5 rotation of joint element due to combined loading sradiansd
Ag 5 full gasket contact area sm2d
Ab 5 bolt area sm2d
C1 to C4 5 hub constant of integration
D f 5 flange flexural rigidity sN md
D p 5 cover plate flexural rigidity sN md
E 5 Youngs modulus of flange and shell material
sMPad
Fb 5 bolt force sNd
Fg 5 gasket force sNd
,h 5 hub length smd
,s 5 effective length of the shell smd
rh 5 hub outer radius at flange intersection smd
ri 5 flange/shell inner radius smd
ro 5 outer radius of the flange smd
rb 5 bolt circle radius smd
rg 5 effective gasket radius smd
t f 5 thickness of the flange smd
th 5 equivalent thickness of the hub smd
ts 5 thickness of the shell smd
t p 5 thickness of the plate smd
T f , Th 5 flange and hub temperature sCd
T fi 5 flange wall inside surface temperature sCd
T fh 5 flange temperature at hub outer radius sCd
Ti , To 5 inside and outside fluid temperatures sCd
Tb , Tg 5 bolt and gasket average temperature sCd
T p , Ts 5 plate and shell temperature sCd
T pi , T po 5 center cover plate wall inside and outside surface temperatures sCd
Tsi , Tso 5 shell inside and outside surface temperatures
sCd
Tsi8 , Tso
8 5 shell wall inside and outside surface temperatures far from the hub sCd
u 5 radial displacement of joint element smd
K p 5 cover plate uniaxial stiffness sN/md
Kb 5 bolt uniaxial stiffness sN/md
Kg 5 gasket uniaxial stiffness sN/md
lb 5 initial bolt length smd
lg 5 gasket width smd
M 1 5 hub to cylinder discontinuity moment sm N/md
M 2 5 flange to hub discontinuity moment sm N/md
M f 5 total equivalent flange moment sm N/md
N 5 longitudinal force in cylinder sN/md
w 5 axial displacement of joint element smd
p 5 internal pressure sN / m2d
P1 5 hub to cylinder discontinuity force sN/md
P2 5 flange to hub discontinuity force sN/md
S1 to S12 5 function depending on ber, ker, bei, kei, ber8,
ker8, bei8, kei8

References
f1g ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, 2001, Section VIII, Division 2, Appendix 2, Rules for Bolted Flange Connections With Ring Type Gaskets.
f2g ASME, 2002, Non mandatory Appendix BFJ, Alternative Rules for Bolted
Flange Joints with Ring Type Gaskets, draft report, ASME Boiler and Pressure
Vessel Code, Subcommittee on Design, SWG BFJ, American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
f3g prEN 1591-1:2001 E, Flanges and their jointsDesign rules for gasketed circular flange connections Part 1: Calculation method.
f4g prEN 1591-2:2001 E, Flanges and their jointsDesign rules for gasketed circular flange connections; Part 2: Gasket parameters.
f5g prEN 13555 2001, Flanges and their jointsGasket parameters and test procedures relevant to the design rules for gasketed circular flange connections.
f6g Short II, W. E., 1992, A Parametric Study of Class 150 Flanges With Spiral
Wound Gaskets, Pressure Vessel and Piping, Vol. 235, design and Analysis of
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f8g Payne, J. R, 1985, PVRC Flanged Joint Users Survey, Bulletin n.306, Welding Research Council.
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Elevated Temperature Performance of Reinforced Flexible Graphite Sheet
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Differential Radial Expansion of the Mating Flanges, in Proceedings of the
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Relaxation on the Leakage Tightness of Bolted Flanged Joints, ASME J.
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f12g Dudley, W. M., 1961, Deflection of Heat Exchanger Flanged Joints as affected by Barreling and Warping, Trans. ASME, Ser. B, 83s4d, pp. 460466.
f13g Sawa, T., Hirose, T., and Nakagomi, Y., 1996, Behavior of a Tapered Hub
Flange With a Bolted Flat Cover in Transient Temperature field, ASME J.
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f14g Bouzid, A., and Chaaban, A., 1997, Accurate Method of Evaluating Relaxation in Bolted Flanged Connections, J. Pressure Vessel Technol., 119s1d, pp.
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in Bolted Gasketed Joints Subjected to Elevated Temperatures, in Proceedings of the 2003 ASME-PVP Conference, PVP20031883, Cleveland, Ohio,
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Thermal Loading on the Deflections of a Flange Joint With a Cover Plate, in
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f18g Waters, E. O., Rossheim, D. B., Wesstrom, D. B., and Williams, F. S. G., 1949,
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f19g Bouzid, A., and Champliaud, H., Contact Stress Evaluation of Non-Linear
Gaskets Using Dual Kriging Interpolation, Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology, Transactions of the ASME sin pressd.
f20g Bouzid, A., and Chaaban, A., 1993, Flanged Joints Analysis: A Simplified
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f21g ANSYS, 2002, ANSYS inc Standard Manual, Version 7.1.
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the 2001 ASME/PVP Conference, Atlanta, PVP-Vol. 419, Analysis of Bolted
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