×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Flange connections, Petrochemical industry

Flange connections, Petrochemical industry

Flange connections, Petrochemical industry

(OP)
Can anyone tell me why washers are never used with the stud bolts of flange connections?

RE: Flange connections, Petrochemical industry

Flat washers.
99.9999+% of the time there is no need for washers as they tend to complicate the makeup of a flanged joint.

They tend to be used on corrupted nut landing areas on the flange that need to refaced.

They are never the right size and thickness for proper bolting.

The reasons for not using them are numerous.

Last but not least they fall from great heights and hit people; ME

RE: Flange connections, Petrochemical industry

Hi,

Agree for steel flanges. For Plastic Flange connections washers are often required in order to protect the flange blades. For GRE piping systems we do specify washers.

Success,

Regards
FKE

RE: Flange connections, Petrochemical industry

One HUGE reason for using through hardened (repeat, through hardened) washers is the consistent, smooth, high compressive load bearing surface they provide for the nut turning against it.  If you're using a torque wrench and computing assembly torque values, the nut factor value will be much more consistent with a controlled, smooth nut bearing surface.  Have you seen the condition of the nut bearing surfaces on most flanges out in the field?  Pretty rough.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources