 Welcome back MechanicalEI! Did you know that pipe joints are used to connect a straight pipe, tubing sections and regulate or measure fluid flow? This makes us wonder, what are pipe joints? Before we jump in, check out the previous part of this series to learn about how police are classified. Now, the selection of pipe joints depends on pipe sizes, material, fluid flow pressure, etc. A pipe joint should withstand the pressure of each pipe. There are many types of pipe joints, namely angle joint, cross joint, T joint, Y joint, etc. A special type of pipe joint is a flange joint. It is a connection of pipes where the connecting pieces have flanges by which the parts are joined. It consists of two companion flanges, bolted together and made leak-proof by means of a gasket in between the flanges. Shown here are two pipes being connected by a flange joint held in place temporarily by a press before being bolted together. Another special type of pipe joints are expansion joints which are necessary for systems that convey high temperature substances such as steam or exhaust gases or to absorb movement and vibration. A typical joint consists of bellows of metal, plastic, fabrics or an elastomer such as rubber. Bellows is made up of a series of convolutions with the shape of the convolution designed to withstand the internal pressures of the pipe but flexible enough to accept axial, lateral and angular deflections. Shown here is a pneumatic blower inlet and outlet rubber expansion joint with its bellows made out of rubber. We first saw what pipe joints are then saw what flange joints are and then went on to see what expansion joints are. In the next episode of Mechanical EI, find out what valves are. Thanks for watching!