Piping Stress Analysis Course

Lesson 1 • Industry Codes and Standards Overview

Surveys the functional roles of pressure piping design codes and plant safety standards. Frames the regulatory context that governs all stress analysis decisions.

Lesson 2 • Reading Piping and Instrument Diagrams

Teaches interpretation of P&IDs, isometrics, and plan drawings. Connects drawing literacy to accurate model building in stress analysis.

Lesson 3 • Fluid Mechanics Fundamentals

Introduces pressure, flow velocity, and fluid properties relevant to piping loads. Provides the physical basis for understanding pressure and momentum forces.

Lesson 1 • Fatigue and Cyclic Loading Basics

Introduces S-N curves, stress cycles, and fatigue damage accumulation. Prepares students to evaluate thermal cycling and pressure fluctuation effects.

Lesson 2 • Beam Theory Applied to Pipes

Applies Euler-Bernoulli beam theory to straight pipe runs under bending and shear. Enables hand-calculation verification of software-generated results.

Lesson 3 • Material Properties and Allowables

Examines yield strength, ultimate strength, and code-defined allowable stresses. Links material data sheets to permissible stress limits used in analysis.

Lesson 4 • Failure Modes in Piping

Catalogs burst, collapse, fatigue, and creep failure mechanisms in piping. Connects each failure mode to the corresponding code stress category.

Lesson 1 • Load Case Matrix Development

Teaches systematic construction of operating, design, and test load combinations. Produces the structured input required by stress analysis software.

Lesson 2 • Occasional and Dynamic Loads

Defines wind, seismic, slug flow, and relief valve thrust as occasional loads. Distinguishes static-equivalent from time-history dynamic load treatment.

Lesson 3 • Sustained and Pressure Loads

Covers internal pressure hoop stress, weight loads, and their combination as sustained loads. Establishes the primary load category that governs wall thickness design.

Lesson 1 • Flexibility Analysis by Hand

Applies guided cantilever and chart-based methods to simple piping configurations. Builds intuition for system behavior before introducing software tools.

Lesson 2 • Pipe Stress Software Workflow

Guides students through model setup, input verification, run execution, and output review. Establishes a repeatable quality-controlled analysis process.

Lesson 3 • Code Stress Equations

Derives and applies the sustained, expansion, and occasional stress equations from pressure piping codes. Directly links analysis output to code compliance checks.

Lesson 4 • Stiffness Matrix Method

Explains the stiffness matrix formulation underlying all pipe stress software. Enables engineers to understand solver behavior and interpret output correctly.

Lesson 1 • Support Types and Functions

Classifies rigid supports, spring hangers, guides, and anchors by their load-carrying function. Provides the selection vocabulary used throughout support design.

Lesson 2 • Support Modeling in Software

Demonstrates correct input of support stiffness, friction, and gap elements in analysis models. Prevents common modeling errors that distort stress and reaction results.

Lesson 3 • Spring Hanger Selection and Sizing

Applies operating load, travel range, and variability criteria to select spring hangers. Ensures supports accommodate thermal movement without overloading nozzles.

Lesson 4 • Support Span and Deflection Limits

Calculates maximum allowable spans based on stress and sag criteria from code tables. Connects span selection to sustained stress compliance.

Lesson 1 • Heat Exchanger Piping Considerations

Addresses differential thermal growth between shell and tube sides and nozzle load limits. Guides routing and support strategies to minimize exchanger distortion.

Lesson 2 • Nozzle Load Allowables

Interprets manufacturer and code-defined allowable forces and moments on equipment nozzles. Establishes the acceptance criteria for all equipment interaction checks.

Lesson 3 • Rotating Equipment Piping

Applies published standards for pump and compressor nozzle load limits. Addresses alignment sensitivity and the consequences of excessive piping loads.

Lesson 1 • Water Hammer and Surge Analysis

Models pressure wave propagation from valve closure and pump trip events. Converts surge pressures and forces into dynamic stress analysis inputs.

Lesson 2 • Seismic Response Spectrum Analysis

Applies site-specific response spectra and modal combination rules to seismic loading. Produces code-compliant seismic stress and support load results.

Lesson 3 • Time-History Dynamic Analysis

Executes direct integration time-history analysis for impulsive and transient loads. Addresses cases where response spectrum methods are insufficient.

Lesson 4 • Natural Frequency and Modal Analysis

Calculates natural frequencies and mode shapes of piping systems using software. Identifies resonance-prone configurations before dynamic loads are applied.

Lesson 1 • Expansion Joints and Flexible Elements

Covers bellows, gimbal, and tied expansion joints as flexibility and load-reduction devices. Teaches correct modeling of joint stiffness and pressure thrust forces.

Lesson 2 • Creep and High-Temperature Piping

Addresses creep relaxation, stress rupture, and code rules for elevated-temperature service. Prepares students for power plant and refinery high-temperature line analysis.

Lesson 3 • Subsea and Buried Piping Analysis

Applies soil spring models, buoyancy loads, and upheaval buckling criteria to buried and subsea lines. Extends analysis skills to offshore and underground pipeline systems.

Lesson 4 • Stress Analysis Project Management

Structures the full analysis workflow from scope definition through deliverable issue. Covers document control, interdisciplinary coordination, and schedule management.