VictaulicDepend-O-Lok Couplings
STI / SPFA
Pipe Section Meeting
January 14, 2011
What is the Depend-O-Lok (D-O-L) family of products?
• Bolted split-sleeve type coupling per AWWA C227.• Core products – ExE Unrestrained, FxE Expansion
and FxF Restrained.• Used primarily in civil construction projects.• Engineered product – designed and custom
fabricated per application requirements.• Specialty products
– Internal Joint Seals – InnerSeal, EndSeal– Bellows Expansion Joints – OmniFlex– Mechanical Expansion Joint– Air/FluidMaster Coupling– Encapsulating Coupling
D-O-L coupling components
•1. Body or Housing•2. Sealing Plate•3. O-ring Gaskets•4. Hardware•5. Restraint Rings
(welded to pipewhen required)
2
34
1
5
Types of pipe connections
•Couplings•Flanges•Welded joint•Bell and spigot (stab-joint)
•Baker•Dresser•Robar•Romac
•Smith-Blair•Straub•Victaulic•Viking Johnson
Coupling Manufacturers
AWWA Standards
• AWWA C227 – Split Sleeve – Victaulic Depend-O-Lok, Straub– Non restrained– Restrained– Expansion
• AWWA C219 – Bolted Sleeve – Baker, Dresser, Romac, Smith-Blair, etc.– Non restrained– Can be restrained with AWWA M11 harness– Flanged adapter, dismantling joint, transition (stepped or
reducing) coupling• AWWA C221 – Mechanical Expansion Joints
– up to 10” axial movement for a single unit
Why use a coupling?
• Savings - joint cost / installation time• Field welding not allowed or difficult to perform
due to environmental conditions.• Pipe accessibility• Flexibility
Flexibility
• Axial movement – typically at least 3/8”; in some cases up to 4”
• Angular deflection (rotation) –static and dynamic
• Lateral offset – differential settlement; typically accommodated by two or more flexible couplings
Flexibility / System Protection
• Pipe can experience dimensional and positional changes due to changes in temperature, earth settlement or variation in landscape contour.
• Inadequate accommodation for these changes can cause excess stress on a piping system, potentially resulting in:– ruptures and leaks– increased stress on equipment such as valves, meters, and other
equipment/components– escalated downtime and labor expenses due to repairs
• Solution: Mechanical pipe couplings are designed to provide a leak-proof joint while permitting some axial and angular misalignment or movement to avoid build-up of excess stress in the pipe or equipment.
D-O-L ExE Unrestrained coupling
•Flexible joint•No axial restraint; limited axial movement•Static deflection; limited dynamic deflection (half of static)•Pipe stop in center of coupling can prevent the coupling from“walking” off of the joint•High pressure designs
ExE Type 1 ExE Type 2
ExE Type 2 HP
D-O-L FxE Expansion coupling
• Flexible joint• No axial restraint• Not designed for joint deflection (axial movement should be guided)• Axial movement up to 4”
– Type 1 couplings up to 1-1/2”– Type 2 couplings 2” to 4” (14” to 18” wide body)
FxE Type 1
FxE Type 2 FxE Type 2 (with cladding on steel pipe)
D-O-L FxF Restrained coupling
• Flexible joint• Axial restraint at full thrust; limited axial movement• Some static deflection; limited dynamic deflection (half of static)• High pressure designs
FxF Type 1 FxF Type 2
FxF Type 2 HP
D-O-L FxF Type 2 Modified restrained coupling
• Flexible joint• Axial restraint at full thrust; some axial movement• Allowable static and dynamic deflection are same• Axial movement and deflection are non-concurrent• Typically used in pairs outside of structures to accommodate
differential settlement
FxF Type 2 Modified
Cautionary notes
• Couplings typically provide for flexible joints. Piping systems must be designed to accommodate this flexibility.
• Flexible joints do not perform well in shear and require proper piping support. Rule-of-thumb: One pipe diameter distance on either side of the joint.
• Restrained does not mean rigid.
Markets / Applications
• Municipal – water and waste water treatment; desalination; water transmission and distribution
• Power – penstocks and hydro-electric projects• Mining – water, slurry, tarsands, etc.• Bio-fuels – ethanol• Chemical
Two DOL FxF Modified restrained couplings on buried pipeline outside of a structure
Depend-O-Lok ExE Unrestrained couplings with AWWA M11 harness
Pipelines using flexible couplings(36” D-O-L FxF Restrained couplings, Harbor Bridge, Sacramento, CA)
Penstock Piping(144” D-O-L FxE Expansion couplings, TVA Penstock)
168” Depend-O-Lok ExE High Pressure at Lake Fork Interconnect Vault
144” Depend-O-Lok High Pressure Restrained Couplings(Eastside Reservoir, Riverside County, CA)
Couplings in Valve Vault(72” D-O-L FxF Restrained couplings, Hollywood, CA)
Support of Flexible Couplings on Steel Water Pipe(36” D-O-L restrained couplings, Platte West WTP, Omaha, NE)
Flexible Expansion Coupling(Depend-O-Lok 36” FxE Expansion coupling, Henrico County WRF,
Richmond, VA
D-O-L FxF High Pressure Restrained Couplings
144” D-O-L FxF HP Restrained coupling
Diamond Valley Lake Dam, Eastside Reservoir Project
72” D-O-L FxF HP Restrained coupling
Shoal Creek WTP, Gwinnett County, GA
Flexible Couplings on Aerial Piping(90” D-O-L ExE Unrestrained couplings, Rocky Reach Dam,
Wenatchee, WA)
Unrestrained Coupling with M11 Harness(D-O-L ExE Unrestrained, Marston Plant, Denver Water Board)
Expansion Couplings on Steel Pipe(D-O-L FxE Expansion couplings,
North Canadian WTP, Oklahoma City, OK)
OmniFlex Bellows Expansion Joints
Depend-O-Lok InnerSeal II
Depend-O-Lok AirMaster Coupling
Depend-O-Lok Encapsulating Couplings