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