
American pipe elbow standard:
Elbows are pipe fittings that change the direction of pipes in pipes. They are mainly used for pipe connections or to allow pipes to turn within a certain range. There are many kinds of materials for elbows, including cast iron, stainless steel, carbon steel, and alloy steel, and there are also different production standards. Common production standards are American standards and Chinese standards. Elbows of different standards have different design dimensions and quality requirements.
Elbows are a common pipe fitting used to change the flow direction of pipes and connect two pipes at different angles. In the United States, ANSI / ASME B16.9 is one of the main standards for elbows. This standard specifies the design, materials, dimensions, manufacturing, inspection and other requirements of elbows. Among them, elbows are divided into different angles such as 45-degree elbows, 90-degree elbows, and 180-degree elbows. They can be made of carbon steel, stainless steel, alloy steel and other materials, and are suitable for pipeline systems under different pressure levels and temperature conditions.
There are some differences between the ANSI / ASME standard and the ASTM standard in the size requirements and application scope of elbows. Generally speaking, the ANSI / ASME standard is applicable to general industrial piping systems, while the ASTM standard is applicable to special industry fields such as refining, chemical industry, pharmaceutical industry, etc. In addition, the elbows of the ANSI / ASME standard are relatively more standardized and suitable for piping systems under most pressure levels and temperature conditions, while the elbows of the ASTM standard are more flexible and can be manufactured according to specific requirements.
Common American standards for pipe elbows are as follows:
ASME/ANSI B16.9
Applies to factory-made forged steel butt-weld pipe fittings, covering elbows, tees, reducers, etc., and specifies dimensions, tolerances and material requirements.
ASME/ANSI B16.11
Applies to forged steel pipe fittings for socket welding and threaded connections, including elbows, tees, etc., and specifies pressure grades and sizes.
ASME/ANSI B16.28
Applies to forged steel butt-weld short radius elbows and return elbows, and specifies dimensions, tolerances and material requirements.
ASTM A234/A234M
Applies to forged carbon steel and alloy steel butt-weld pipe fittings for medium and high temperatures, including elbows, and specifies chemical composition, mechanical properties, etc.
ASTM A403/A403M
Applies to forged austenitic stainless steel butt-weld pipe fittings, including elbows, and specifies chemical composition, mechanical properties, etc.
MSS SP-43
Applies to forged stainless steel butt-weld pipe fittings, including elbows, suitable for low pressure and corrosive environments.
MSS SP-75
Applies to high-strength butt-weld pipe fittings, including elbows, suitable for high pressure and high temperature environments.
MSS SP-79
Applicable to socket welding reducing inserts, including elbows, for small diameter piping systems.
MSS SP-83
Applicable to 3000 lb. class socket welding and threaded pipe fittings, including elbows, for high pressure systems.
MSS SP-95
Applicable to reducers and round ends, including elbows, for low pressure systems.
The manufacturing standard of the elbow is also an important difference between the American standard and the Chinese standard. The manufacture and installation of American standard elbows must comply with relevant standards, such as ANSI B16.9, MSS SP-43, etc., while the national standard elbow manufacturing standard is GB, and manufacturers need to manufacture in accordance with national standards. Therefore, when choosing an elbow, you need to check the standard and choose a suitable manufacturer.
Size and wall thickness:
In terms of size, ANSI elbows may have some specific requirements, such as the outer diameter of the pipe and the deviation range of the wall thickness. In terms of the expression of wall thickness, ANSI often uses "SCH" (Schedule) followed by numbers, such as SCH 5, SCH 10, SCH 40, SCH 80 pipe elbows, etc. These numbers represent different wall thickness grades.
In general, the choice of standard elbows needs to be flexibly selected according to the specific situation and application requirements, and at the same time, it needs to ensure compliance with relevant national and regional standards and regulations.
Read more: Types, advantages and disadvantages of elbow fittings
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