Flange adapters allow for joints between different flange types or flanged and non-flanged equipment. They fall into two categories: flange-to-flange and those used to join flanged and non-flanged equipment. Flange-to-flange adapters are used for different sizes or hole arrangements. Flanged to non-flanged joints require a special type of flange adapter with a flange on one end and a secondary locking mechanism on the other.
Flange adapters are a large family of flanged joint accessories that allow for joints to be made between different flange types or flanged and non-flanged equipment. The considerable flexibility gained by using these devices becomes evident when considering the huge range of common flange types in general use. In fact, most manufacturers of flanges or flanged equipment produce their own lines of flange adapter accessories, allowing their products to be easily integrated into other systems. Although these adapters are themselves represented by a wide range of different types, they fall into two main categories. The former are flange-to-flange types, while the latter are those used to join flanged and non-flanged equipment.
Flanges are little more than flat discs or shoulders built into or loose on the part or pipe in question. The flanged disc has a series of holes around its periphery through which the locking bolts are passed. To join two similarly flanged equipment, the two halves are joined, locking bolts are passed through holes in both flange discs and tensioned. This pulls the two flanges hard against each other, effectively joining the two pieces of fixture.
The flange adapter is used when the two equipments do not have similar flange types or only one half is flanged. These adapters fall into two broad categories, namely those used on dissimilar pairs of flanges and those used in situations where a non-flanged part is joined to a flanged part. Flange-to-flange adapters are generally those adapters designed for flanges of different sizes and those used to join flanges of the same size with different hole arrangements.
Joints with different flange sizes can easily be made using a flange adapter fitted with one of two flange sizes joined by a short reducing section. These adapters are simply arranged so that the relevant flange dimensions are matched between the parts and the adapter and tensioned in the normal manner. The adapters used to join flanges with different hole patterns are even simpler and typically consist of a single disc drill halfway down either side with the two different hole patterns. The holes in the adapter are threaded to a standard thread so that when slipped between the two dissimilar flanges, bolts can be used to tension each of them against the adapter. In general, this type of adapter will come with a set of correct bolts.
Flanged to non-flanged joints require a special type of flange adapter which generally has a flange on one end and a secondary locking mechanism suitable for the relevant equipment on the other. For example, a flange adapter designed to join unflanged pipe to flanged pipe will have an appropriately sized flange on one end and a compression hose clamp or half-shell on the other. The flanged end is bolted to the secondary device flange in the normal way and the unflanged hose is securely fastened with the hose clamp.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
