Flanges for Fittings

Yes, there are split flanges. Check availability with vendors catering to professional plumbing and pipe line supplies.

Lap Joint Flange (with Stub-End) consists of two pieces; Flange (loose) and Stub-End which can be welded into pipe using butt-welded V-Groove Joint.

The question asked is whether normal SO/RF flanges can be made in pieces and welded together. I hope that the questioner is talking about flanges larger than say 600mm.

• Yes, for larger sizes of non-standard flanges, we used to fabricate the flange from two pieces or more and welded together.

• But for standard flanges, the flange must be forged from one piece as per ASME B16.5 for flanges from NPS 1/2" up to NPS 24". And I think that the same condition is applied for larger size flanges as per ASME B16.47 (from NPS 26" up to NPS 60").

• Nearly at 70s or may be at 80s of last century, the American power plants imported a cheap flanges as per ASME B16.5 from China manufacturers, and a lot of explosions occurred at these plants. By investigation they discovered that the imported flanges were manufactured from two pieces (flange & neck) and welded together and well machined which can't be recognized by naked eye, and this process was named China Gate looks like Water Gate.

Do you know Water Gate?