REINFORCED
TITANIUM GRADE 2
EXPANSION JOINTS

Belman has designed and manufactured some remarkable ring-reinforced, titanium grade 2 Expansion Joints for a high-pressure pipeline carrying ILS (Ionic liquids) in a mining facility in Chile.

 

CLIENT ISSUE
The client turned to Belman as it needed Expansion Joints to absorb axial and lateral movement in a pipeline with high-pressure impulses and with ILS (ionic liquids) as the flow medium. The client was looking for a manufacturer able to design and produce Expansion Joints in the special Titanium grade 2 alloy and who was also experienced with high-pressure applications.

 

BELMAN SOLUTION – Reinforced Titanium Bellows
Using our experience in high-pressure applications and special alloys, Belman was able to meet the client requests by designing a ring-reinforced Expansion Joint with tie rods. Ring reinforcement was used to support the multi-layered Expansion Joint Bellow and ensure pressure integrity without compromising on service life. The reinforcement rings are mounted between each convolution on the bellow and are designed to fit the exact profile of the convolutions. The reinforcement rings are normally manufactured from a suitable austenitic stainless steel. In this case, they are made from 1.4404 (AISI 316L), as they are not in touch with the medium. As the Bellow is in touch with the medium it is made from Titanium grade 2.

To ensure optimum absorption of the movements under high pressure, tie rods were mounted on the Expansion Joints. These tie rods also allow the Expansion Joints to absorb both axial and lateral movement. Furthermore, the nuts were positioned in such a way that they could control the absorption of movement. Due to the high pressure, thick flanges were selected with integrated holes for tie rods; as, in addition to controlling movement, they also provide stability. These flanges contain both the bolt holes for connecting the Expansion Joints to the mating flange and the holes for the tie rods.

 

Why use Titanium grade 2 for Expansion Joints?
The reason for selecting Titanium grade 2 bellows is that the two most useful properties of titanium compared to other metals are its excellent corrosion resistance and high strength-to-density ratio. The client thus achieves a unique combination of corrosion resistance and high metal strength. As the mining industry handles harsh mediums in harsh environments, it has to rely on durable and smart solutions. To increase the durability of pipelines and equipment, the mining industry must make some special and smart material choices. Thanks to its durability, titanium alloy is the most cost-effective choice in the long run. This is why it was chosen as the material for these Expansion Joints.

 

Belman – expertise on Expansion Joints in special materials
Due to Belman’s Expansion Joint design expertise and craftmanship within the production of high-end Expansion Joints from high alloy materials, Belman is the go-to company for Expansion Joints made from special alloys. Belman has a large stock of both standard austenitic steel materials as well as many special alloys such as duplex, aluminium, titanium, Inconel, Incoloy, Hastelloy, Monel and many others.