The baffles must be maintained firmly in their position because any vibration with respect to the tubes may wear and eventually destroy the tube at the baffle location. This is achieved with tie rods (see Fig. 6-1).
Tie rods may be welded to the baffles or installed as shown on Fig. 6-6. In this construction, the tie rods pass through the baffle holes, and concentric spacers with higher diameters than the baffle holes are inserted
in the tie rods to maintain the baffles in position.4