Pipe support

A pipe support or pipe hanger is a designed element that transfer the load from a pipe to the supporting structures. The load includes the weight of the pipe proper, the content that the pipe carries, all the pipe fittings attached to pipe, and the pipe covering such as insulation. The four main functions of a pipe support are to anchor, guide, absorb shock, and support a specified load. Pipe supports used in high or low temperature applications may contain insulation materials. The overall design configuration of a pipe support assembly is dependent on the loading and operating conditions. These are typically steady or sustained types of loads such as internal fluid pressure, external pressure, gravitational forces acting on the pipe such as weight of pipe and fluid, forces due to relief or blow down, pressure waves generated due to water/steam hammer effects. Sustained loads: Internal/External Pressure: A pipe used for transporting fluid would be under internal pressure load. A pipe such as a jacketed pipe core or tubes in a Shell & Tube ex-changer etc. may be under net external pressure. Internal or external pressure induces stresses in the axial as well as circumferential (Hoop Stress) directions. The pressure also induces stresses in the radial direction, but these are often neglected. The internal pressure exerts an axial force equal to pressure times the internal cross section of the pipe. F =P[πd^2/4]. If outer diameter is used for calculating approximate metal cross-section as Pressure well as pipe cross-section, the axial stress can often be approximated as follows : S =Pd /(4t) Dead weight: It is the self weight of pipe including fluid, weight of fittings & other inline components (say valve, insulation etc.). This type of loads act throughout the life cycle of pipe. In horizontal pipes, these loads cause bending, and the bending moment is related to normal and shear stresses. Pipe bending is caused mainly due to two reasons: distributed weight load (e.g. fluid weight) and concentrated weight load (e.