The Types of Bellows Metallic Expansion Joints
What are custom expansion joints? Metallic expansion joints are elastic vessels, which are compressible under pressure or extensible under a vacuum. The release of the vacuum or pressure causes the metallic bellow to return to its original shape if the bellow’s material doesn’t get stressed beyond the yield strength. There are four basic metallic expansion joints, which are categorized based on the manufacturing technology used. 1. Machined Bellows Machined bellows are ground or turned from forged rings, tubing, and bar stock of materials used to make other kinds of metal bellows. Low modulus, high-strength titanium alloys and heat-treatable, high endurance, and high-strength steel are often used to make machined bellows. Machined bellows are custom bellows made to have a high spring rate to hold pressure as high as 82.73 MPa. Machined Bellows: What are bellows used for? These bellows find use in industrial applications that need a high spring rate and a high-pressure thrust. 2