Influence of Structural Parameters of Shape Memory Alloy Corrugated Gaskets on the Contact Pressure of Bolted Flange Joints

Shape memory alloy corrugated gaskets (SMA-CGs) can adapt to fluctuating working conditions due to their pseudoelasticity (PE) and shape memory effect (SME), which make them excellent sealing components. In this study, the deformation mechanism of SMA-CGs was examined according to their structural properties under installation and operating conditions to establish an SMA-CG thermal-mechanical coupling model with the finite element analysis (FEA) method, which has been verified through experimentation. Based on this, a thermal-mechanical coupling FEA model was built for a bolted flange joint with SMA-CG. The influence of the SMA-CG structure parameters on compression-rebound mechanical properties was also studied under installation and operating conditions. The conclusions are as follows: a thermal-mechanical coupling finite element analysis method was established for NiTi alloy corrugated structures. Through comparison with the experimental results, the maximum error of the maximum compression load was 5.78%, the maximum error of the rebound rate was 8.85%, and the maximum error of the maximum compaction force in the heat recovery stage was 12.2%, all of which were within the  H > P, and when structural parameters of SMA-CG were T = 0.6 mm, H = 4 mm, and P = 2.5 mm, the contact pressure of corrugated gasket was the highest under operating conditions.