News

With this edition comes a few unique changes affecting the requirements for vessel designers. For years, the ASME code has required welders and non-destructive examination technicians to be certified to perform work on ASME code vessels. There were no requirements for the personnel tasked with determining the design parameters of Section VIII division I pressure vessels. Read more

Explosion-bonded clad material is commonly used for pressure vessel construction. The clad liner (cladder) is explosively bonded to the backer material (backer). The alloy-clad material can be bonded to most metals. The most common types of backer materials are SA-516-70 (P no. 1 material) and SA-387 Gr. 11 (P no. 4 material). Read more

Production impact testing is fairly common for vessels with shell walls greater than 1.5” in thickness. Production impact testing ensures that the actual production materials, including weld metal, have the proper toughness requirements to meet ASME Code and applicable specifications that apply to your job. Read more

For many, ASME Section VIII Division 2 is a mystery, for both Fabricators and Mechanical Engineers. Why? Even though it has been around since its creation in 1968, most engineers and fabricators never get to use it. (1) It takes additional certification and a U2 stamp, (2) additional software for ASME Section VIII Division 2 calculations, (3) FEA software or a subcontractor to do FEA analysis for you, and (4) requires a registered Professional Engineer or access to one. Read more

A “Soft Gasket” material is a term used when referring to a gasket material that is easily compressed under a low bolt load. This term has been used to distinguish the difference from a metallic gasket. A soft gasket material can be selected from a large variety of elastomers, compressed non-asbestos, PTFE, flexible graphite and high temperature sheet products. Read more

If you are a fabricator, one of the last things on your list is ordering the gaskets. If you are an Engineer, the last thing on your list is specifying gaskets. If you are an owner and you hare having a problem sealing flanges, the number ONE thing on your mind is gaskets. Read more

Tracing its origins to 1915, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (the code) has become the established safety standard governing the design, fabrication and inspection of boilers and pressure vessels, as well as nuclear power plant components during construction. Section VIII, Division I of the code addresses pressure vessels operating at either internal or external pressures exceeding 15 psig Read more

Materials of construction for the vessel delivered to the manufacturer must be inspected to verify compliance with the Code. For plates, the manufacturer shall verify that the slab number, heat number and material grade marked on the plate match what is shown on the material test report (MTR) provided by the supplier Read more

The foundation of the boiler and pressure vessel code lies with ASME. The development of the Code was in response to a boiler explosion at the R.B. Grover Co. in Brockton, Mass. in 1905. In 1907, the State of Massachusetts enacted the first legal code of rules for the construction of steam boilers. The State of Ohio would follow with similar legislation in 1908. In 1915, the ASME released its first draft of the 1914 edition of ASME Rules for Construction of Stationary Boilers and for Allowable Working Pressure. Read more

The introduction to the ASME-B31.3 piping code states that “The designer is cautioned that the code is not a design handbook…” In stating this, ASME is explaining to the reader in very few words that this code will not provide pointers on the best way to route a piping system, how to support piping, or the amount of slope a pipeline might require. Read more