Flange Torque Test/Training “Rig”

[YungPlantEng]

Probably a goofy question but I want to setup a little rig in the shop and go through proper torquing with the techs. Basically challenge one of the seniors to get as close to possible to the torque spec with his handy ratchet wrench and then measure torque afterwards to show the difference between that and a well-torqued flange. Might also want to show them the impact of not retorquing after 24 hours and how creep relaxation sets in as well.

Since I’m not a pipefitter or meche by trade I was wondering if there was some cheap rig I can buy or if I’m just as better off putting some spool pieces on pipe supports and doing it that way. Also any suggestions on a good way to do this and any cool reads on torquing in general - these are all old hands with a ton of experience doing things their way, which I’d like to counteract for the sake of not having to introduce some damned torque tag program.

 

[iangineer]

The rig would most likely be just a spool piece with a blind or something on it. One suggestion I can offer is to maybe use special bolts for your setup. There are bolts that measure their own stress so you can torque them correctly each time and see the stress change over time. Smartbolts is one brand I know of that has such bolts. Valley Forge and Bolt is another manufacturer. If you wanted to make a challenge of it, you could just put some tape over the end to cover the gauge and then check it after.

For determining the torque required, make sure to adjust the number based on what lubricant you use. The basic "nut factor" is 0.2, but if something like nickel anti-seize is used, the nut factor is more like 0.17.

 

[XL83NL]

Hi to some of the ASME PVP proceeding papers. Look for authors like W. Brown and other reknowned professionals from the BFJ industry. They have done similar work and their papers give you some ideas, plus loads of other useful details as well. Use the test rig to determine the nut factors for your applications as well. Good luck.

Huub
- You never get what you expect, you only get what you inspect.

 

[BJI]

I am not sure how much they cost but the site below sells training rigs. Probably the DEB rig would do what you are after. There are some other suppliers around too, but a good place to start at least.

http://ijaq.org/institute-joint-assembler-qualification

Building a pipe spool might be relatively easy but by the time you start strain gauging bolts and wiring up data loggers, I think the time and cost will add up fast. Most suppliers will offer technical support on assembler training as well.