Print this pageDynamic Forces
Surge and transient pressures are a major cause of forces on pipes and supports. First, these transient pressures are commonly the maximum and minimum pressures that ever occur in piping systems and so they will be the design case for most pipe stress analysis work.
Secondly, the surge pressures can occur very quickly and this increases the forces that each pipe support has to take. Some analysis experts refer to this as an out-of-balance force which is an accessible way of beginning a highly technical discussion. The speed at which the surge pressure rises increases the out-of-balance force between any two adjacent supports and that means that larger supports are needed or supports are needed more frequently.
We have the capability to prepare dynamic forces for use in many stress analysis programs (such as CAESAR II) and also to prepare them for in-house analysis procedures.
This service is growing rapidly now that designers and operators are realising that many failures are caused by pipe stress and pipe movement and not just excessive high pressures.
