Characteristic of Bellows Designs 2

Characteristic of Bellows Designs

Single Ply

Typical Application

* Shell and tube heat exchangers

* Clamshell bellows

* Penetration seals

* HVAC piping

Characteristics

* One ply

* Relatively thick

* Robust

* Higher spring rate

* High lateral stiffness

* Relatively cheap

* Good NDE when installed

* Weld attachment simple

* Weld repair(temporarily) possible

Multi-Ply

Typical Application

* HT& HP steam & process piping

* Equipment connections

* Vibration dampening

Characteristics

* Between 2 and ＞5 plies

* Individual plies relatively thin

* Total wall thickness = thick

* Extremely flexible in all directions

* Excellent vibration damper

* Very short compared to single ply with similar flexibility

* Leak monitoring possible

* No sudden leaks

Pressure Thrust

Thrust = Bellows Area X Pressure

【Lb.】 【sq.in.】    【psig】