Principles of Piping Analysis

The book contains five chapters. The first chapter illustrates the application of the reciprocal theorem of thermoelasticity to obtain the free thermal deformations of piping segments, branches, and systems. The first chapter also contains a description of the traditional method of using Castigliano's theorem to obtain the free deformations of piping systems due to weight and wind loads, and to obtain support reactions. The second chapter describes the current vector and matrix methods that are employed for operations such as, load transfer, axes transformations, deformation transfer by means of end-contribution and add-on matrix procedures, and the matrix expression of load-deformation relationships in the form of the flexibility matrix, or of the inverse, stiffness, matrix. The third chapter concerns itself with elastic-center analysis, by means of which support reactions and pipeline deformations may be obtained expeditiously, without recourse to computer programs. The fourth chapter deals with the analysis of piping systems by the flexibility formulation of the problem. This method is also referred to as released-cantilever piping system analysis. The fifth chapter deals with the analysis of piping systems by the stiffness formulation of the problem. This method of analysis is also termed released-junction analysis.