Experimental Studies on Vibration Testing of Pipe Joints using Metal Gaskets

Pipe joints have been widely utilized in industrial plants, where dynamic load of vibration is considerably harmful for sealing performance. However, there is a lock of design codes and experimental procedures developed for vibration testing of pipe joints. This paper proposes an experimental setup for testing of pipe joints, which use metal gaskets, in vibratory conditions. Also, a flexible piezoelectric film sensor is introduced into this test rig for monitoring of stress in pipes. With the proposed test rig, vibration testing of pipe joints can be conducted, therefore further investigations such as fatigue analysis of the contact surfaces, and computational analysis of metal gaskets and seal devices are readily available. Finally, some experimental results of a gasketed flange joint, which uses a 1.5-inch diameter stainless steel gasket, were reported. Key–Words: Pipe joints, Metal gasket, Vibration testing, Sealing performance, Leak-free.