In aviation, the most expensive asset is an aircraft that isn’t moving. While “Aircraft on Ground” (AOG) usually refers to mechanical issues with the plane itself, a failure in airport infrastructure can be just as paralyzing. If a main steam line in a utility tunnel ruptures or a chilled water pipe fails due to thermal expansion, the impact ripples through the entire terminal. Expansion joints can provide the solution.
The High Stakes of Utility Tunnel Failures
Airports are essentially small cities connected by miles of either underground piping or piping going through the roofs of buildings. These utility tunnels carry the facility’s primary media: steam for de-icing, chilled water for HVAC, and pressurized lines for fire suppression. Because these lines span such vast distances, they are hyper-sensitive to thermal expansion and contraction.
Preventing Catastrophic Pipe Stress
Without properly engineered expansion joints, pipes that expand under heat will exert forces on anchors and equipment. This leads to cracked welds, warped flanges, and, eventually, equipment damage or a catastrophic breach. In an airport environment, a single pipe failure can lead to terminal evacuations, canceled flights, and millions of dollars in lost revenue. Expansion joints act as the lungs of the system, absorbing this movement and keeping the utility grid stable.
Maximizing Infrastructure Lifespan and Reliability
Investing in high-quality expansion joints is a strategic move for airport asset owners. These components are designed to handle thousands of cycles, ensuring that the infrastructure can withstand decades of seasonal temperature shifts without requiring emergency repairs. The expansion joints can also be pressure-tested at 1.5x the design pressure to enhance reliability.
Reducing Unscheduled Maintenance
When an expansion joint is designed correctly, it protects expensive pumps and turbines from vibration, thermal stress, and line pressure thrust. This shifts the facility’s profile from reactive to proactive, allowing maintenance teams to perform scheduled inspections rather than scrambling to fix a burst pipe under a busy taxiway. By ensuring the reliability of these systems, airports can focus on their primary goal: keeping passengers moving and planes in the air.
Airport Infrastructure FAQ
How do expansion joints handle seismic activity at airports? Modern expansion joints are engineered for multi-axis movement. In the event of an earthquake, these joints allow the piping system to flex and shift without leaking or buckling, thereby preventing pipeline compromise and maintaining fire suppression and emergency utilities during a disaster.
Can expansion joints be customized for space-constrained airport tunnels? Yes. Because many older airports have congested utility tunnels, manufacturers such as PT&P design custom-engineered bellows and gimbal expansion joints. These are specifically tailored to fit into tight footprints while still providing the necessary movement compensation.
Why is “Big Ton” technology relevant for airport utilities? For large-scale airport power plants or massive HVAC hubs, piping loads can be substantial. Using heavy-duty spring supports and large-diameter expansion joints helps control these massive forces, protecting the structural integrity of the entire utility building.
Fortify Your Airport Infrastructure with US Bellows
Don’t let a preventable piping failure ground your operations. Contact the engineering experts at US Bellows to schedule a pipe stress analysis and speak to an engineer to ensure your airport’s utility tunnels are equipped for long-term reliability.
