• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.52-58
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• 2020

Bellows are corrugated mechanical elements used to absorb displacements or vibrations caused by temperature changes, pressure, earthquakes, waves, etc., which are welded to flanges or directly connected to pipes. Expansion joint bellows must not only be designed to sufficiently withstand the internal pressure of the pipes but also accommodate axial, transverse, and rotational deformations to minimize the transfer of forces to the sensitive components of the system. Bellows have various types of corrugations, but U-type bellows are most commonly used in general piping systems. In this study, the behavior of U-shaped one-, two-, and three-ply bellows with the same inner diameter under pressure and forced displacement was analyzed using the finite element method. The results were compared with the design formula in the Expansion Joint Manufacturers Association (EJMA)'s code. Manufacturer data were used for the applied pressure and force displacement. The behavioral characteristics of the three cases were compared via structural analysis because the stress levels will be different for each model, even if they have the same inner diameter. Since the analytical model has an axisymmetric shape but displacement occurs in the transverse direction, the finite element model was composed of 1/2 of the whole model, and ANSYS Workbench 17.2 was employed for the analysis.