The Expansion Joints Blog

The externally pressurized expansion joints are 37.5″ in diameter and 36″ face-to-face. The bellows are 304 stainless steel, and the flange and ring are carbon steel. This expansion joint is rated for 232 psig with 5″ axial compression and temperatures up to 189°F. All bellows longitudinal welds were 100% x-rayed, all carbon steel welds were dye penetrant examined and each unit was hydro-tested to 348 psig. A total of 56 units were fabricated for a cooling system in a new university for women in the middle east.

Happy Holidays from the Expansion Joint Team…

U.S. Bellows, Inc. is comprised of an accomplished team of expansion joint specialists, including engineers, quality control specialists, and experienced shop fabrication personnel that are ready to serve your expansion joint needs. Our staff, as a whole, represents a combined experience of over 600 years.

Our manufacturing team, engineers, and field service team work together to provide optimum solutions for expansion and contraction in your piping system. With two shifts of employees in our manufacturing facility, we are working around the clock to ensure that your expansion joints are efficiently fabricated to your specific design requirements and delivered within the time frame you have requested.

Below are a few members of our dedicated team who are committed to providing quality service for each and every one of our valued customers:

Meet more of the U.S. Bellows team.

This 48-3/4″ diameter single metallic expansion joint will be used in a heat exchanger. The bellows are 321 stainless steel and the pipe is 304 L stainless steel. This expansion joint is rated for 145 psi with 1″ compression and temperatures up to 600°F. The unit was 100% x-ray tested, hydro-tested and 100% dye penetrant tested.

Why choose U.S. Bellows for all your expansion joint needs?

Engineering & Design
- Per EJMA Standards (Proud member since 2002 with representation on both the technical and management committees)
- Per Latest Revisions of the ASME B31.1, B31.3 and Section 8, Division 1
- ASME U-Stamp, R-Stamp and NS Certified, ISO 9001:2008 Certified
- Full In-house Design Software and Finite Element Analysis Capabilities
- 24-hour Emergency Service and Field Services Available

Manufacturing Capabilities & Facility
- Roll bellows from 2″ to 138″ in diameter and .010″ to .500″ wall thickness
- Stock bellows and material on-site
- 5x the Resources with subsidiaries, PT&P, SWECO Fab., Pipe Shields and Fronek Anchor/Darling
- More than 450,000 sq. ft. of covered shop space and 35 acre property
- Located near the ship channel (one of the largest ports in the U.S. and in the world)

Quality Control & Assurance
- QA/QC Approval: UOP and GE / Stewart and Stevenson
- Manufacturing Qualifications: ASME Section IX, AWS D1.1 and MIL-STD-248
- SASOL QA Plan: 100% X-ray, 100% Dye Pen., Hydro-test, Pneumatic Test and PMI
- Product Testing: Helium Leak Testing, Fatigue Testing, Burst Testing, Ultrasonic and Radiography Testing

Continuous Improvement
- In-House Training: Welding School, JQ/QC Training Courses, Expansion Joint Application Classes and Fabrication Classes
- Four meetings a week and constant communication amongst engineering, manufacturing and management teams
- Continuing to expand facility and add new members to the U.S. Bellows team

Panoramic View of U.S. Bellows Manufacturing Facility

A Houston-based expansion joint manufacturer, U.S. Bellows, Inc. has acquired all bellows assets of the former Lortz Manufacturing company. This acquisition includes the fabrication equipment, expansion joint and bellows drawings, design software, customer lists, and all engineering history and other historical data associated with Lortz Manufacturing.

The expansion joint equipment was transferred from Bakersfield, California to the U.S. Bellows facility in Houston, Texas. The additional machines will be incorporated into the current U.S. Bellows location, and therefore significantly expand U.S. Bellows’ ability to provide high quality expansion joints more quickly and efficiently to customers around the world.

U.S. Bellows will be hiring and relocating some of the former Lortz welders and other employees to their manufacturing headquarters in Houston. Besides expansion joints and bellows, the company also offers field services and quick-turn service for emergency situations. U.S. Bellows has over 50 years of experience and is prepared to provide expansion joint repair, refurbishment or replacement for past Lortz-supplied expansion joints.

U.S. Bellows, a member of the Expansion Joint Manufacturers Association (EJMA), supplies an assortment of metallic and fabric expansion joints for a wide variety of applications.