Hangers & Supports for Piping. An easy guide to: Rigid Hangers Variable Effort Supports Constant effort Supports Pipe ancillaries M Rajagopal Pipe Supports India Private Limited Rev010, LL 12. B 14, 1s. 16. 18, 19, 20. 21 22. Contents. Introduction Why use Pipe Supports Stress analysis of Piping ‘Various types of Pipe Supports Helical Springs - Types , Design Formulae , Method of Manufacture , Materials. Rigid Hangers. - Types , typical models , Trapeze types. Variable Effort Supports.( Selection, Spring rates , Load Variation, etc) Constant Effort Supports. Sway Braces Sway Struts Snubbers Hydraulic & Mechanical. Ancillaries , clamps (types , materials , selection) , Tie rods etc, Pipe Bases, Sliding Supports with design principles , PTFE , Filled PTFE & Graphite pads. How (o write specification for tendering Pipe Supports. Pipe Support Standards like SPS8 , BS3974 etc. Typical QAP / Check list for QC & Inspection activities. Software for Pipe Hangers & Supports 3-D Modeling tools ). Erection & Commissioning of Supports Maintenance & Do’s & Dont’s Surface protection methods & why it is important.Introduction Process industries like Refineries , Fertilizer plants , Utility plants , Power plants need to transport fluids ( Liquids & Gases including steam) from point to point through pipe lines. Pipe lines come in various sizes & materials of construction Sizes ranging from 15 NB to 1000 NB (NB = Nominal Bore) made from materials like ABS Pipe Aluminum Pipe Asbestos Cement Pipe Cast Iron Pipe Concrete Drain Pipe Copper Instrument Tube Copper Water Tube Lead Pipe Nickel & Alloys Pipe PVC Pipe Steel Pipe Steel Tube Titanium Pipe Wrought Iron Pipe Zirconium Pipe Pipe Material of construction should be in line with service conditions for example Instrument tubing normally use Copper or stainless tubes & High temperature high pressure steam service piping uses Seamless alloy pipes. The design engineer selects relevant materials of construction based on service conditions like fluid type (Petroleum products , acids , alkalis etc) , service temperature , pressure & relevant standard Piping & design codes. Hence Pipe & piping plays a critical role in industry & can be compared to arteries & veins in our body transporting life sustaining oxygen , nutrients , food etc to various organs to keep us alive & functional. ‘Why use Pipe Supports All Pipe’s irrespective of materials of construction have a self weight based on Diameter of pipe , Wall thickness & specific gravity of the raw material used for manufacturing the pipe. This is typically expressed in Pipe handbooks as weight per running meter. Pipelines have to be supported by external means at regular intervals to prevent them from sagging due to their intrinsic self weight & the weight of the fluids inside the pipe. Normally pipes are placed on Pipe Racks or supported either from the bottom or hung from the supporting structure depending on layout & availability of supporting locations & structure. Pipe supports , pipe hangers etc are normally used to support pipe lines by suspending them from structural members or supporting pipe lines from the bottom where ever feasible. Pipe lines not supported at regular intervals will lead to sagging , causing stress at welded joints , flanges ete , which may end in leaks & ultimately lead to failure or rupture in the line Therefore it is essential to have a well designed pipe layout & pipe supports / hangers for long trouble free service in the plant.