Du, W.; Gu, J.; Sheng, G.; Guo, G.; Zhao, Y.; Liu, Z. Enhancing the Sealing Performance of Bolted Ball Joints by Gaskets: Numerical Simulation and Experiment. J. Mar. Sci. Eng.2023, 11, 2050.
Du, W.; Gu, J.; Sheng, G.; Guo, G.; Zhao, Y.; Liu, Z. Enhancing the Sealing Performance of Bolted Ball Joints by Gaskets: Numerical Simulation and Experiment. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11, 2050.
Du, W.; Gu, J.; Sheng, G.; Guo, G.; Zhao, Y.; Liu, Z. Enhancing the Sealing Performance of Bolted Ball Joints by Gaskets: Numerical Simulation and Experiment. J. Mar. Sci. Eng.2023, 11, 2050.
Du, W.; Gu, J.; Sheng, G.; Guo, G.; Zhao, Y.; Liu, Z. Enhancing the Sealing Performance of Bolted Ball Joints by Gaskets: Numerical Simulation and Experiment. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11, 2050.
Abstract
The steel grid structure with bolted ball joints is gaining popularity in offshore platforms and aquaculture cages, but the corrosion resistance of these joints is a critical safety concern. This article introduces an innovative method to enhance the sealing performance of bolted ball joints, preventing seawater ingress and corrosion. The approach involves creating a sealed surface within the contact gap between the sleeve and connecting components. Circular grooves and sealing washers are added to both ends of the sleeve. A two-dimensional finite element analysis model of the bolted ball joint with the sealing structure was created using SOLIDWORKS and ANSYS. The study analyzes the sealing gasket's contact pressure at various compression levels and evaluates its performance with bubble tests for air tightness. Research results show a linear relationship between contact pressure and compression rate, with a sealing pressure of 5.95MPa achieved at a 14% compression rate. This simple, cost-effective sealing method effectively prevents corrosion from seawater, making it ideal for marine environments.
Keywords
Bolted ball joint; Sealing method; Numerical simulation analysis; Air tightness test
Subject
Engineering, Marine Engineering
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
