Ever wished you could get a breakdown of what exactly flanges are? Luckily, you’ve come to the right place. Flanges are the small-but-mighty components of the industrial PVF industry – without them, our jobs would be a whole lot harder.
Able to be dismantled quickly and conveniently, flange joints are the must-have tool of the industrial PVF industry because they so easily facilitate maintenance operations. Unlike welded connections, flange joints are made by bolting together two flanges with a gasket between them to provide a seal. Correct assembly of flange joints is critically important to the reliability of the joint itself – when done properly, the joints remain leak-free for longer.
Flanges are typically welded or threaded onto a piping system and are usually made of the same material as the pipe. Forged carbon steel flanges are the most common type of flanges used in industrial PVF.
Flange Basics
While usually round, flanges can be manufactured in square and rectangular forms and are designed to the specific pressure ratings of the piping system. Lined flanges are exactly what they sound like – they’re lined with a different material than the flange is made of. Blind flanges are plates that are used for covering or closing the end of a pipe.
What Type of Flange is Right for Me?
When starting a project, it’s important to consider the required strength of the flanged joint, as well as the material that will be moving through the pipeline when choosing a flange. For example, welding neck flanges are used in high-pressure and high/low-temperature applications and are characterized by a long, tapered hub that is typically welded to a pipe. Threaded flanges are joined to pipes by screwing the pipe onto the flange and are often seen in water and air utility services. Socket weld flanges are used for piping that doesn’t transfer highly corrosive fluids, as they’re subject to corrosion because of their structure.
Of course, there are special circumstances that require unusual flange types, like the elboflange, which is used to branch a pipeline at 45 degrees, and swivel flanges, which are suitable for oil, gas, chemical and other demanding fluids because of their ability to facilitate the alignment of large-diameter pipelines.
All-Tex can meet your PVF needs by recommending the right PVF product for any project. Contact us today to get started.