Metallic bellows perform well under pressure

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Mar 24, 2006

Cold-rolled, thin-walled, convoluted expansion joints are engineered and manufactured to operate under very extreme temperatures and pressure conditions.

WahlcoMetroflex, a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of dampers, expansion joints and systems for isolating and controlling gas flows, offers high-performance metallic bellows.

The cold-rolled, thin-walled, convoluted expansion joints are engineered and manufactured to operate under very extreme temperatures and pressure conditions at utilities, smelters, steel mills, refineries, petrochemical plants, chemical plants, cement plants, pulp and paper mills, waste heat recovery and cogeneration facilities.

With more than three decades of experience manufacturing metal bellows for the world's most demanding applications, WahlcoMetroflex engineers design the most appropriate and economical expansion joint style and material for each installation.

Styles include axial single or double bellow sets, with or without anchor bases; universal single or double tied units, with two or more tie rods; articulated single or double hinged and single or double gimbal; pressure-balance bellows in inline, elbow and tee configurations; and applied-pressure internal or external to bellows.

For durability and corrosion-resistance, the bellows are typically constructed with 321 stainless steel or with alloys such as Incoloy, Inconel, Monel, Hastelloy, titanium or aluminium to meet the requirements of the particular application.

WahlcoMetroflex designs much of its own tooling, enabling unrivaled metal-forming capabilities.

Bellows convolutions are formed either hydraulically or mechanically on specially-built forming machines offering an exceptionally wide range of convolution profiles.

WahlcoMetroflex has also refined its auto-TIG welding process to create longitudinal butt welds that are of high integrity as verified by nondestructive testing (NDT).

The resulting welds match the parent metal strength, with the smallest possible heat-affected area.

All materials can be welded, expanded, formed, tested and painted in-house, enabling WahlcoMetroflex to meet the most stringent delivery schedules, while maintaining the industry's highest quality.