Stress Combination Load Cases (Load Cases Tab)

Enter the loads to combine for each load case. The software performs calculations for various
combinations of internal pressure, external pressure, hydrotest pressure, wind load, and seismic
load. You can define up to twenty combinations of these loadings for evaluation. Load cases are
defined by a string of abbreviations showing the loads to be added. For example, "IP+OW+WI"
is the sum of internal pressure plus operating weight plus wind. The software provides the
following set of default load cases:
Load
Case
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

Load Combinations
NP+EW+WI+FW+BW
NP+EW+EQ+FS+BS
NP+OW+WI+FW+BW
NP+OW+EQ+FS+BS
NP+HW+HI
NP+HW+HE
IP+OW+WI+FW+BW
IP+OW+EQ+FS+BS
EP+OW+WI+FW+BW
EP+OW+EQ+FS+BS
HP+HW+HI
HP+HW+HE
IP+WE+EW
IP+WF+CW
IP+VO+OW
IP+VE+EW
NP+VO+OW
FS+BS+IP+OW
FS+BS+EP+OW

The following abbreviations are used for loads:

NP
IP
EP
HP
EW

No Pressure
Internal Pressure
External Pressure
Hydrotest Pressure
Empty Weight

OW
HW
WI
EQ
HE
HI
BW
BS
BN
BU
CW
WE
WF
FS
FW

Operating Weight
Hydrotest Weight
Wind Load
Earthquake Load
Hydrotest Earthquake
Hydrotest Wind
Bending Stress due to Lat. Forces for the Wind Case, Corroded
Bending Stress due to Lat. Forces for the Seismic Case, Corroded
Bending Stress due to Lat. Forces for the Wind Case, Uncorroded
Bending Stress due to Lat. Forces for the Seismic Case, Uncorroded
Axial Weight Stress, New and Cold (no corrosion allowance, CA)
Wind Bending Moment, New and Cold (Empty) (no CA)
Wind Bending Moment, New and Cold (Filled) (no CA)
Axial Stress due to Applied Axial Forces in Seismic Cases
Axial Stress due to applied forces in Wind Cases

Live loads (wind and earthquake) are calculated for the operating and hydrotest conditions. In
both cases, the basic loads calculated are identical but the hydrotest live loads are usually a
fraction of the operating live load. These hydrostatic fractions (percents) are entered in the live
load definitions.
If Consider Vortex Shedding is selected on the Design Constraints Tab, the following loads
may also be used:
VO
VE
VF

Bending Stress due to Vortex Shedding Loads (Ope)

Bending Stress due to Vortex Shedding Loads (Emp)
Bending Stress due to Vortex Shedding Loads (Test, no CA.)

PV Elite allows individual load case descriptors to have their own scale factors. These factors
scale the stresses produced by the corresponding load case component. For example 1.25EQ
would produce an earthquake stress 1.25 times higher than the design earthquake stress. An
example of a complete load case would be:
IP+OW+0.7143EQ+FS+BS

This facility allows designers to comply with a variety of loading scenarios. Another application
of this may be that fractions of wind and seismic loads can be added together in the same load
case. ASME states that doing this is not required; however, some design institutions mandate this
practice. Here is another example:
0.7EQ+0.25WI+OW

Notice that there is no need to put a star (*) in front of each descriptor. If this box is not checked
then values of 1.0 will be used for scalar multipliers. However, if there is a global scalar
specified for wind or seismic, that value will be used. Please note that this is for vertical vessels
only. During the stress calculations, the maximum stress is saved at the location of the support
(skirt base, lug,or leg). Knowing the section properties, the moment needed to create that stress
can be computed and used in the skirt, lug or leg calculation as required.
Any load case component can have a specified scalar. It is not meaningful to have a value in
front of the NP component. It is important to specify NP for any case that does not have pressure.
For vertical vessels, the maximum stress is saved at the location of the support (skirt base, lug,
and leg). Using the section properties, the moment needed to create that stress can be calculated
and used in the skirt, lug or leg calculation as required.
It is often stated that the required thickness of the skirt is needed. It is not valid to directly
calculate this value based on bending stress and axial stress because the section modulus is
needed and the element OD or ID is still unknown. While it is possible to make an assumption,
this will not generate an accurate mathematical result. A small change in the thickness can
change the allowable compressive stress (factor A and factor B) in a very non-linear fashion. For
more information, see British Code PD 5500, Annex B, paragraph B.1.5.