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Rubber expansion joint - Sleeve type

A rubber expansion joint with straight sleeves and a single bellow is often referred to as a flexible coupling. Flexible couplings require no flanges or welding, which allows for quick disconnects. It is clamped over the steel pipe of the piping system and secured with hose clamps. Sleeve type rubber joints exists in several configurations, starting with a straight sleeve up to a single or multiple bellows. In general these type of expansion joints are only used for lower working pressures.

TANIQ has optimized the design of the reinforcement layers in the sleeve joint to enable higher working pressures. The lay-angles of the fiber cords of the reinforcement structure determine the reaction forces in the expansion joint when it is pressurized. By optimizing the lay-angles in different sections of the expansion joint the expansion behavior under pressure can be better controlled. This enables to use the joint under higher working pressures than a conventional joint of the same type.

TANIQ design improves performance and reduces material costs

TANIQ has the technology to calculate the required amount and direction of fibers for each part of the rubber expansion joint. Based on the forces acting on the joint and the rubber flanges TANIQ has made a redesign of the fiber reinforcement structure. The results are:

• Up to 50% less fibers (only one layer needed)
• Accurate fiber placement results in high quality
• Controlled fiber placement prevents undesired expansion behavior

TANIQ automates the production process

To be able to achieve a repeatable high product quality TANIQ has developed an automated production process for manufacturing of rubber expansion joints. This process involves the automated placement of rubber strips, reinforcement fibers and nylon tapes (compression) on the mandrel using robotic equipment instead of manual wrapping. This allows to make the expansion joint in exactly the same manner each time with a minimum of manual labor. New designs can be made by adjusting the parameters in the design software, e.g. diameter, flange-to-flange dimension, pressure etc. The results are:

• Reduced manual labor
• Repeatable high product quality
• Easy to make new designs with design software

Optimize your expansion joint business?

TANIQ can assist you with improving the performance of your expansion joints, reducing your material costs and automating your production process. Contact Mr. Siebe Nooij to ask for the possibilities for your specific product.