Capacity Reduction of a Compression Member with an Initial Deformation

A recent review of equipment installed in a power plant found a piping strut that was visibly bent. Would the bend in the strut reduce its load bearing capacity as a compression member? The answer is YES!  The load bearing capacity of a bent strut against buckling is reduced. The reduction in buckling capacity is […]

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ASME III Appendix F – A Valuable Guide to the Operability Assessment of Piping Systems

The NRC Inspection Manual Chapter 0326 refers to ASME III Appendix F as an acceptable method for the evaluation of “a degradation or nonconformance associated with piping or pipe supports …”. Appendix F provides five alternative methods for the qualification of pressure equipment, piping, and their supports. They are: (1) elastic analysis, (2) plastic analysis, (3) limit collapse analysis, […]

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Loads on Buried Pipe: A 100-Year Old Empirical Formula Still Holds Water

The evaluation of the effects of surcharge loads on buried pipes can be addressed using the Iowa formula. This formula, over 100 years old, matches the results of state-of-the-art finite element analysis with pipe-soil interaction. In 1913, Iowa State University professors Marston and Anderson published the results of their experimental work on the resistance of […]

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Working on the Road – Using the Cloud

I was recently preparing for a cross-country trip and I had to decide what to take. Normally it is necessary to bring several large binders of subject and reference material, but in between airline baggage restrictions and the need to travel light I didn’t want to take a lot of stuff. Fortunately, modern technology is […]

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