1. Description and features

A compensator is a device which, while ensuring the tightness of an appliance or pipework, is capable of undergoing displacements in predetermined directions depending on the type of compensator.

The vital element of a compensator is the bellows, which is characterized by its flexibility. The bellows consists of corrugations whose profile allows axial and/or bending movement. From two corrugations upwards, the bellows is therefore capable of accommodating all spatial movements except torsion. It should be noted, however, that the greater the number of corrugations, the greater the lateral flexibility of the bellows. As any lateral translation is obtained from 2 symmetrical flexural rotations, the small pitch of the corrugations limits this translation and requires a high lateral force. To achieve lateral displacements with an acceptable flexibility characteristic,...