Pipe fittings are widely demanded for virtually any piping and plumbing systems utilized in industrial and commercial applications. Pipe fittings allow pipes being joined or installed in the appropriate place and terminated or closed where necessary. Pipe fittings are available in various size and shapes. They can be expensive, require time, and other materials and tools to setup. They may be an essential part of piping and plumbing systems. There are lots of specialized fittings manufactured. Each type of pipe or tube requires its own type of fitting, but usually all pipe fittings share some common features. Pipe fittings can be purchased everywhere where plumbing materials can be bought.
Different Dimensional Standards available for pipe fittings:
ASME B 16.1-Cast Iron Pipe Flanges and Flanged Fittings
ASME B 16.3-Malleable-Iron Threaded fittings
ASME B 16.4-Grey Iron Threaded fittings
ASME B 16.5-Pipe Flanges and Flanged fittings
ASME B 16.9-Factory-Made Wrought steel Butt welding
ASME B 16.11-Forged Fitting, Socket welding and Threaded
ASME B 16.28-Wrought Steel Butt welding Short Radius Elbows and Returns
ASME B 16.42-Ductile Iron Pipe Flanges and Flanged Fittings
ASME B 16.49-Buttwelding Induction Bends for Transportation and Distribution System
BS 1640-Buttweld Fittings
BS 3799-Socket weld and Screwed end fittings
Pipe fittings classification based on the end connections:
1. Socket weld/ Screwed end fittings:
Dimensional standard-AME B 16.11/BS 3799 Sizes –upto 4” NPS only.
These fittings are designated by pressure class which represents the maximum cold non-shock working pressure and the thickness corresponding to that class.
The pressure classes used to designate these fittings are:
2000 # Class: Applicable for Screwed fittings only, Thickness-SCH 80 or XS
3000 # Class: Socket weld fittings, Thickness-SCH 80 or XS & Screwed fittings, Thickness-SCH 160
6000 # Class: Socket weld fittings, Thickness-SCH 160 & Screwed fittings, Thickness-SCH XXS
9000 # Class: Applicable for Socket weld fittings only, Thickness-SCH X XS
The screwed ends for fitting are generally with Taper threads. These threads can be Nominal Pipe threads (NPT) or British Screwed Pipe Threads (BSPT).
The socket weld/screwed fittings are generally forged.
The different grades of material used for these fittings are:
ASTM A105-Forged Carbon Steel
ASTM A181-Forged Carbon Steel for General purposes
ASTM A182-Forged Alloy Steel and Stainless Steel
ASTM A234-Wrought Carbon Steel and Alloy Steel pipe fittings for moderate and elevated temperatures
ASTM A350-Forged Alloy Steel for Low temperature Services
How are pipe fittings connected to pipes?
Pipe fittings are either male fittings or female fittings. In threaded pipe fittings, female threads are on the inside while male threads are on the outside. Pipe fittings that have one female end and one male end are called street fittings. Pipe fittings are used to connect pipes or tubes in two ways:
- By threading: Threaded pipes screw together to connect or join. Generally metal pipes are threaded and they have threaded fittings.
- By slip fit: Slip fit pipes use sleeves that slip into one another. The plastic pipes are either threaded or slip fit.
Accordingly pipe fittings are organized as follows:
- Male threaded: Exterior threads. Are screwed into the inside of pipe end of a larger diameter with internal threading.
- Female threaded: Interior threads. Receive male threaded pipe fittings.
- Male slip fit: There are no threads. Receive a narrower.
- Female slip fit: Female slip fit: There are no threads. Made to slip into slightly larger male sleeve.
Purpose of a pipe fitting:
The basic purposes of any pipe fitting are as follows:
- Connecting the bores of two or more pipes or tubes.
- Connecting pipe sections.
- Connecting a pipe to a different apparatus.
- Changing the direction of fluid/liquid flow.
- Maintaining or regulating the flow.
- Closing and sealing a pipe.
Selection criteria for pipe fittings:
Pipe fittings are to be chosen considering certain factors. They are as follows:
- Connection types: When purchasing pipe fittings, you should be aware of the fact that a fitting can have two different connector types. One end of the fitting might be female threaded while the other female threaded. One end might be male slip while the other end is threaded, in the case of plastic fittings. They can also have matching ends which can accommodate any requirement.
- Materials of construction: As a rule, the pipe fitting should be of the same material as the material used in the making of the pipe in which it is to be fitted. However, in some cases, materials conforming to certain codes or standards can also be used in pipes of another material.
- Check for flow: To keep the flow consistent, the ends of pipe fittings should be slightly larger than the rest of the pipe so that they can accommodate connections without narrowing the inner diameter (ID) of the pipe.
- Type of fitting: Besides pipe materials, pipe fittings are identified by the type of fitting — threaded or slip, male or female.
- Size: When measuring the size of pipe fittings, it is to be noted that the male threaded fittings are measured to the outside edge or OD, while female fittings are measured to the inside edge of the inlet or ID.
- Thickness: Just as pipes are available in a number of different thicknesses or “schedules”, so also the pipe fittings.
- Design: Each pipe or tube is designed to carry certain specific types of fluids, liquids, gases, chemicals under varying conditions. Accordingly, the pipe fittings are also available in variety of designs.
- Standards and codes: There are certain standards and codes set by various organizations by which the different pipe fittings are graded. For example, ASTM, ASME, BSP etc. are certain standards assigned to pipe fittings and those standards dictate their use.
Depending on the purposes served, pipe fittings can be categorized as under:
- Pipe fittings to extend or terminate pipe runs: For example, Couplings, Adapters, Unions , Caps and Plugs Pipe.
- Fittings to change a pipe’s direction: For example , Elbows
- Pipe fittings to connect two or more pipes: For example: Tees, Cross, Side-inlet Elbows, Wyes
- Pipe fittings to change pipe size: For example, Reducers, Bushings, Couplings
- Pipe fittings to manage or regulate flow: For example, Valves
- Pipe fitting tools: For example, Pipe fasteners
- Pipe flanges
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