The tightness concept

What is the meaning of "joint - tightness"?

There are two possible answers to this question.
The first definition is in on/off terms: tightness meaning no evidence of leakage. The loss of tightness then, that is the appearance of a leak, is often a sudden event, requiring immediate resolution. Its effects vary from minor disturbances, to plant shutdowns, to accidents; and they typically constitute a large part of industrial plants’ maintenance costs.
In a different perspective, joint-tightness can be defined as the control of the leakage rate within acceptable limits. As a matter of fact, leaks called fugitive emissions are always present at some level in joints, but they can (and must) be kept small enough that their consequences – in terms of environmental pollution, reduced plant efficiency, loss of confined media – are negligible. Tightness, in this case, becomes a relative concept, and a “tightness parameter” can be defined to measure the sealing effectiveness of a joint.
No matter which of the two above options is chosen, we can state today that joint tightness is a goal that is always achievable. All leaks are preventable. Therefore, when they happen, they don’t happen by accident: they happen by design. Rather than being symptoms of product failure, leaks are generally evidence of failure in process control. When you fix the process parameters and their control procedures, you fix leaks before they happen.
Euroguarco’s range of sealing products enables its customers to find an effective solution for any existing problem or proposed application.
All information needed to select and correctly apply our gasket products can be found in our catalogues and in the handbook “Guide to gaskets for static joints”, published by our Technical Service Department.
A software application – Guarco-Aid – is available to calculate assembly parameters of bolted gasketed joints, in order to achieve best gasket performance and ensure joint tightness.