General Rubber Corporation manufactures expansion joints that serve many functions for a variety of industries:

HVAC Applications

Expansion joints are widely used in a variety of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, including, commercial and industrial buildings, schools, hotels, apartments, shopping plazas and aboard ships to relieve stress in ductwork.

Stress is often caused by temperature changes or forces from equipment. General Rubber's expansion joints are installed to isolate equipment such as pumps, compressors and chillers from the piping system. The joints compensate for misalignment, relieve stress of on equipment flanges, adjust for seismic movement and prevent the transmission of noise and vibration.

A variety of configurations are available to accommodate different shapes, service and connection requirements.

Process Piping

Protection of a process piping system is a principal use for General Rubber's expansion joints. Elastomeric expansion joints reduce noise and vibration caused by forces in pumps or centrifuges by acting as a shock absorber in systems that handle corrosive chemicals, abrasive slurries or extremely reactive liquids or gases. Thermal movement is also an important consideration in a piping system, depending on the temperature change, length of pipe, thermal movement can easily be great enough to exceed the allowable pipe stress.

The excellent chemical resistance of rubber and synthetic elastomers and availability of other materials such as Teflon which is completely inert to most all industrial chemicals and solvents make these joints ideal for process piping systems.

Power Plant Applications

Nuclear and fossil fuel plants use General Rubber expansion joints to compensate for thermal expansion and contraction on condenser lines, steam turbine exhaust lines, condensate lines, cooling water lines and aeration systems. Reliability, long life, large size capability and the ease with which they accommodate themselves to movements make General Rubber expansion joints ideal for power plant applications.

Please see our Non-Metallic Expansion Joint page accessible from our Products page

Industrial Ducting Systems

General Rubber's Maxi-Span joints have been successfully installed in demanding industrial ducting systems where flutter, heavy vibration, wet or dry corrosive materials are encountered. Ideally suited for retrofitting as well as new construction, General Rubber will recommend or develop a design to meet your needs.

For more information see our Elastomeric Expansion Joint page accesesible from our Products page.

Marine Systems

Insulating against the transmission of sound and eliminating the destructiveness of electrolysis, General Rubber expansion joints permit the necessary motion and flexibility in a 'working' ship's piping system. The compactness, resilience and low stress features make them ideally suited for shipboard piping systems. The joints are completely impervious to the corrosive effects of hot salt water, brine, and brackish water.

The joints are commonly used in areas such as overboard discharge line between condenser and hull, auxiliary condenser, air intake on diesel engines, flush and sanitary systems, ventilation lines, fire and bilge pumps, to name a few.

Pollution and Wastewater Treatment

Sewage treatment plants, water treatment plants and air scrubber systems all employ the use of General Rubber expansion joints. Sludge pumps, raw and secondary sewage lines, centrifugal air blowers, scrub stacks use expansion joints due to their resistance to abrasion and corrosion as well as their flexibility make them well suited for these applications.