Round corner expansion joints are a variation on rectangular expansion joint technology that allows these joints to be used effectively in high temperature situations. Under normal stress, rectangular expansion joint designs provide excellent service. In high temperature situations, however, round corner expansion joints have some advantages that make them a more suitable choice.

Expansion Joint Basics

In most cases, a rectangular metal expansion joint is manufactured with either a single or double miter design. The miter is hand welded and provides excellent service in the vast majority of applications. The stress riser in these designs is found at the corner weld seam. Round corner expansion joints allow businesses that operate under high temperatures to offset the fact that those temperatures tend to make the impact of the stress riser even more significant than it would normally be.

Different Welds for Round Corner Joints

Round corner expansion joints are manufactured with a longitudinal weld that eliminates the stress riser characteristic of single and double miter designs. This makes them ideal for use in high temperature situations. It takes away the stress riser from the corner of the design and, according to performance statistics, it can result in up to a six fold increase in durability.

Flexonics Case Study

Senior Flexonics Pathway manufactured round corner expansion joints for Duke Power. These round corner expansion joints were manufactured specifically to address the issue of high temperature environments increasing the stress riser on the more common single and double miter designs. By producing this design for their client, Senior Flexonics Pathway was able to deliver the aforementioned six fold increase in durability where the fatigue life of the round corner expansion joints is concerned. This is a creative solution that requires a great deal of expertise to manufacture but, in the end, Senior Flexonics Pathway proved to have that expertise available.

No matter how high the standards of manufacture may be, there are some situations where a traditional design will not work. This is when industries need to rely on a company that can provide creative solutions that offer higher levels of durability and reliability in specific situations. Round corner expansion joints enabled a major power producer to get a longer life and increased reliability out of the products that they rely upon every day. With a good fabricator to produce these items, industries can be sure that they can always find exactly what they need for any given situation, no matter how challenging it may be.