What is Stress Analysis?

Stress-Strain Relationship Purpose of piping stress Analysis How piping component fails Stress Categories Classification of Loads Requirement of ASME B31.3

What is Stress?

Stress is the internal resistance per unit area to the deformation caused by the applied load. Strain: Strain is the unit deformation under applied load.

Stress-Strain Relationship: Stress is directly proportional to strain- Hooks Law

Purpose of piping Stress Analysis:

To comply with legislation. To check the stresses are within allowable limits.

To check the force and Moment on the equipment nozzles are within allowable limits.

How Piping and Components Fails? Failure by general yielding: Failure is due to excessive plastic deformation. Yielding at Sub-Elevated Temperature: Body undergoes plastic deformation under slip action of grains. Yielding at Elevated Temperature: After slippage, Material recrystalizes and hence yielding continues without increasing load. This phenomenon is called as Creep. Failure by Fracture: Body fails without undergoing Yielding.

Brittle Fracture: This type of fracture is occurred in brittle materials. Fatigue: Due to cyclic loading ,Small crack is developed which grows after each cycle and result in sudden failure.

Theories of Failure Maximum Principal Stress Theory This theory states that yielding occurs when the magnitude of any of the three mutual perpendicular Principal Stresses exceeds the yield point of the material. Maximum shear stress Theory This theory states that yielding occurs when the maximum shear stress exceeds the shear stress at the yield point in a tensile test.

Stress categories
Primary Stresses These are developed by imposed loading and are necessary to satisfy the equilibrium between the external and internal force and moment of the piping system.

Secondary stresses

These are developed by the constraint of the displacement of structure.These displacements can be caused either by thermal displacement or by outwardly imposed restraint and anchor point movements. Peak Stresses Unlike loading condition of secondary stress which cause distortion, Peak stress cause no significant distortion. Peak stresses are the highest stress in the region under consideration and are responsible for causing fatigue failure.

Loads
Various loads on the piping can be grouped into the following three categories

Primary loads (sustained loads) Secondary loads (expansion loads) Occasional loads (wind, earthquake, etc.)

Load Combinations Considered

Primary loads Secondary loads Primary + occasional loads

The piping is subjected to several loads. Some of them are: internal pressure external pressure self-weight loads from connected components thermal loads equipment movements steam hammer water hammer wind loads seismic loads and foundation relative settlement

The following constitute the primary loads:

components.

internal pressure external pressure self-weight weight loads from

connected

The following constitute the secondary loads:

thermal loads equipment thermal movements foundation relative settlement surge loads steam hammer water hammer wind loads seismic loads

The following constitute the occasional loads:

Requirement of ASME B31.3 Stresses due to Sustained loads SL < Sh SL = (PD/4t) + Sb Sh = Basic Allowable Stress at Hot Condition. Stresses due to Occasional loads The sum of longitudinal loads due to Pressure ,weight and Stresses produced by Occasional loads such as earthquake ,wind shall not exceed 1.33Sh. Stress range due to Expansion loads The displacement stress range SE Shall not exceed SA SE < SA

Allowable stress range for expansion stresses: SA = f (1.25 Sc + 0.25 Sh) Sc = Cold allowable stress.

Sh = Hot allowable stress.

f = Stress range reduction factor for cyclic condition. f 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5

Cycles 7000 and less 7000 to 14000 14000 to 22000 22000 to 45000 45000 to 100000 100000 and over

 1. 2.

Parameters to be considered for flexibility analysis:The appropriate code that applies to the system. The design pressure and temperature.

3.
4. 5. 6.

The type of material.

The pipe size and wall thickness of each pipe component. The piping geometry including movements of anchors and restraints. The allowable stresses for the design conditions set by appropriate code. Limitations of forces and moments on equipment nozzles set by API, NEMA or the equipment manufacturers.

7.

Types of Supports: Restraints Guide Anchor Limit stops Hangers

Restraints: Restraints are provided in the piping primarily to transfer the occasional loads to the supporting structure. Inclined restraints are also used. Usually the restraints are double acting. Struts and ties, which are single acting, are also used. A single acting restraint is a device, which carries only tension or compression.

Limit Stops:
Limit stops are used to limit the stresses in the piping and to reduce the anchor reaction. The behavior of the limit stops is non-linear. The limit stop has zero rigidity up to certain movement. After this predetermined movement, the limit stop comes into action. The active rigidity of the limit stop can be finite or infinite. This depends on the construction of the limit stop. Anchors:

Anchors is used to arrest all movements. It is a rigid support.

Guide: It will arrest the lateral movement of the piping.

Hangers: Variable Load Hanger (VLH): Variable load hanger is a special type of hanger, which accommodate the vertical thermal movements, while carrying the vertical load. Usually variable load hangers are made of helical springs. The load varies from cold condition to hot condition. Constant Load Hanger (CLH): Constant load hanger is a special type of hanger, similar to the variable load hanger. There are several types of constant load hangers. The load variation in the constant load hanger from cold to hot is usually limited to 0%. Semi-Constant Load Hanger (SCLH): Semi-constant load hangers are similar to the constant load hangers. The load variation permitted in the semi-constant load hanger is usually 10%.