The use of pipe flange connections is standardized in the codes of JIS, ASME, DIN and so on. However, these codes are almost entirely dependent on experience, and subsequently some problems concerning pipe flange connections have been encountered. In the present paper, the distribution of contact stresses which governs the sealing performance is analyzed as a three-body contact problem, using an axisymmetrical three-dimensional theory of elasticity. The effects of the stiffness and the thickness of raised face metallic gaskets on the contact stresses and the effective gasket seating width are shown by numerical calculation. Moreover, stresses produced on the hub, the load factor (the relationship between an increment of bolt axial force and an internal pressure), and the maximum stress caused in bolts are analyzed. For verification, experiments are carried out. The analytical results are satisfactorily consistent with the experimental results.

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A bolted connection consisting of a cover on a pressure vessel flange with a metallic flat gasket on raised faces is analyzed as a four-body contact problem using axisymmetrical theory of elasticity. The contact stress distribution, the load factor (the relationship between an increment of bolt axial force and an internal pressure), and the gasket properties (the gasket seating width and the moment arm) are examined. In the analysis, the cover is replaced with a finite solid cylinder. The metallic flat gasket, the flange, and the hub are replaced with finite solid cylinders. The effects of the stiffness and the thickness of various size gaskets on the contact stress distribution are obtained by numerical calculations. Experiments were carried out to obtain the load factor, the maximum stress produced in bolts, and the stress produced on the hub. The analytical results obtained are shown to be consistent with the experimental results.

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