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The paper presents the problems regarding bolted flange connections with gaskets used in chemical, petrochemical and energy industry. The aim of the research is to present state of knowledge regarding pipelines and apparatus in industrial installations and rules and regulations regarding flange connections tightness. Additionally a calculation example regarding flange connection according to ASME VIII DIV 1 requirement and then detailed Finite Element Analysis presented; impact of nonlinear material properties (gasket loading unloading curves) on the connection tightness for complex loading programme is shown. It is finally concluded that in addition to usual design calculations more precise calculation is needed to fully verify behaviour of sealed connection at complex extreme variable loadings. Material aspect is very important at designing, testing, service and maintenance; taking it into consideration may avoid many problems related to safe exploitation.

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Foamed glass is widely used in the industry as an insulating material. However, its mechanical properties are not well-investigated yet. Foamed glass is produced from glass waste that causes discrepancy in mechanical properties of the final product. This paper shows a way to increase the limit of the load capacity of foamed glass, which is very fragile and sensitive to mechanical and thermal loading conditions. In this paper, three different methods of load application on cellular glass structure (rough contact, resin and flour interfaces) and their influence on failure mechanisms were investigated in detail. The results of numerical analyses, based on finite elements method and compression strength tests using the digital image correlation method, indicate that the overall strength of the material is limited by boundary effects. A careful adjustment of the interface property is the main factor to draw useful conclusions and to extend load limits of cellular glass in engineering applications.