Equipment Design: Mechanical Aspects

Prof. Shabina Khanam

Department of Chemical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology - Roorkee

Lecture 15
Design of Flanges

Welcome to the fifth lecture of week 3 where we will discuss design of flanges. If you remember
lecture 2, 3 and 4, there we have discussed details of flanges and design procedure. In this
particular lecture we will discuss, we will solve a few examples related to design of flanges. So
let us focus on example 1.
(Refer Slide Time: 00:48)

In this example, we need to design a loose-type flange with plain face. So loose-type flange that
you must have understood that it is basically lying over the pipe and second point we have is the
plain face. So that face we have discussed in lecture 3. And this flange is to be designed for
reactor shell with 1.8 m outside diameter. So Do is given as 1.8 and 0.018 thickness go. Now
what is go, if you remember go is basically width of upper section of welded-neck, okay. So if go
is given we should understand that it is the width of lower section of welded-neck.

Other specifications are design temperature is 200, design pressure 2.2 MN/m2. Allowable stresses
for flange material and bolting-up material are equal and which is 120 MN/m2. Gasket material is
given as corrugated soft aluminum metal asbestos filled where minimum design seating stress is
20 MN/m2. Gasket factor is given as 2.5 and minimum actual gasket width is 10 mm.

Ratio of gasket internal diameter to shell outside diameter is 1.01, corrosion allowance is 0, weld
joint deficiency factor is 1. What we need to find is effective gasket seating width, minimum
bolting area and which amongst the following bolts will be used for bolting the flange. Here we
are given four bolts M 36 x 3, 39 x 3, 42 x 3 and 45 x 3. And g1 is given as 1.415𝑔𝑜 .
(Refer Slide Time: 02:32)

So basically once I know g1 it means the flange is welded-neck, only if go value is given it may be
welded-neck or it may be tapered neck, but g1 will decide whether it is welded-neck or not. Next
I need to compute is bolt circle diameter, then flange outside diameter after adding 2 cm assumed
gap between end of bolt circle and end of flange. Estimate various loads and moments under
operating as well as bolting-up condition and then calculate the flange thickness for Poisson’s ratio
given as 0.3.
(Refer Slide Time: 03:42)
So in this example we are coving almost all parts related to design of flanges. So let us start to
solve these parts one by one. First of all we have to find out effective gasket seating width and for
this purpose I have to calculate the gasket dimension that is the width of the gasket. And for that
𝑑
purpose I will start with the given ratio 𝐷𝑖 is 1.01, di is the inner diameter of gasket. So di would
𝑜

be 1.01 x 1.8, so 1.818 m we can find as di.

𝑑
Further I am having 𝐷𝑖 and here this do is small do not the D because this do is the outer diameter
𝑜

𝑑
of gasket, okay. So 𝐷𝑖 both are related to the gasket and here y is given as 20 and m is given as
𝑜

2.5, other value we can put and then we can calculate do, so outer diameter of gasket is coming out
as 1.974 m, inner diameter is equal to 1.818. So considering these two values we will calculate
minimum gasket width and which comes out as 78 mm.

Now if you remember the problem, there we are given minimum actual gasket width should be 10
mm and here I am getting 78 mm. So whatever would be higher that I need to take, but here the
comparison of this value with the actual minimum gasket width given in the standard or given in
the table that is required. Here I am having minimum gasket width which comes out as 78.

And if you remember the problem there we have seen that minimum actual gasket seating width
is 10 mm. So higher value of calculated and given value I have to take as value of N, but here I
need to compare the given value with the calculated value. So N final would be 78 mm and
 𝑁
therefore bo value we can find as which is equal to 39 mm. This bo is basic gasket seating
2

width, which is used to calculate effective gasket seating width.

And here I am having two conditions. In this case this condition will be applicable because bo is
greater than 6.3 and therefore b we can find as 15.61 mm. So in this way we can calculate effective
gasket seating width. Now this seating width we will use to calculate value of G, where G is the
diameter of reaction of load in the gasket.
(Refer Slide Time: 06:40)

Next part of the problem is to calculate minimum bolting area and whatever effective gasket width
will be computed that we will used to calculate value of G and as this condition will be applicable
15.61
G would be computed as 𝑑𝑜 − 2𝑏. So 1.974−2 ∗ 1000 because that is given in mm. So G comes

out as 1.94278. So once I know the G value I have to find out load at operating condition and
bolting-up condition and then we will find out respective area and then we can calculate the bolting
area.

So using value of G as well as design pressure I can calculate H by this expression which comes
out as 6.522 MN. Hp we can calculate by this expression 𝜋[𝐺 × 2𝑏] × 𝑚𝑝 and that comes out as
1.048 MN. Total load in this case would be 7.57 MN. And then we have to focus on bolting-up
condition where Wg I need to find by this expression, where Wg is equal to 𝜋 × [𝐺  × 𝑏] × 𝑦.
Putting all these values over here we can have Wg as 1.0955MN.
So here we have to find out Sg or So, and So is basically allowable stress of bolt material at design
temperature and considering that we can find out bolting area at operating condition and which is
equal to 𝑊𝑔 𝑆𝑜 and which is equal to 0.06308 m2. And further we have Abc which is equal to
𝑊𝑔
which is equal to 1.9055/120 and that is equal to 0.01588, okay. Now what is the point you
𝑆𝑔

have to focus on is this point.

In this particular case I am taking Sg and So constant, which is equal to 120 MN/m2, now why it is
so because if you remember the design procedure there we have discussed that So is the allowable
stress of bolt material at operating condition or at design temperature, okay. And S g is the
allowable stress of bolt material at atmospheric temperature. And here in this problem, allowable
stress of bolt material is given as 120, okay.

So now why these two values I am taking equal because if you remember what is the design
temperature, design temperature is 200, and if you remember allowable stress table, okay which
we have discussed in terminologies and many previous lectures, there minimum value of allowable
stress is available at 250 oC and design temperature is less than 250. Therefore I have to take So
at 250 oC.

And if I am considering atmospheric condition, atmospheric condition we can have 25o or so, but
because allowable stress value is not available for temperature less than 250 for atmospheric
condition also I have to take value at 250. Therefore in this particular case both allowable stress
values at operating condition as well as at bolting-up condition are equal because temperature is
250 in both case. I hope you are getting this.

For example, if design temperature is given as 300 or 350, so you have to take So at 350 and Sg at
250. I hope I am clear. So here I have computed Ao as well as Abc and minimum bolting area will
be considered maximum of this two and which is equal to 0.063. So that area we will use to
calculate the optimum bolt and bolt circle diameter, okay. So let us start calculation of that.
(Refer Slide Time: 10:46)
If you remember the problem it is given as we have four different bolts and I have to choose the
optimum bolts among these, okay. So for that I know g1 value, I know go, so I can calculate g1 as
0.02547. First bolt I am having is M 36 x 3, where root area I have to calculate as equal to
𝜋
(36 − 6)2 and which comes out as 706.858 mm2.
4

Now minimum number of bolts would be minimum bolting area divided by root area, so it comes
out as 89.127 and then you have to take actual number of bolts, which should be multiple of 4 to
this and then that value comes out as 92. Once I am having the actual number of bolts I will
𝑛𝐵𝑠 92∗80
calculate C1 and C2. So C1 would be equal to which is equal to . Now from where that
𝜋 𝜋

80 comes, it is available in this table. I am having bolt 36 x 3, so Bs value is given as 80, so that I
have kept over here.
(Refer Slide Time: 12:15)
So C1 comes out as 2.343. Further C2 I have to calculate and which is equal to 𝐼𝐷 + 2(𝑔1 + 𝑅).
So ID is basically inner diameter of flange and which is equal to outer diameter of π, so C2 would
be equal to 1.8 + 2𝑔1 , which we have already calculated, R we have taken as 0.05, which is given
in this table corresponding to 36 x 3 bolt. So considering these values we can have C2 as 1.951m
and then I have to find out difference between C1 and C2 and it comes out as 0.392m.
(Refer Slide Time: 13:10)

In the similar line I will calculate for other bolts also. Like for M36 x 3 we can calculate root area
as this, minimum number of bolt I can calculate as 73.658 and next multiple 4 is available as 76,
 𝑛𝐵𝑠
so that we have taken as actual number of bolts. C1 is , so if you consider this 39 x 3 bolt, it
𝜋

has 86 as Bs and 52 as R.

So Bs as 86 we can consider in C1, which comes out as 2.0805 and C2 will be equal to 1.8+2 and
this g1 and this corresponding R which is 52 mm, okay. Now if you see this table, all values are
given in mm, even these values, okay. All these values are given in mm. So C1 – C2 in this case
is 0.1256.
(Refer Slide Time: 14:20)

For next bolt, which is 42 x 3, we can find out root area which comes out as 1017.876 mm2,
64∗91
minimum number of bolts 61.89, actual bolts would be 64. C1 we can find as . So this is
𝜋

corresponding to 42 x 3, 91 would be the Bs that we can use over here. And then C1 comes out as
1.854 m. Further I am having C2, where I will use value of R and which is equal to 55 mm that
we will use over here. And then we can find C2 as 1.961 m. So C1 – C2 will be equal to
-0.107m.
(Refer Slide Time: 15:12)
In the similar line I can calculate for bolt 45 x 3, where actual number of bolts are 56 and in this
case, it is 45 x 3 Bs 96 and R is 57. So these values I can use over here to calculate C1 and C2
respectively. And then C1 can be found as 1.711 m and C2 as 1.965 mm, difference of these two
would be -0.254. So in this way we have calculated all parameters related to four bolts.
(Refer Slide Time: 15:52)

Now we will summarize the results of these bolts. So summary is given in this table, where I am
having the bolt C1, C2 and C1 – C2, okay. So you can see here that I have to choose the bolt which
has C1 – C2 positive and least. So it will come out for this particular bolt and accordingly the bolt
which I have to choose is 39 x 3, so 39 x 3 will be used for bolting the flange, okay.
(Refer Slide Time: 16:21)
So once I have chosen the bolt, I can see the value of bolt circle diameter and if you consider this
table bolt circle diameter would be C2 of the respective bolt, okay. So now bolt circle diameter
would be C2 of that bolt, which comes out as 1.9549 m and then we have to find out flange outside
diameter, okay.

Flange outside diameter how I can calculate because C is there so that C + 2 x bolt radius + 0.04,
so C is coming as 1.9549 x bolt diameter or you can use 2 x bolt radius, it is same. And then 0.04,
why this is 0.04 because it is given that gap between the outer diameter of bolt circle to the outer
edge of the flange is given as 20 mm. So in that case we are considering 40 mm because both
sides I have to consider to calculate the diameter. So therefore 40 mm is added over. So total
flange outside diameter comes as 2.0339 m.
(Refer Slide Time: 17:44)
And next I have to estimate the load and moment under operating as well as bolting-up condition
because now I have to calculate the thickness of flange. Let us focus on operating condition and
then we will move to bolting-up condition. For operating condition we have three load W1, W2,
𝜋 𝐵2
W3 and you can find that W1 as ( ) 𝑝 which comes out as this. W2 you can have as 0.924 and
4

W3 is 1.048. So considering all these loads we can have total load of 7.57 MN.

So this load you can also observe while computing the bolting area, okay. Now once I am having
this bolt, I have to calculate the arms to find out the moment. So these arms are given as a1, a2 and
(𝐶−𝐵) (𝐶−𝐵)
a3. So a1 is equal to , so here I can put the value , which comes out as 0.07745 m, a3 I
2 2
(𝐶−𝐺)
can consider as 0.00606 m, which is nothing but .
2

(Refer Slide Time: 19:02)

And in the similar line I can calculate a2 as a1 and a3. Here this is not a2, this a 3/2 which is equal
to 0.041755 m and then considering all these arms as well as load I can calculate the moment at
operating condition and which comes out as 0.4785 MN-m. Further I have to focus on bolting-up
Am +Ab
condition, where Mg is equal to W x a3, and W we can define as Sg . So Sg is basically the
2

allowable stress of bolt material and Ab is given as number of actual bolt into root area, which
comes out as 0.065.

So root area you will choose corresponding to 39 x 3 bolt, okay. So considering all these values
we can have W as 7.68 MN and then you can find out Mg as 0.054654 MN-m. Further I have to
calculate M as maximum of Mo as well as Mg and which can be taken as 0.4785 MN-m which is
corresponding to Mo value.
(Refer Slide Time: 20:38)
Now once I am having the flange moment I will calculate the thickness of flange, where Poisson’s
ratio is given as 0.3, okay. So here this is the expression to calculate the thickness where M we
have already computed in last slide. Cf I have to take as 1 as a initial guess, B is basically bow
diameter or inner diameter of flange or outer diameter of shell. Sfo is the allowable stress of shell
material and Y is the factor which we can compute through this.

A
So to find out Y value I have to consider k as which comes out as 1.13 and then putting k value
𝐵

as well as µ in this expression I can find Y as 15.9066 and then we can calculate thickness of
thickness, that is t2 = 0.4785 that is 𝑀 𝐶𝐹 , which I have taken as 1 as initial guess divided by 𝐵 𝑆𝐹𝑂
multiplied by Y, so t comes out as 0.1877 m. Considering this t we will find out revised value of
𝐵
𝑆
Cf which is given as √(2𝑑+𝑡).

So Bs we have to consider as revised value, which can be computed by this expression, where C is
𝜋 1.9546
the bolt circle diameter which we have chosen. So Bs is equal to where n is the actual
𝑛

number of bolts corresponding to 39 x 3 bolt. And therefore Bs is 80.509 mm. So that Bs I have
kept over here. Then this is nothing but 2 d because 39 is there, so 78 mm I can consider as 2 d.

And this thickness I have considered over here to calculate Cf and corresponding value of Cf is
0.5513, okay. Once I have calculated Cf 0.5513 I will use this Cf in this expression in place of 1.
Then t I can find out and then further considering this t value at this place I can find revised value
of Cf, which comes out as 0.6095. Considering this Cf I will calculate t, which is 0.1466 and then
Cf and then t and then Cf and then t, like this we keep on moving till two consecutive values of t
would be equal almost.

So here we have final value of thickness is 0.1455, which is almost equal to the previous value of
t and therefore this we can consider as final thickness of flange. So in this way we have computed
all parts for flange design and I hope the method is clear to you. Now we will consider another
example for design of flange.
(Refer Slide Time: 23:56)

Now here we have example 2, in which we are designing again a loose-type flange, which is used
to join two parts of shell with OD as 0.8 m. Design this flange for following specification that is
plain face, design pressure is given like this and design temperature here as 400. Allowable stress
of shell material 120 MN/m2. Allowable stress of flange material at design temperature is given
as 130 MN/m2.

And bolts are made with IS:2002-1962 2A material. Gasket material is soft aluminium solid flat
metal. Ratio of gasket internal diameter to shell outside diameter is 1.02, corrosion allowance 0
and joint deficiency factor 1, and all these parameters we can use for designing. Now what I have
to find is effective gasket seating width as we have computed in last example. We have to choose
the optimum bolt or suitable bolt among these flange outside diameter and flange thickness.
(Refer Slide Time: 25:12)
So let us start the part one of this. Before starting solution of this, we have summarized here a few
parameters as outer diameter pointed, design pressure is given as 2.5 MN/m2, allowable stress of
shell and flange are given as 120 and 130 MN/m2 respectively. Now allowable stress of bolt at
atmospheric temperature and that at design temperature.
(Refer Slide Time: 25:43)

So if you remember the problem we are given material for bolt, and that is IS:2002-1962 2A, okay.
And in this case design temperature is 400, okay. So 7.4 would be the allowable stress of bolt
material at design temperature. And here 9.6 will be considered as allowable stress of bolt material
at atmospheric temperature because value at lesser temperature than 250 is not available in this
table.
(Refer Slide Time: 26:20)

And further if you consider the gasket material we are given soft aluminum solid flat metal as
gasket material and corresponding to this I am having 4 as value of m and 61 as seating stress and
6 is the actual minimum width of the gasket, okay. So all these values I have taken over here that
is allowable stress at design temperature 7.4 at atmospheric pressure 9.8 and this is the conversion
because if you remember these values are in kg force per mm 2.

So conversion of this 2 MN/m2 is 9.8067 and that value I have converted and respective value are
given over here in MN/m2, and y we have taken from gasket table, which is 61 and m we can
𝑑
consider as 4, so 𝐷𝑖 is 1.02, other parameters are you can see from the example.
𝑜

(Refer Slide Time: 27:34)

 𝑑𝑖
So effective gasket width again I have to find di because I know as 1.02, so here this is the
𝐷𝑜
𝑑𝑜
value of di, you can find by this expression and then do I can find as 0.83677. Minimum gasket
𝑑𝑖

width is found as 0.01038, it means 10.38 mm and which has to compare with the value given in
the table and that is 6 mm. Larger among these we can consider as minimum gasket width, which
is 10.38 mm.

Now outer diameter of gasket will not be changed as whatever we have computed value of N that
I have taken as it is. So it will be equal to the previous value. Basic gasket width I can find as Bo
𝑁
and that should be if you remember because I have considered plain face. And further based on
2

Bo as it is coming less than 6.3 mm I can calculate effective gasket width equal to Bo and which
comes out as 0.00519, and further we can calculate G that is the diameter of reaction of load in
gasket and which comes out as 0.82638.
(Refer Slide Time: 29:09)
Now I have to choose the suitable bolt among these, okay. For that purpose I have to calculate the
bolting area and that we can calculate by operating condition as well as bolting-up condition. So
for operating condition this Wo comes as 1.6094, H and Hp we can found as we have discussed in
the last example. Wg we can consider as 0.8177. Based on that we can find out area for operating
condition and area for bolting-up condition.

So based on these values I can find area at operating condition and bolting-up condition. So at
operating condition it is equal to 1.6096/72.569, which is the conversion of 7.4 kgf/mm2, which is
the allowable stress at design temperature and the area comes out as 0.0222. In the similar line Ag
I am having as this 0.8218/96.108 and which comes out as 0.0086. Larger value among these I
have to choose as bolting area and that I can take as 0.02218, okay. And then considering this
bolting area and root area corresponding to these bolts, I can calculate minimum number of bolts
as we did in last example.

Now next multiple of 4 of all these values are given here, okay. And then R and Bs I can see from
the bolt table and then considering these values we can calculate C1 and C2 and difference of C1
and C2 we can found and which is found positive and minimum for 24 x 2.
(Refer Slide Time: 31:15)
So 24 x 2 can be chosen as suitable bolt or optimum bolt and corresponding value of C2 I can
choose as bolt circle diameter, which comes out as 0.91245 for 24 x 2 bolt, okay. And then flange
diameter I can calculate as 0.95645 m which is basically C + bolt diameter, that is 24/1000, which
is already written over here plus 0.02, so that should be 0.01 x 2 because in this case the value is
not known to me so I will take 10 mm as minimum value which is basically recommended
minimum value for design of flange.
(Refer Slide Time: 32:11)

So considering all these values I can find out flange diameter as this. And then I have to find out
flange thickness and for that purpose I have to calculate flange moment. So for that I have
calculated W1, W2, W3 and a1, a2, a3 as we did in last example and then we can find out moment
at operating condition and similarly moment at bolting-up condition. So controlling M would be
larger from these two and that is given for bolting-up condition, okay.

Now K I have taken as A/B, which is this and then Y I can calculate as 10.9677, µ 0.3 I can take,
further Cf I will take as 1 and then we can calculate thickness of flange which comes out as 0.0988
m. Revised value of Bs I have to take as 0.089 and considering this Bs value I will find out Cf and
then I can calculate revised value of t and in the similar line I keep on moving to calculate the
thickness of t.
(Refer Slide Time: 33:05)

So in that way we can calculate the thickness of flange and then we can complete the design of
flanges. So here we have solved two examples for design of flanges and I hope the method is clear
to you and here I am having some of the references to study about design of flanges and here we
will summarize the video and in this video we will summarize for lecture 2, 3, 4 and 5 of week 3
because all these lectures were devoted to design of flanges, okay.
(Refer Slide Time: 33:42)
So summary goes as flange is defined along with its utility. Types of flanges and its facings are
discussed. Gaskets, its types and selection of it are discussed. Bolt load, its area and dimensions
are discussed. Design of flange considering operating condition as well as bolting-up conditions
are discussed. And then we have solved few examples with detail steps for design of flange. That
is all for now, thank you.