Removable stud for joining casing flanges

• US 20030118399A1
• Filed: 12/21/2001
• Published: 06/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Zegarski, Frederick Joseph, Schilling, Jan Christopher, Thompson, James Edward, Hildebrand, Kurt Thomas, Bosel, Tod Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 6,641,326 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 403/337
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 25/243 Flange connections; Bolting arrangements F01D25/265 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/31 Retaining bolts or nuts
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 2200/506 bolted or riveted
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 2200/509 clamped
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 39/10 by a plate, spring, wire or ring immovable with regard to the bolt or object and mainly perpendicular to the axis of the boltF16B39/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 39/101 with a plate, spring, wire or ring holding two or more nuts or bolt heads which are mainly in the same plane
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/0275 the screw-threaded element having at least two axially separated threaded portions F16B5/0283 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 23/036 characterised by the tensioning members, e.g. specially adapted bolts or C-clamps

Abstract

A stud for interconnecting adjacent flanges of a flanged joint in a tubular casing. The flanges each contain apertures to receive the stud and each flange is inclined relative to the casing outer surface, with one flange extending radially outwardly and the other flange extending radially inwardly, as a result of which one end of the stud extends externally of the flanged joint and the other end extends internally. The stud includes an external formation that is of non-circular form and that is carried by the stud between the threaded ends to extend radially outwardly. The external formation is adapted to be engaged by an anti-rotation member to prevent unintended rotation of the stud. The stud is removable from the flanged joint without the need to completely disassemble the joint to remove a broken stud.

Claims

1. A stud for interconnecting a pair of components that each include a stud-receiving aperture, said stud comprising:

a generally cylindrical shank including a first external thread adjacent a first longitudinal end, and a second external thread adjacent a second longitudinal end opposite from the first end, wherein the first and second threads each terminate at respective inner end points spaced from each other and inwardly of the respective ends to define an unthreaded region between the first and second threads; and

an external formation carried by the shank in the unthreaded region between the inner end points of the threads and extending radially outwardly from the shank, the external formation having a peripheral surface that is adapted to be engageable with a complementary anti-rotation member to prevent unintended rotation of the stud relative to the anti-rotation member.

2. A stud in accordance with claim 1, wherein the external formation has a non-circular form.

3. A stud in accordance with claim 1, wherein the external formation is a spline.

4. A stud in accordance with claim 3, wherein the first external thread has a larger pitch diameter than the second external thread.

5. A stud in accordance with claim 4, wherein the first and second threads are of the same hand.

6. A stud in accordance with claim 1, wherein the external formation is at least one axially-extending flat surface.

7. A stud in accordance with claim 1, wherein the external formation is a pair of flat surfaces.

8. A stud in accordance with claim 7, wherein the flat surfaces face in opposite directions.

9. A stud in accordance with claim 8, wherein the flat surfaces are substantially parallel.

10. A stud in accordance with claim 1, wherein the external formation has a polygonal cross-section.

11. A stud in accordance with claim 10, wherein the external formation has a hexagonal cross-section.

12. A flange connection for connecting together a pair of casing end flanges of a pair of end-to-end, axisymmetric tubular casings, said connection comprising:

a) a first casing having at least a first end flange that extends substantially radially outwardly relative to the first casing, and a second casing having at least a second end flange that extends substantially radially inwardly relative to the second casing and that is engageable with the first end flange, wherein the end flanges each include a plurality of circumferentially-spaced apertures and wherein corresponding apertures of the respective flanges are substantially coaxially aligned;

b) a stud extending through a pair of aligned flange apertures and including a stud shank, wherein one end of the stud is threadedly received within one of the aligned apertures and the other end of the stud extends outwardly of the other aligned flange aperture and is engaged by a connecting nut to hold the pair of flanges in face-to-face relationship;

c) an external formation carried by the stud in an inner region between end threads and extending radially outwardly from the stud, the external formation having a peripheral surface; and

d) an anti-rotation member that is adapted to be engageable with the peripheral surface of the external formation to prevent unintended rotation of the stud relative to the casing end flanges.

13. A flange connection in accordance with claim 12, wherein the peripheral surface is non-circular.

14. A flange connection in accordance with claim 12, wherein the anti-rotation member is non-rotatably carried by one of the flanges.

15. A flange connection in accordance with claim 12, wherein the external formation includes an external spline and the anti-rotation member includes an internal spline that is adapted to slidably receive and engage with the external spline.

16. A flange connection in accordance with claim 12, wherein the external formation includes at least one flat surface and the anti-rotation member includes a complementary flat surface.

17. A flange connection in accordance with claim 12, including a fixed projection carried by at least one flange and engageable with the anti-rotation member to limit rotation of the stud relative to the at least one flange.

18. A flange connection in accordance with claim 12, wherein the anti-rotation member includes an axially-extending projection, and at least one flange includes a complementary element to engage with the axially-extending projection to limit rotational movement of the anti-rotation member.

19. A flange connection in accordance with claim 12, wherein the external formation has a non-circular cross section and includes at least one flat surface that lies in a plane parallel to the stud axis.

20. A flange connection in accordance with claim 12, wherein an aperture in at least one flange carries an internally-threaded bushing adapted to threadedly receive an end of the stud.

21. A flange connection in accordance with claim 20, wherein one end of the bushing is swaged against an end of the flange aperture and an opposite end of the bushing includes an enlarged head.

22. A flange connection in accordance with claim 21, wherein the enlarged head includes a flat surface that lies in a plane that is parallel with the axis of the bushing and that is engageable with a similarly oriented surface carried by the flange.

23. A flange connection in accordance with claim 20, wherein the bushing is press fit into the flange aperture.

24. A flange connection in accordance with claim 14, wherein the anti-rotation member engages and extends between at least two studs.

25. A flange connection in accordance with claim 24, wherein the at least two studs are adjacent to each other.