Welding Unit Brochure 2014

Supplying the Oil Industry
since 1967
The UK’s leading company in the design and

manufacture of flanges
at the leading edge...
Welding Units is the UK’s foremost company in
the design and manufacture of flanges. Based
in Rainford since 1967, the company has
attained an enviable reputation for quality,
versatility and prompt service coupled with
design expertise and innovation which has
positioned the company at the leading edge
of the industry.
Welding Units’ quality, safety and environmental

targets have always been to maintain the highest
standards of accreditation and to exceed the
expectations of our clients on every project.
The company’s in-house design department has

worked with world leaders in finite element
analysis providing the most comprehensive
and accurate FEA service available to flange
users.
Welding Units holds a wide range of raw forgings

for rapid and efficient custom manufacturing
in its extensive, computer controlled machining
and testing facility.
Please go to our website at:

www.weldingunits.com
for further information
or follow the link at
www.afglobalcorp.com
Welding Units (UK) Ltd - The Company
The Centre of Excellence for connector engineering and manufacture
The manufacturing facility boasts some of the
most technically advanced machines and
operating systems available.
All machines are CNC and programmed by fully

qualified operators on a job by job basis, they
are also connected to a central server that
allows remote programming from a single
source via CAM software.
Welding Units, an AF Global Company, is located

in the heartland of Britain with direct access to
motorway networks and Manchester and Liver-
pool airports. The site is home to our raw mate-
rial stock, forging stock, manufacturing facility
and offices. Welding Units blends a first class Welding Units holds a vast stock of raw material in
manufacturing facility with unrivalled forged bar form and fully heat treated and tested
engineering support and a vast range of stock flange forgings. All material is produced for
material to give the customer an assurance of Welding Units in accordance with our own
the best quality product that will fully suit their purchasing specifications, which ensures
service requirements in the shortest possible manufacturing methods and chemistry are
lead times. correct and optimised to ensure the best quality
product. The forged bar stock is primarily
The in-house engineering support service is intended for project work where special forging
intended to help customers make the correct and testing requirements are imposed. Flange
decision about a flange best suited to their forgings are stocked to provide immediate
application and then to provide analytical response to customer’s requirements by providing
analysis to verify the chosen design prior to instant supply.
manufacture.
Manufacturing Range: ASME B16.5 / B16.47 Series A (MSS SP 44) and Series B (API 605), API 6A and 17D, Taper Lok®, Anchor/Hanger Flanges,
Pipe in Pipe Bulkheads, Buckle Arrestors, ±10° Misalignment Flanges, API Studded Crosses and Tees. Special components to 2,000mm Dia x 8,000kg. 1
Flange Design Service
Welding Units’ in house design facility has been It provides a relatively quick method of analysis
established for over fifteen years. It offers a and much greater accuracy than formulae based
comprehensive range of design verification calculations for most applications.
methods to support products under our scope
of supply and also as a stand alone service for Design verification is achieved by comparing
any application. membrane stress and membrane + linearised
bending stress values across key sections of the
All aspects of design services are available, from flange section against acceptance criteria as defined
formulae based swivel flange design verification by ASME VIII Division 2. Also, peak stresses are
to fatigue analysis of special parts. observed at key locations where SCFs are critical
to an analysis (e.g. fatigue or HISC).
Linear material properties are used for flange

stress analysis while non-linear material properties
are used for assessing areas of strains if required.
The two dimensional FEA uses some assumptions
that may slightly compromise the accuracy of the
Formulae based calculations are performed results (e.g. unable to model bolt holes or apply
based on ASME VIII Division 1 methodology and shear or torsion forces). For ultimate accuracy
use an appropriate acceptance criteria depending the next level of analysis is 3D volumetric FEA.
on flange type and service conditions.
External loads are considered in the calculations

by converting to an equivalent pressure and
then performing the flange and bolt stress
calculations based on the combined pressure.
3D FEA is performed when intricate details of a

component are to be studied or when a part is
not symmetrical. Most common requirement for
3D work is to increase the accuracy of a flange
analysis by considering bolt holes and their effect
on joint rigidity, or accurately apply an array of
Formulae based flange design analysis is suitable external loads, however the scope of 3D work is
for providing a basic mandatory design verification infinite.
of a flange, however such analysis can be
conservative with regard to general geometry The 3D FEA is an extension of the 2D and only
and at the same time has the potential to miss generally used when greater accuracy of the
problematic key areas that are crucial to a analysis is required. Stress results are gathered
complete understanding of the flange behaviour in the same way as 2D for comparison against
under load. A fuller picture of flange behaviour the applicable design code.
is achieved by Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
technique. Whichever analysis option is chosen, a
supporting report is always issued to
Two dimensional axis-symmetric FEA is the most describe the method used, discuss the
popular method of design verification computer results and provide a final conclusion to
simulation. the analysis.
2 Pipe in Pipe Bulkheads, Buckle Arrestors, ±10° Misalignment Flanges, API Studded Crosses and Tees. Special components to 2,000mm Dia x 8,000kg.
ASME Flanges
Welding Units is the customer’s first choice for Welding Units’ machine shop can react immediately
supply of ASME type flanges. Our ability to to any requirement to transform a forging into a
manufacture any ASME type flange from our range finished piece within the shortest possible time.
of stock material provides an essential quick The factory is equipped with state of the art
lead time and an ability to tailor each supply to modern CNC machines that have the flexibility
customer’s specific requirements. to provide quick machining times whilst
maintaining outstanding accuracy.
Welding Units designs and manufactures ASME

Welding Units stocks a vast array of ASME weld type swivel flanges for use in subsea environments.
neck and blind flange forgings, in a range of The swivel flange has a rotating outer bolt ring
material to suit customer’s requirements. This to aid alignment of bolt holes when connecting
provides the benefit of being able to provide to standard ASME weld neck flanges in subsea
standard and bespoke flanges in quick lead times. conditions.
Stock forgings held at Welding Units are
sourced from accredited forge masters and
comply with material standards that exceed
normal ASME requirements.
Swivel Flange
Weld Neck Flange
All types of ASME flange can be supplied with

any requirement of CRA weld inlay, applied by
qualified weld procedures.
API Flanges
Welding Units is an authentic, licensed API Materials Stocked
manufacturer of API monogrammed flanges.
(PSL 4 and minimum Temperature Rating K):
API first granted Welding Units the right to use
their monogram back in the late 1960’s. Since • API 45K
then, the quality systems and material requirements • API 60K
have evolved to produce the exacting standards • API 75K
that are required today. Welding Units are fully
accredited to Product Specification Level 4. API Flanges Supplied:
An API licensed manufacturer must operate a • Weld Neck

quality system specific to API Q1 requirements • Blind
and demonstrate that equipment and inspection • Threaded
methods used conform to the relevant API
• Swivel
specifications. API carry out regular scheduled
and unscheduled audits to ensure that the • Studded Adaptor
required standards are maintained at all stages • Specials
of production and test.
Our knowledge in manufacturing API flanges
Welding Units also manufacture flanges provides our customers with reassurances of
according to API 17D specification. quality and technical ability even when the
This specification controls flanges that are application of the monogram is not required.
aimed specifically at subsea applications so Our experienced engineers can offer advice on
include swivel type flanges in addition to flange selection and compatibility between
regular weld neck and blind flanges. different flange configurations, e.g. R, RX, BX
and SBX types.
All types of API flange can be supplied with any

requirement of CRA weld inlay, applied by
qualified weld procedures.
Above: Our API License - (No: 6A-0114)
Anchor / Hanger Flanges
Welding Units is the customer’s first choice for
the supply of Anchor or Hanger type flanges.
Welding Units have the ability to perform
in-house pre-manufacture design analysis by
traditional formulae based calculation techniques
or more in-depth Finite Element Analysis that
ensures the most optimised flange design is
proposed for manufacture.
Anchor flanges are considered to be buried

within concrete and hanger flanges are
considered to be bolted to a structure.
Welding Units can design and manufacture any

practical size of Anchor or Hanger flange to suit
customer’s requirements. Normal design analysis
considers just a longitudinal thrust force to act
on the flange, so producing a bearing stress on Hanger Flange
the supporting structure, but more in-depth
analyses consider a complete array of loading
to include shear, bending and torsion.
Anchor Flange
569.4
120.0 224.7
+MZA +FYA
+MYA
+FZA
+MZB
+FYB
+MYB
+FZB
All types of Anchor / Hanger flange can be
supplied with any requirement of CRA weld
inlay, applied by qualified weld procedures.
®
Taper-Lok Sub Sea Flanges
Subsea pipe lay and joint assembly needs to be The sixth degree of freedom (roll) can be ignored
safe, quick and trouble free. Modern practices to some extent if swivel type flanges are to be used.
for dropping and positioning pipeline and
spools can achieve astonishing accuracy but When connecting flanged joints subsea, the
a tolerance for final flange position is always amount of positional tolerance is critical to
included in any work. achieve successful joint integrity. Traditional
flange types rely on joint faces being parallel
to get a perfect seal, which is dependent on
positional tolerance.
Flanges that meet face to face during bolt

tensioning rely on zero angular misalignment to
achieve a leak free seal, so accurate positioning
on the seabed is critical. Sometimes angular
misalignment in a joint is corrected by the bolt
tensioning process forcing the joint closed and
over straining the flange to close a gap, but this
practice is not recommended because of over
straining the flange and attached pipe work.
Also, there is a real probability the flange will deform

and not close up evenly resulting in the loss of
seal integrity. This probability is exaggerated by
the use of compact flanges that do not have the
same rigidity as conventional ASME or API types
During lay, a theoretical box is drawn on the sea and will therefore deform more.
bed into which the flange must be positioned.
This box controls the two most obvious degrees of Some degree of angular misalignment when
freedom (North/South & East/West) for position assembling joints subsea is inevitable therefore
but another three degrees of freedom must also a connector that can deal with such a scenario is
be considered (pitch, yaw & vertical) by the essential. Welcome, Welding Units’ Taper-Lok®.
pipeline designers.
±2.0˚ Typical
®
Taper-Lok Sub Sea Flanges The Welding Units Taper-Lok® is classified as a
compact flange because of weight savings over
The Welding Units Taper-Lok® flange is the corresponding ANSI or API flanges due to the
subsea flange that can accept angular misalignment. pressure energised seal and lenient design
A spherical male nose sealing mechanism provides methods. It has developed itself into the perfect
the Ball & Socket arrangement necessary to joint for subsea applications because of its
accept angular misalignment. compactness, angular misalignment capacity
and ability to accommodate high external loads.
All types of Taper-Lok flange can be supplied
Seal Ring with any requirement of CRA weld inlay,
qualified by rigorous weld procedures
The Welding Units Taper-Lok® joint is designed

to be assembled using conventional bolt
tensioning tools with 100% tool coverage for
greatest possible accuracy.
Spherical
Male Nose
Converging angles provide

the pressure energised seal
ring action.
Misalignment ability is achieved by the spherical

male nose representing the Ball and the
corresponding face on the seal ring representing
the Socket. The female sealing face remains
straight at 10° to allow the correct amount of Conventional bolt tensioning
seating during bolt tensioning.
The amount of misalignment is designed into the

flange at the contract review stage of production.
The customer is asked to specify the degree of
misalignment they require, which is dependent
upon positional tolerance of the lay and fabrication Diver friendly seal ring retention tools are
tolerances of the spools. Then, the design can be supplied as standard with every flange.
generated. Typical range of angular misalignment
is up to ±2.0°
Buckle Arrestors and Bulkheads
Welding Units offer a range of pipeline accessory Welding Units insists these parts are proof
products manufactured from forged materials. machined close to finish shape prior to heat
treatment. The correct material chemistry
These include: is selected to assist with this requirement.
• Buckle Arrestors
• ‘J’ Lay Collars
• Pipe-in-Pipe Bulkheads
In-line style bulkhead
These parts can be manufactured to the client’s
own design or Welding Units can help develop
suitable designs based on our wide experience
in sub-sea pipeline connector products and
applicable design codes. Design analysis can
be verified where required by established
mathematical techniques or by more in-depth
FEA analysis.
End bulkhead
Finite element analysis of Buckle Arrestors,

Collars or Bulkheads highlights key areas for
design refinement. Stress concentrations are
a significant concern of analysis due to the
dramatic contour change at key locations,
especially when fatigue analysis is required
due to significant cyclic loads.
Through section mechanical strength properties All types of bulkhead / buckle arrestor can be
for these components is essential to ensure supplied with any requirement of CRA weld
same load capacity as the attached pipes. inlay, applied by qualified weld procedures.
Misalignment Flange
The unique Taper-Lok® sealing mechanism is
ideally suited for large deflection misalignment
flanges. It provides a simple solution to a
problematic situation.
The ±2° seal ring/male nose radii included on

regular Welding Units Taper-Lok® connectors
that assist with sub sea assembly, are extended
to provide up to ±10° of angular misalignment.
Weld Neck Seal Ball Swivel Ring
The flange is made up of four components:

Weld Neck: similar to a regular Taper-Lok®
weld neck flange
Seal: regular Taper-Lok® seal ring with a spherical
male face (same radius as the ball)
Ball: provides the ±10° of angular misalignment
Swivel Ring: allows bolt holes to be aligned
prior to assembly.
The basic principle of the flange is a ball and

socket arrangement, that provides the Stress analysis and design verification can be
required angular misalignment whilst still achieved by regular ASME VIII type formulae
maintaining parallel flange faces, thus allowing based calculations or by FEA. Analysis of the
regular bolt tensioners to be used for assembly. joint in its misaligned condition requires 3D
analysis. For carbon / low alloy steel applications
we recommend the application of a minimum
3mm Inconel 625 weld inlay on and around the
seal faces. This ensures the critical parts will stay
in pristine condition throughout the flange’s
lifetime so disassembly and re-assembly in a
different position can be performed any time.
Duplex and stainless steel flanges remain in the
as-machined condition.
Studded and Butt Weld
Block Fittings
Welding Units has the ability to supply studded
or butt weld type block fittings in a range of
carbon, stainless or duplex steels.
Materials are sourced from established supply
routes that provide short lead times and high
integrity components. The latest precision
CNC machining centres within Welding Units’
machine shop ensures that the end product is 8” 1500lb RTJ Studded Block 90° Elbow
manufactured in the fastest possible time to Material: ASTM F182 F304L
the highest quality standards. Features: Special design for
SONATRACH-ALGERIA
Typical range of studded and butt weld block
fittings are: 1
/2” NB Dual Connection
Instrument Mounting Block
• API 6A Studded Block Crosses, Tees & Elbows Material: ASTM A182 F316
• Butt Weld Block Crosses, Tees & Elbows Features: Special design
• Butt Weld ‘Weldo Flanges’ (branch outlet using unique Taper Lok®
flanges) sealing mechanism
API 6A type 51/2” 10,000psi Studded Crossover

Material: ASTM A182 F51
Typical supply of studded blocks is based on

dimensions to API 6A Specification, further
complemented by customised designs for larger
nominal sizes. Special components can be
designed and engineered in-house at Welding
Units to suit specific client requirements.
Latest computer aided design and manufacturing All types of fitting can be supplied with any
techniques link the design department to requirement of CRA weld inlay, applied by
manufacturing and quality assurance. qualified weld procedures.
Material Science
Material science is a major area of interest to Welding Units. Integrity
of raw materialis a critical aspect of product quality and assured lead
time. Emphasis is placed on control of the manufacturing processes that
contribute to required material strength, impact properties and
corrosion resistance, and particular processes that refine final
microstructure of the steel.
Welding Units’ material science has been developed by many years of

experience and a specialist research project to investigate influences
of chemistry, forging practices, heat treatment procedures and
sample preparation.
One of the key challenges for ASTM A694 F65 material is to avoid
Charpy impact test failures at critical testing temperatures. In-depth
research work has been carried out by Welding Units to determine
the necessary grain microstructure for successful and consistent impact
test results. Investigative techniques have included practical testing
and micrographic examinations by scanning electron microscope.
Welding Units have accumulated extensive knowledge relating to the production of forgings in Duplex
(22% Cr) and Super Duplex (25%Cr) grade materials. The design of a flange manufactured from such
materials is of significant importance but will be super critical should concerns relating to Hydrogen Induced
Stress Cracking (HISC) be a considered factor. Forging manufacture requires carefully controlled procedures
and practices to ensure fine grain refinement and spacing, thus reducing the possibility of defects occurring
within the forged product.
The production of flanges in Duplex / Super Duplex steels requires particular care and attention due to the
demanding service for which they are normally intended - Welding Units are ideally placed to deliver the
integrity and quality required of such products.
Machine Shop
Welding Units’ machine shop boasts the most
sophisticated CNC borers, lathes and multi-axis
machining centres. A policy of extensive
re-investment at Welding Units ensures the most
reliable, powerful and accurate work centres are
available for all machining work. Welding Units
also proudly boasts an experienced skilled work
force that ensures the best results are gained
from each machine.
The machine shop is complemented by an

equally capable and equipped final inspection
department. It operates independently of the
machine shop so providing a impartial review
and conclusion on all parts emerging from the
machine shop. All final inspection dimensional
control equipment is mandatorily calibrated
at frequent intervals by an external body thus
ensuring consistent and accurate results.
The machine shop is further enhanced by the
latest cutting tool technology. Cutting tools Non destructive test facilities also complement
are purposely selected according to the grade of the machine shop activities and provide the
material being machined, ranging through Carbon, customer with the final reassurance of product
Stainless, Duplex or Nickel Alloy steels. integrity.
The machines have a capacity range from 5mm

to 2,000mm and maximum handling weight of
15Tonnes. All machines are directly linked to
Cad/Cam software thus providing the option for
intricate machining work to be programmed and
executed in the shortest possible lead time.
Welding Units (UK) Ltd
(An AF Global Company)
Mill Lane, Rainford, Merseyside WA11 8LR England
Tel:+44 (0) 1744 884881 • Fax: +44 (0) 1744 883302
Email: sales.wu@afglobalcorp.com • www.weldingunits.com
6A-0114

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Supplying the Oil Industry

The UK’s leading company in the design and

Welding Units’ quality, safety and environmental

The company’s in-house design department has

Welding Units holds a wide range of raw forgings

Please go to our website at:

All machines are CNC and programmed by fully

Welding Units, an AF Global Company, is located

Linear material properties are used for flange

External loads are considered in the calculations

3D FEA is performed when intricate details of a

Welding Units designs and manufactures ASME

Weld Neck Flange

All types of ASME flange can be supplied with

An API licensed manufacturer must operate a • Weld Neck

All types of API flange can be supplied with any

Above: Our API License - (No: 6A-0114)

Anchor flanges are considered to be buried

Welding Units can design and manufacture any

Flanges that meet face to face during bolt

Also, there is a real probability the flange will deform

The Welding Units Taper-Lok® joint is designed

Converging angles provide

Misalignment ability is achieved by the spherical

The amount of misalignment is designed into the

Finite element analysis of Buckle Arrestors,

The ±2° seal ring/male nose radii included on

Weld Neck Seal Ball Swivel Ring

The flange is made up of four components:

The basic principle of the flange is a ball and

API 6A type 51/2” 10,000psi Studded Crossover

Typical supply of studded blocks is based on

Welding Units’ material science has been developed by many years of

The machine shop is complemented by an

The machines have a capacity range from 5mm

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