A study on the sealing performance of bolted flange joints with gaskets using finite element analysis

Gaskets play an important role in the sealing performance of bolted flange joints, and their behaviour is complex due to nonlinear material properties combined with permanent deformation. The variation of contact stresses due to the rotation of the flange and the material properties of the gasket play important roles in achieving a leak proof joint. In this paper, a three-dimensional finite element analysis (FEA) of bolted flange joints has been carried out by taking experimentally obtained loading and unloading characteristics of the gaskets. Analysis shows that the distribution of contact stress has a more dominant effect on sealing performance than the limit on flange rotation specified by ASME.