WELD FAILURE
Vineland, NJ
300,000-Gallon Pedestal Elevated Tank
Expansion and contraction in conjunction with tank loading ad unloading, and movement in the wind are conditions that over time can cause metal fatigue and eventually some type of failure.
The vertical piping inside the support shaft of a single pedestal elevated tank is particularly susceptible to these combinations of conditions. Original construction designs typically address this by installing an expansion joint in the vertical piping. While some of these design arrangements work better than others, many have failed over time, requiring an emergency repair. This is not an uncommon problem. We have addressed and solved this problem in may cases by either replacing the expansion joint to match the original design or, in most cases, re-designing the expansion tolerance of the piping system by utilizing a different type and location of the expansion joint. |
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Shown here are the results of the pipe being attached rigidly to the shaft and bowl. This prevents independent movement while the tower is moving back and forth for years.
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This weld failure created quite a mess of the insulated condensate ceiling and base cone area.
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The solution was a stainless steel bellows expansion joint installed just below the bowl penetration as seen here.
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A leather welding coat served as a practical solution to protect the stainless steel from contamination by falling weld spatter while welding the upper joint. (There is little need for this protection while welding the lower joint pictured above.)
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