Pressure Balance Expansion Joints

Elbow Type Pressure Balanced Expansion Joint

This type of expansion joint is really a
combination of several types. Its purpose is to
retain and balance the pressure thrust so that
main anchoring of the pipe or adjacent
equipment is not required, and forces and
movements on attachment flanges of delicate
equipment, such as turbines, are kept to
acceptably low levels.
Briefly, the deflections to be accepted are
handled by the proper type of expansion joint,
which normally, and as shown in the above
sketch, is a tied universal type to accept lateral
movements. However, the pressure balanced
elbow is usually required because axial deflections are also present. In order to accept these
movements, a bellows is added beyond the elbow with the same cross-sectional area as the
ones in the universal section.
This balancing bellows is connected by the tie rods to the pipe beyond the universal section; in
this way the pressure thrust is contained as tension in the tie rods. The section of the
expansion joint between the tie rods, which includes the elbow, is now free to move axially,
with the only resistance being a function of the spring rates of the bellows. Because of their
arrangement, however, the spring rate of the entire expansion joint is the sum of the spring
rates of the balancing and the universal bellows. This is a constant volume system, in that
when the universal end compresses, the balancing end extends the same amount.
All of the lateral deflection is absorbed by the universal end, and there is no lateral deflection
imposed on the balancing end. Therefore, the balancing bellows is almost always a single
bellows type.

K1

K2

K3
Y-Stop

Tie-Rod
Modeling

(1/4)

K K1

1
1
1

K2 K3

Tee Type Balance Expansion Joint

Though the prior straight pipe balance is constructed to
expand and contract by the use of at least 3 bellows and the
extinguishing of the internal pressure thrust, this T type
balance is quite a new invention that uses two bellows to
achieve balance. This balance, regarded also as the
modification of the L type, provides a straight pipe type of
balance by applying the principle of eccentric cam to bend a
blind bellows 90 degree.

K1
K2

Modeling

In-line Pressure Balanced

When axial deflections exist, and anchoring is impractical
for structural or economic reasons, such as high in the air or
short straight pipe runs between two large vessels, the
in-line pressure balanced expansion joint is a powerful
solution to a difficult design problem.
The principle of this type of unit is essentially the same as
the pressure balanced elbow type, in that the axial pressure
thrust is reacted by the pressure acting on a
cross-sectional area equal to the area of the working
or primary bellows. Since this unit is entirely axial,
and there are no directional changes in the pipe,
such as with the elbow in the previous discussion,
the cross-sectional area needed to balance the
pressure is placed around the outside of the unit.
Since the pressure forces are generated by the
pressure acting on the annular surface between the primary and outer, or balancing bellows,
the arrangement of the tie rods transfers and balances the pressure thrust created in the pipe
on each end. Now the forces needed to compress or extend the unit are only the result of the
spring resistance of the bellows, and main anchoring of the pipe or vessels is not required.
(2/4)

This expansion joint is obviously more expensive than the simpler types; however, they may
result in a lower overall system cost when the elimination of main anchoring is considered.
This expansion joint can also be used to replace pipe loops, and its cost advantage may be seen
in reduced pumping energy by the elimination of the loop's elbow-generated pressure losses.
This may also allow reducing the pipe size for the entire system.

[EJMA STANDARDS OF THE EXPANSION JOINT MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION, INC.]

K2
K1

K1

K K1 K 2 K3

All Effective Areas = A1

Modeling

(3/4)

Special Type Balanced Type

K1

K2

K3

Modeling

(4/4)

K4

1
1
1

K1 K 2

K3 K4