Influence of Structural Parameters of Shape Memory Alloy Corrugated Gaskets on the Contact Pressure of Bolted Flange Joints

Abstract

Shape memory alloy corrugated gaskets (SMA-CGs) can adapt to fluctuating working conditions due to their pseudoelasticity (PE) and shape memory effect (SME), which make them excellent sealing components. In this study, the deformation mechanism of SMA-CGs was examined according to their structural properties under installation and operating conditions to establish an SMA-CG thermal-mechanical coupling model with the finite element analysis (FEA) method, which has been verified through experimentation. Based on this, a thermal-mechanical coupling FEA model was built for a bolted flange joint with SMA-CG. The influence of the SMA-CG structure parameters on compression-rebound mechanical properties was also studied under installation and operating conditions. The conclusions are as follows: a thermal-mechanical coupling finite element analysis method was established for NiTi alloy corrugated structures. Through comparison with the experimental results, the maximum error of the maximum compression load was 5.78%, the maximum error of the rebound rate was 8.85%, and the maximum error of the maximum compaction force in the heat recovery stage was 12.2%, all of which were within the <15% acceptable error range of engineering fields. According to the related experiments and finite element results, the maximum compressive force of gasket thermal recovery after unloading was not less than 40% of the initial maximum compressive load. The application of shape memory alloy to corrugated gasket significantly improved its ability in coping with fluctuating load temperatures. The contact pressure of corrugation increased with the increase of sheet thickness (T) and corrugated gasket height (H) under installation and operating conditions, showing a decreasing trend with the increase of pitch (P), of which the order of factors influencing the average contact pressure of corrugated gasket was sheet T > H > P, and when structural parameters of SMA-CG were T = 0.6 mm, H = 4 mm, and P = 2.5 mm, the contact pressure of corrugated gasket was the highest under operating conditions.

Calculation Model of Mechanical and Sealing Properties of NiTi Alloy Corrugated Gaskets under Shape Memory Effect and Hyperelastic Coupling: Two Sealing Properties

“…To calculate the deformation process of the bulges and pits on the surface of NiTi alloy and obtain the fluid medium leakage micro-channel of the NiTi alloy corrugated gasket, the deformation process was simulated and analyzed by ABAQUS. The material parameters of the NiTi alloy are shown in Table 1, and its constitutive model and UMAT subroutine refer to the literature [24].…”

Development of an A1100 aluminum corrugated metal gaskets

“…The paper [13] studied the corrugated gasket's capacity to handle changing load temperatures is greatly enhanced by the application of a shape memory alloy. This study found that the great influence of gasket thickness on leakage.…”

Equivalent modeling for a finite element analysis of the mechanical properties of a bolted joint with a superelastic shape memory alloy

“…The vibration failure time of a Fe-Mn-Si SMA bolt is seven times that of a common bolt, and the anti-loosening effect is remarkable (Zhou et al, 2014). SMA corrugated gaskets (SMA-CGs) can adapt to fluctuating working conditions, which make them excellent sealing components (He et al, 2021). SMA bolted connections can provide reasonable damping for frame structures under explosion loads (Weli and Vigh, 2021).…”