Download Purpose The purpose of this proposal is to gain approval from the

Purpose
The purpose of this proposal is to gain approval from the advising faculty for the continued development
of the subject matter discussed herein with regard to fulfillment of the MANE 6970 Master’s Project
requirement.
Background
Bolted, flat faced flanges are typical for fluid power applications when disassembly of the joint is
required for maintenance or access to the internals of the system. The design of these flanges is
typically governed by requirements outlined in the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code. For flange
designs that come into contact with one another outside of the bolt circle, additional analysis is required
to account for the interactions that occur due to the flexibility of each flange. Design parameters for
these types of flanges are governed by Non-Mandatory Appendix Y of the ASME Boiler and Pressure
Vessel Code. Within this specification document, equations are presented to determine required design
sizes for the flanges themselves and the bolts that join them. The analytical procedures presented in
Appendix Y cover many different configurations of flanged joints with contact outside the bolt circle and
are based upon approximating the flexural characteristics of the flanges as discrete, radial beams.
Additional information regarding this analysis method was produced by Schneider.
Problem Description
The problem to be addressed by this project are the potential differences in the behavior of a bolted
flanged joint consisting of a flat cover plate and a Class 3 flanged joint as dictated by Appendix Y of the
Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, the circular plate theory proposed by Galai, and a finite element model
using ABAQUS software. A similar study was performed by Galai for identical flange pairs. This study
will include the effects of the large overturning moment caused by pressure acting over the inner face of
the flat cover plate. A Class 3 flanged joint with flat cover plate is shown below.
Methodology
The joint will be designed using the requirements of the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, and then the
resulting joint separation due to an internal pressure will be calculated using the equations provided in
Appendix Y of BPV Code, the associated flat plate model proposed by Galai, and the results of the finite
element analysis. These analyses will be performed using differing bolt preloads, cover plate
thicknesses, and bolting circle diameters to investigate the robustness of the different design methods.
Results will be presented as overlays of the three analysis methods on the same plot.
Resources
ABAQUS Finite Element Software
RPI Hartford Cole Library
Expected Outcomes
The primary goal of this project is to determine the agreement between the three methods selected to
analyze bolted flange joints with contact outside the bolt circle. The inherent margin in the most
conservative analysis method will be quantified for the joint design investigated.
Milestones
2/19/15
Finalize project proposal
Later Milestones TBD
References
ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code
Galai, Hichem, and Bouzid, A.H, Analytical Modeling of Flat Face Flanges with Metal to Metal Contact
Beyond the Bolt Circle, Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology, ASME, Vol 132. December 2010
Schneider, R. W, and Waters, E. O, The Background of ASME Code Case 1828: A Simplifying Model of
Analyzing Part B Flanges, Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology, ASME, Vol. 100, No. 2, May 1978