MODAL ANALYSIS OF PIPE JOINT SPIRAL WOUND GASKET

NABIL FAHMI BIN MOHTAR

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirement

for the award of the degree of
Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA PAHANG

NOVEMBER 2010
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UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA PAHANG

FACULTY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

I certify that the project entitled “Modal Analysis of Pipe Joint Spiral Wound Gasket” is
written by Nabil Fahmi bin Mohtar. We have examined the final copy of this project
and in our opinion; it is fully adequate in terms of scope and quality for the award of the
degree of Bachelor of Engineering. I herewith recommend that it be accepted in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering.

Dr. Gigih Priyandoko

Examiner Signature
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SUPERVISOR’S DECLARATION

I hereby declare that I have checked this project and in my opinion this project is
adequate in terms of scope and quality for the award of the degree of Bachelor of
Mechanical Engineering.

Signature
Name of Supervisor : Muhammad Hatifi b. Hj. Mansor
Position : LECTURER
Date : 6 DECEMBER 2010
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STUDENT’S DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the work in this thesis is my own except for quotations and
summaries which have been duly acknowledged. The project has not been accepted for
any degree and is not concurrently submitted for award of other degree.

Signature
Name : NABIL FAHMI BIN MOHTAR
ID Number : MA07057
Date : 6 DECEMBER 2010
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Praise be to Allah S.W.T, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful for all the
blessings and guidance upon me through my study. Thank you so much dear Allah for
giving me strength and answering my prayers.

This thesis would not have been possible without the guidance and the help of
several individuals who in one way or another contributed and extended their valuable
assistance in the preparation and completion of this research.

First and foremost, I would like to record my sincere gratitude to my supervisor,

Mr. Muhammad Hatifi b. Hj. Mansor for his supervision, advice and guidance from the
very early stage of this research as well as giving me extraordinary experiences
throughout the work. Above all and the most needed, he provides me unflinching
encouragement and support in various ways. I am indebted to him more than she knows.
One simply could not wish for a better or friendlier supervisor.

Many thanks go to all FKM laboratory instructor and technicians who are
willingly landing their hands in laboratory and experimental work and all these staff of
the Mechanical Engineering Department, UMP, who helped me in many ways and
made my stay in UMP pleasant and unforgettable. Special thanks from me also go to
my friends who are under same supervisor. I would like to acknowledge their comments
and suggestions which were crucial for the successful completion of this study.

Where would I be without my family? My parents deserve special mention for

their inseparable support and prayers. My father, Mohtar bin Kasim, in the first place is
the person who put the fundament by learning character, showing me the joy of
intellectual pursuit ever since I was a child. My mother, Maimunah binti Tompang, is
my special one who sincerely raised me with her caring and gentle love. Brothers and
sisters, thanks for being supportive and caring siblings.

Finally, I would like to thank everybody who was important to the successful
realization of this thesis, as well as expressing my apology that I couldn’t mention
personally one by one.
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ABSTRACT

This project report deals with dynamic behaviour of spiral wound gasket using
theoretical and experimental analysis method. This project report is to study the
dynamic properties and behaviour of spiral wound gasket by using modal analysis and
compare with the finite element analysis. The structural three-dimensional solid
modelling of spiral wound gasket was developed using the SOLIDWORK drawing
software. The finite element analysis was then performed using ALGOR (FEA). The
finite element model of the components was analyzed using the linear modal analysis
approach. Finally, the experimental modal analysis was performed using Impact
Hammer Testing method. The natural frequency of the mode shape is determined and
comparative study was done from both method results. The comparison between natural
frequencies of finite element modelling and model testing shows the closeness of the
results. From the results, the percentage error had been determined and the limitation in
the natural frequency of the spiral wound gasket is observed.
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ABSTRAK

Laporan projek ini berkaitan dengan perilaku dinamik spiral wound gasket
menggunakan kaedah analisis teori dan eksperimen. Laporan ini adalah untuk
mempelajari sifat dinamik dan perilaku spiral wound gasket dengan menggunakan
analisis modal secara eksperimen dan membandingkannya dengan analisis elemen
secara teori. Pemodelan struktur tiga-dimensi spiral wound gasket dilukis menggunakan
perisian melukis SOLIDWORK. Analisis elemen modal kemudian dijalankan dengan
menggunakan perisian ALGOR. Analisis di dalam perisian ini menggunakan
pendekatan analisis linier modal. Kemudian, analisis modal secara eksperimen
dilakukan dengan menggunakan kaedah Hammer Kesan Ujian. Frekuensi dan bentuk
mod ditentukan dan kajian perbandingan dilakukan dari kedua-dua keputusan kaedah.
Perbandingan antara frekuensi dari pemodelan elemen secara teori dan ujian model
secara eksperimen menunjukkan keputusan yang hampir sama. Dari hasil tersebut,
peratus perbezaan antara kedua kaedah telah direkod dan had frekuensi asas spiral
wound gasket telah diamati.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
EXAMINER’S DECLARATION ii
SUPERVISOR’S DECLARATION iii
STUDENT’S DECLARATION iv
DEDICATION v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi
ABSTRACT vii
ABSTRAK viii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ix
LIST OF TABLES xii
LIST OF FIGURES xiii
LIST OF SYMBOLS xvi
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xvii

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 General Introduction 1

1.2 Objectives of Study 2
1.3 Scopes of Project 2
1.4 Problem Statement 2

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction 4
2.2 Basic Vibration Theory 4
2.3 Piping System 5
2.4 Gasket 5
2.4.1 Spiral Wound Gasket 6
2.4.2 Spiral Wound Gasket Styles 7
2.4.3 Selecting Material of Spiral Wound Gasket 9
2.4.4 Spiral Wound Gasket Installation 11
2.4.5 Gasket Material 13
2.4.6 Factors Affecting Gasket Performance 14
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2.4.7 Failure of Spiral Wound Gasket 16

2.5 Finite Element Analysis 17
2.6 Experimental Modal Analysis 18

CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction 20
3.2 Geometry 22
3.3 Modelling 23
3.3.1 Modelling Method 23
3.4 Simulation 26
3.4.1 Simulation Method 26
3.4.1.1 Transferring Model 26
3.4.1.2 Grid Generation 27
3.4.1.3 Natural Frequency 30
3.4.1.4 Mode Shape 30
3.5 Modal Testing 30
3.5.1 Impact Hammer Testing 30
3.5.2 List of Apparatus 32
3.5.3 PULSE-Lite Software 34
3.5.4 Procedures of Experiment 36

CHAPTER 4 RESULT AND DISCUSSIONS

4.1 Introduction 38
4.2 ALGOR Finite Element Analysis Results 38
4.3 Experimental Analysis Result 42
4.4 Comparison 48
4.5 Discussion 50

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

5.0 Introduction 52
5.1 Conclusion 52
5.2 Recommendations 53
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REFERENCES 54
APPENDICES 56
A Figure of Spiral Wound Gasket Failure 56

B1 Drawing Assembly of Inner Ring 57

B2 Drawing Assembly of Sealing Element 58
B3 Drawing Assembly of Outer Ring 59
B4 Drawing Assembly of Assemble Part 60

C1 Mesh Diagram 61
C2 Mode Shape of Outer Ring 62
C3 Mode Shape of Outer Ring 63
C4 Mode Shape of Sealing Element 64
C5 Mode Shape of Sealing Element 65
C6 Mode Shape of Inner Ring 66
C7 Mode Shape of Inner Ring 67

D1 Gantt Chart /Project Schedule FYP 1 and 2 68

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LIST OF TABLES

Table No. Title Page

3.1 Dimension of the spiral wound gasket 23

3.2 Spiral wound gasket thickness and material 23

3.3 List of apparatus 32

4.1 Frequency and displacement for outer ring 39

4.2 Frequency and displacement for sealing element 40

4.3 Frequency and displacement for inner ring 41

4.4 Experimental Results of natural frequencies for outer ring 44

4.5 Experimental results of natural frequencies for sealing elements 46

4.6 Experimental results of natural frequencies for inner ring 48

4.7 Natural frequencies analysis of outer ring 48

4.8 Natural frequencies analysis of sealing element 49

4.9 Natural frequencies analysis of inner ring 49

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure No. Title Page

2.1 ASME B16.20 Spiral wound gasket 7

2.2 Cross section of spiral wound gasket; V-shaped profile 7

2.3 Spiral wound gasket styles 9

2.4 Spiral wound gasket installation 12

2.5 Available gasket material 13

2.6(a) Uniform radial buckling 20

2.6(b) Localized buckling

3.1 Flowchart methodology 21

3.2 Spiral wound gasket 22

3.3 Diameter of the spiral wound gasket 23

3.4 Isometric view of inner ring 24

3.5 Isometric view of sealing element 24

3.6 Isometric view of outer ring 25

3.7 Isometric view of assemble part 25

3.8 Material Specification 27

3.9 Custom unit system; length in mm 28

3.10 Solid mesh type selected; all tetrahedral 28

3.11 Mesh size selected; 70% 29

3.12 Mesh diagram of outer ring 29

3.13 Modal testing system 31

3.14 Modal hammer 32

3.15 Data acquisition system 33

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3.16 Accelerometer 33

3.17 Windows for hardware setup 34

3.18 Window for FFT Analyzer 35

3.19 Graphical setup for sealing element 36

3.20 Impact hammer testing on a spiral wound gasket 37

4.1 Outer ring mode shape 39

4.2 Sealing element mode shape 40

4.3 Inner ring mode shape 41

4.4(a) Frequency response 1 42

4.4(b) Frequency response 2 42

4.4(c) Frequency response 3 43

4.4(d) Frequency response 4 43

4.5(a) Frequency response 5 44

4.5(b) Frequency response 6 44

4.5(c) Frequency response 7 45

4.5(d) Frequency response 8 45

4.6(a) Frequency response 9 46

4.6(b) Frequency response 10 46

4.6(c) Frequency response 11 47

4.6(d) Frequency response 12 47

4.7 Comparison result for outer ring 48

4.8 Comparison result for sealing element 49

4.9 Comparison result for inner ring 50

6.1 Spiral wound gasket failure 56

6.2 Drawing assembly of inner ring 57

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6.3 Drawing assembly of filler material 58

6.4 Drawing assembly of outer ring 59

6.5 Drawing assembly of assemble part 60

6.6 Mesh diagram of sealing element 61

6.7 Mesh diagram of inner ring 61

6.8 Mode shape 2 of outer ring 62

6.9 Mode shape 3 of outer ring 62

6.10 Mode shape 4 of outer ring 63

6.11 Mode shape 5 of outer ring 63

6.12 Mode shape 2 of sealing element 64

6.13 Mode shape 3 of sealing element 64

6.14 Mode shape 4 of sealing element 65

6.15 Mode shape 5 of sealing element 65

6.16 Mode shape 2 of inner ring 66

6.17 Mode shape 3 of inner ring 66

6.18 Mode shape 4 of inner ring 67

6.19 Mode shape 5 of inner ring 67

6.20 FYP 1 Gantt chart 68

6.21 FYP 2 Gantt chart 68

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LIST OF SYMBOLS

f Frequency
F Force
D Diameter
P Pressure
t Thickness
 xvii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers

SWG Spiral Wound Gasket

CAD Computer Aided Diagram

IGES Initial Graphics Exchange Specification

3D 3 Dimensional

DOF Degree of Freedom

DAS Data Acquisition System

FEA Finite Element Analysis

PTFE Polychlorotrifluoroethylene

ANSI American National Standard Institute

DIN German Institute for Standardization

BS British Standard

NPS Nominal Pipe Size

FFT Fast Fourier Transform

FYP Final Year Project

UMP University Malaysia Pahang

 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION

In the Oil & Gas industry, pipes are widely used in refinery piping, exploration,
crude oil transmission, line pipe, flow lines, injection lines (water and gas), gas
transmission lines, offshore platform piping, floating production storage and off-
loading, sub-sea piping and piping on vessels. There are many types of pipe joints used
in the piping system. Some of them are push-on joints, mechanical joint, flanged joint,
restrained joints, restrained push-on gasket, field-welded restrained joints, ball and
socket joints and grooved and shouldered joints. In the pipe joints field, spiral wound
gaskets are commonly used as their connecter. This kind of gasket had been improved
and modified to give assurance of the safety of the distribution system.

Spiral wound gaskets are very efficient as sealing devices, not least because of
the high loads which are used to compress and retain them in the place. Spiral wound
gaskets comprising alternate turns of a profiled metal strip and softer filler material strip
are commonly used in industrial sealing applications where they are positioned, for
example, between a pair of pipe flanges and compressed by the use of bolts to hold the
flanges together. Basic type spiral wound gasket consists of a thin metallic strip and soft
non-metallic filler (graphite, asbestos, ceramic, polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PTFE),
etc.) that are simultaneously wound on a rotating mandrel. The metal hoop is pre-
formed with a V or W shaped profile which allows the gasket to act as a spring between
the flanges. Further, the hoop provides the basic structural element for the gasket while
the non-metal filler material seals small imperfections on the flange surfaces. They are
available in all standard flanges of sizes.
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Spiral wound gaskets have good compressibility and rebound elasticity. It can
keep very good sealing performance under some tough conditions of circulating
alternation such as high temperature, low temperature, high vacuum and impact
vibration. In this project, we will investigate the stability and detect the vibration that
occurred in the spiral wound gasket. The vibration occurred is obtained by performing
dynamic analysis using ALGOR Finite Element Analysis (FEA).

1.2 OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

The purpose of this research is to study the dynamic properties and behavior of
spiral wound gasket by using modal analysis and compare with the finite element
analysis.

1.3 SCOPES OF PROJECT

This projects focus on the following points:

(i) The plan of spiral wound gasket is created using SOLIDWORK.

(ii) The theoretical data from dynamic analysis using ALGOR will be taken.
(iii) Experimental analysis which is modal analysis is performed to the spiral
wound gasket.
(iv) Comparative study will be conduct between the previous result and the
result from modal analysis.

1.4 PROBLEM STATEMENT

In the piping system, high vibration levels occurred frequently in the fields.
Vibration has been identified as the dominant cause of piping failures. Excessive piping
vibration can cause real problems. Threaded connections can loosen. Flanges can start
leaking. Pipes can be knocked off their supports. Gasket will be defected. And in
extreme cases, a pipe fatigue failure can occur. Gaskets are the weakest link in the
piping system of a process plant. Therefore, it is important not to ignore the design and
selection of the gaskets to prevent flange-leakage problems and avoid costly shutdowns.
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In Simonen and Gosselin (2001) piping vibration fatigue was reported as the cause of
piping failures 29 percent of the time in US nuclear plants between 1961 and 1996. In
small bore pipes, 2 inch and less, vibration fatigue accounted for 45 percent of the
piping failures. With such a high failure rate it is important that the cause of the
vibration be eliminated and studied whenever possible (Herbert, 2001).

During the last three decades considerable advances have been made in the
applications of numerical techniques to analyze pressure vessel and vibration piping
problems. Among the numerical procedures, finite element methods and modal analysis
are the most frequently use (Jaroslav, 2004).

Modal analysis is done to obtain the actual dynamic properties. The dynamic
properties which consist of natural frequency, mode shape and damping are unknown
on the design. The frequency of vibration of the spiral wound gasket is directly related
to the stiffness and the mass of it while the mode shapes are related to the defect
location. Therefore vibration testing needs to be carried out to obtain the data of those
dynamic properties. The parameters that describe each mode are natural frequency or
resonance frequency (modal) damping mode shape; these are called the modal
parameters. By using the modal parameters to model the structure, vibration problems
caused by these resonances (modes) can be examined and understood (Inman, 2007).
The purpose of this project is to determine the natural frequencies of the spiral wound
gasket for structural health monitoring and evaluation.
 CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 INTRODUCTION

A significant of this chapter is based on preliminary of piping system, vibration

in piping system, spiral wound gasket characteristic and ALGOR finite element
analysis. Basics understanding in the study must be recognizable before running the
finite element analysis of the spiral wound gasket in ALGOR.

The review of this study is based on preceding work of vibration in piping

system and briefly elaborated about the spiral wound gasket performance, their
functional requirements and selecting material, application of spiral wound gasket, how
they are manufactured, studying of each element in spiral wound gasket, several
potential gasket-related problems, the cause of the leakage in piping system and the
technique that will be used to analyzed are ALGOR finite element analysis and
experimental analysis which is modal analysis.

2.2 BASIC VIBRATION THEORY

Any system has certain characteristics to be fulfilled before it will vibrate. To

put in simple words, every system has a stable position in which all forces are
equivalent, and when this equilibrium is disturbed, the system will try to regain its
stable position. To remain stable, structure exhibits vibration at different magnitude
when excited, the degree of vibration varies from point to point (node to node), due to
the variation of dynamic responses of the structure and the external forces applied.
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Therefore, vibration may also be described as the physical manifestation of the

interchange between kinetic and potential energy. (Silva, 2005)

The majority of structures can be made to resonate, i.e. to vibrate with excessive
oscillatory motion. Resonant vibration is mainly caused by an interaction between the
inertial and elastic properties of the materials within a structure. Resonance is often the
cause of, or at least a contributing factor to many of the vibration and noise related
problems that occur in structures and operating machinery. To better understand any
structural vibration problem, the resonant frequencies of a structure need to be
identified and quantified. (Inman, 2007)

2.3 PIPING SYSTEM

Piping systems are generally can be defined as interconnected piping subject to

the same set or sets of design conditions. Piping refers to assemblies of piping
components used to convey, distribute, mix, separate, discharge, meter, control, or snub
fluid flows. Piping components refers to mechanical elements suitable for joining or
assembly into pressure-tight fluid-containing piping systems. Components of the piping
systems are include pipe, tubing, fittings, flanges, gaskets, bolting, valves, and devices
such as expansion joints, flexible joints, pressure hoses, traps, strainers, in-line portions
of instruments, and separators. Systems and components of the piping system do not
include any equipment excluded from ASME B31.3 or B31.9 or ASME Boiler and
Pressure Vessel Code. (ASME B16.20, 1993.)

2.4 GASKET

A gasket is a mechanical seal that fills the space between two mating surfaces,
may also be called a seal, generally to prevent leakage from or into the joined objects
while under compression. Gaskets are commonly produced by cutting from sheet
materials, such as gasket paper, rubber, silicone, metal, cork, felt, neoprene, nitrile
rubber, fiberglass, or a plastic polymer such as polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PTFE).
Gaskets for specific applications may contain asbestos. It is usually desirable that the
gasket be made from a material that is to some degree yielding such that it is able to
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deform and tightly fills the space it is designed for, including any slight irregularities. A
few gaskets require an application of sealant directly to the gasket surface to function
properly. (Daniel, 1996) Gaskets come in many different designs based on industrial
usage, budget, chemical contact and physical parameters:

2.4.1 Spiral Wound Gasket (SWG)

Spiral wound gaskets are special semi-metallic gaskets. They are made of a
preformed metallic strip and a soft filler material, wound together in a V-shaped under
pressure, and optionally with an inner and/or outer guide ring. The metal strip holds the
filler, resulting in excellent mechanical resistances, resilience and recovery, therefore
they are very suitable for application featuring heavy operating conditions. The outer
centering ring controls the compression and holds the gasket centrally within the bolt
circle. The inner retaining ring increases the axial rigidity and resilience of the gasket.
Spiral wound gasket should always be in contact with the flange and should not
protrude into the pipe or project from the flange. Europiping Industrial Technologies
(EIT, 2000).

Spiral wound gaskets are very efficient as sealing devices, not least because of
the high loads which are used to compress and retain them in the places. It would be
desirable to use a spiral wound gasket in applications such as in vehicle exhausts at
junctions between pipes and catalytic converters for example. However, the available
clamping loads are very low due to the relatively flimsy securing flanges which are
normally available, the low number of clamping bolts (usually four or less) and the
relatively small section and thread areas of those bolts that are available. The
established sealing systems for such exhausts are mica foil on a tanged core or
exfoliated graphite on a tanged steel core. Due to the relatively low bolt load available
and the contact area of these gaskets, the surface stress achieved on these gaskets is low
and the sealing unsatisfactory. The Flexitallic Group (TFG, 2000). Figure 2.1 shown is
a spiral wound gasket manufactured according to standard ASME B16.20 and Figure
2.2 is the cross section of the spiral wound gasket that shows the v-shaped profile in the
sealing elements.
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Figure 2.1: ASME B16.20 Spiral wound gasket

Figure 2.2: Cross section of spiral wound gasket; V-shaped profile

Source: The Flexitallic Group (2000)

2.4.2 Spiral Wound Gasket Styles

Basically, there are four basic types of spiral wound gasket that has been
manufactured widely in the market as shown in Figure 2.3. Four basic types of spiral
wound gaskets are plain gaskets, outer ring gaskets, inner and outer ring gaskets, and
inner ring gaskets. Each design of spiral wound gaskets has a specific application in the
pipe flange industry.
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i. Plain gasket - Spiral winding only. This style of gasket consists of the
winding/sealing element only. It has no guide ring (centering ring) or inner ring.
It is most commonly used in tongue and groove and male/female flanges.
ii. Inner ring gasket - This gasket is similar to the plain gasket, however, it has an
inner ring. Its application is similar to the plain gasket.
iii. Outer ring gaskets - The outer ring gasket is the most common profile of spiral
wound gasket and used extensively in ANSI B16.5 flanges. The gaskets consist
of a metal guide ring (or sometimes referred to as a centering ring) and a spiral
wound sealing element. This profile is normally used in raised and flat faced
flanged. The outer ring is often made of carbon steel (painted or zinc plated to
prevent corrosion) but can be made of alloys for higher temperature and more
severe medium applications.
iv. Inner and outer ring gaskets - This gasket is identical to the outer ring gasket,
however an inner ring has been inserted to enhance gasket performance. The
inner ring is added to prevent the possibility of the gasket imploding into the
pipe during installation, to protect the sealing element from extreme
temperatures and mediums, fill the void between flanges to prevent erosion of
the flange, and to reduce the possibility of failure. The inner ring is normally
made of the same alloy as the winding. The DIN 2699 standard (German)
specifies inner rings in all spiral wound gaskets. Inner rings are required for
gasket with PTFE filler according to ASME B16.20 standards, and considered
important for graphite fillers. This profile is normally used in raised and flat
faced flanges. TianYi Chemical Industrial (TCI, 2006).