ASME Section VIII Division 1

Appendix 26 June 2004 Addenda

White Paper
Francis Osweiller Richard Stastny
ASME SWGHTE ASME SWGHTE

SCOPE

This white paper is intended to provide historical information regarding Appendix 26 of ASME
Section VIII, Division 1 "Pressure Vessel and Heat Exchanger Expansion Joints" and the basis for the
comprehensive changes incorporated into this recent Appendix. The paper highlights important past
revisions and shows how they affect the specification, design and manufacture of expansion joints in the
ASME Code.

HISTORY

In the 60’s the acceptance of an expansion joint as an integral part of a Code pressure vessel was
governed by ASME CC1177. The Code Case allowed for use of expansion joints under the conditions
of U-2(g) and UG-22. Additional design, manufacturing and procedural limits were also included in the
Code Case. Compliance was accomplished by manufacturers using bellows equations published in the
Expansion Joint Manufacturers Association [EJMA] Standards and limiting the appropriate calculated
stresses to those allowable values published in the ASME B&PV Code Section II Part D.

In 1974, ASME rekindled a 1966 effort to develop design rules and performance equations
covering expansion joints for use in heat exchangers and pressure vessels. At that time the undertaking
was the responsibility of the ASME Task Group on Heat Exchangers and ASME Item BC79-077 was
assigned. The culmination of the next seven years of work was the June 1986 publication of the
Nonmandatory Appendix BB. At the same time, CC1177 was revised to include Nonmandatory
Appendix BB design and construction as a method of compliance to the Code Case. The nonmandatory
status of the Appendix continued until 1992 whereupon it was revised to Mandatory Appendix 26 and
CC1177 was allowed to expire in August of 1994. To date, Mandatory Appendix 26 has been the
controlling document for Code acceptance of expansion joints for ASME pressure vessels and heat
exchangers.

With the introduction of Appendix BB (1986), expansion joint manufacturers were faced with a
complex situation of designing an expansion joint to the more conservative rules (ASME), but were
having customers specify performance requirements as they had in the past (CC1177). Significant
differences were evident between the two design philosophies; one based upon thirty years of industry
practices and development, the other based upon the structural integrity of a pressure vessel. The same
expansion joint would exhibit different performance characteristics through the use of the two design
philosophies. In the case of replacement or identical expansion joints, the performance characteristics
could not be duplicated from ASME when compared to EJMA calculations complying with CC1177.
The main difference was the resulting calculated fatigue life of the bellows.

These design differences were addressed during reconciliation meetings, beginning in 1995,
which included members of EJMA, ASME Section VIII, ASME B31.3, EUPVS and CODAP. In 1998
agenda item BC98-320 was established within the ASME SWGHTE to extensively review the current
Appendix 26.

Appendix 26 White Paper.doc

May 11, 2004
 ASME Section VIII Division 1
Appendix 26 June 2004 Addenda
White Paper
Francis Osweiller Richard Stastny
ASME SWGHTE ASME SWGHTE

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

Appendix 26 nomenclature and design equations now closely parallel the Expansion Joint
Manufacturers Association Seventh Edition Standards, yet retains the safety philosophy of the ASME
Code especially for fatigue evaluation.

Main outlines of Appendix 26 are as follows.

1-Scope

The rules apply to calculations for unreinforced and reinforced U-shaped bellows, along with a new
section that covers high pressure toroidal style bellows design, intended to be used mainly in heat
exchangers. Single and multi layer construction are covered.

2-Conditions of applicability

Generalized and specific conditions of applicability are provided which specify in which conditions the
rules can be applied. Basically the bellows are submitted to pressure and cyclic displacements.

3-Nomenclature

Most notations are taken from EJMA Seventh Edition.

4-Pressure stresses

Pressure stresses formulae are taken from EJMA and limited in accordance with ASME maximum
allowable stresses.

5-Squirm

Squirm is covered through EJMA formulae, which consider column and in-plane instability.

6-Deflection stresses

Deflection stresses are calculated per EJMA formulae S5 and S6. Combined with the pressure stresses,
they enable the determination of the total stress range.

Coefficients Cp, Cf, and Cd, used for the determination of these stresses, are obtained from the EJMA
graphs or by 4th degree polynomial approximations, which ensure a discrepancy less than 1%.

Appendix 26 White Paper.doc

May 11, 2004
 ASME Section VIII Division 1
Appendix 26 June 2004 Addenda
White Paper
Francis Osweiller Richard Stastny
ASME SWGHTE ASME SWGHTE

7-Fatigue evaluation

Using the total stress range, the projected fatigue life of the bellows can be evaluated, which includes a
reasonable design margin taken from ASME Section VIII-Div. 2 and ASME B31.3 (2.6 on cycles or
1.25 on stresses) which accounts for the normal effects of size, surface finish and test data scatter. It is
extremely important to note, that when specifying the number of cycles for the design (item 11 of
Form 26-1) this value realistically represents and is indicative of the actual anticipated operating
cycles of the heat exchanger or vessel. Overly conservative or inflated design margins can result
in a greater number of convolutions and an expansion joint more prone to instability at the design
pressure and temperature, or a bellows much thicker than necessary to compensate for its lower
stability value.

Even though the Appendix rules apply essentially to axial movement, angular and / or lateral movement
may result during the fit-up of the expansion joint. The manufacturer must be notified of this possibility
to employ a calculation method that is provided for equivalent axial displacement when angular and / or
lateral movement is present. These one-time installation movements are not to be included in the fatigue
life calculations, but must be verified to confirm the bellows capacity to accept them.

When the heat exchanger or pressure vessel requires a complex operating schedule, resulting in complex
bellows cyclic displacements, a method for both determining the total equivalent axial displacement and
the cumulative effect on fatigue is provided.

8-Miscellaneous

Nondestructive examination, pressure test requirements, and Code compliance documentation complete
the Appendix.

A “fill-in” specification sheet (Form 26-1) has been added to standardize the necessary design
information required by an expansion joint manufacturer to effectively develop a bellows design. The
specification sheet is a result of reviewing many heat exchanger manufacturers’ documents involving
expansion joint requests. Form 26-1 is very comprehensive and easy to complete, and should be used at
every possible opportunity.

CONCLUSION

Appendix 26 rules are self-supportive and enable to design convoluted bellows mainly devoted to fixed
tubesheet heat exchangers.

They are based on the Seventh Edition of EJMA Standards and provide a design fatigue curve, which
includes a reasonable design margin to evaluate the fatigue life of the bellows

These rules are fully consistent, both on editorial and technical points of view, with ASME B31.3
(Appendix X), with the European Standard EN 13445 (Part 3-§14), and with CODAP 2000 (§C8).

Appendix 26 White Paper.doc

May 11, 2004
 ASME Section VIII Division 1
Appendix 26 June 2004 Addenda
White Paper
Francis Osweiller Richard Stastny
ASME SWGHTE ASME SWGHTE

REFERENCES

More information can be obtained from the following technical papers:

1 - BECHT IV, C. SKOPP (1981) “Stresses Analysis of Bellows” ASME-PVP Vol. 51

2 - BECHT IV (1994) “B31.3-Appendix X: Rules for Expansion Joints” ASME-PVP Vol. 279

3 - BECHT IV (November 2001) “Behavior of Bellows” WRC Bulletin 466

4 - R. BROYLES (1989) “Bellows Instability” ASME-PVP Vol. 168

5 - R.BROYLES (2000) “EJMA Design Equations Part 2” ASME-PVP Vol. 401

6 - F. OSWEILLER (1995) “Review of Recent Codes and Standards Devoted to Expansion Bellows”
ASME-PVP Vol.301

Appendix 26 White Paper.doc

May 11, 2004