Mechanical characteristics of pipe clamp under parallel and angular misalignment

As a critical component for suppressing pipeline vibration and ensuring reliable support in engine operating environments, pipe clamps are prone to developing initial assembly stresses due to cumulative machining errors and assembly deviations in pipelines. These stresses can significantly shorten the service life of the clamp and even damage its structural integrity. This study investigates the mechanical behavior of pipe clamps under both parallel misalignment and angular misalignment through experimental tests and numerical simulations. A high-fidelity model of the pipe clamp is established based on the finite element method, and it is validated against experimental benchmarks across a broad parameter space. The results elucidate distinct stress evolution mechanisms: The clamp exhibits a stiffness-dominated linear evolution governed by pressure redistribution under parallel misalignment, whereas angular misalignment triggers nonlinear stress distributions and contact edge singularities. These findings provide a theoretical basis for predicting structural reliability and optimizing assembly tolerances in complex pipeline systems.