CSiPlant offers advanced analysis technology to piping and structural engineers working in the process, power, pipeline and offshore industries, and provides piping-code compliance checks with stress-intensification and flexibility factors that are automatically calculated and applied.
P-Delta analysis, also known as second-order geometric nonlinearity, involves the equilibrium and compatibility relationships of a structural system loaded about its deflected configuration. It also accounts for real world changes to element stiffness due to axial loads. P-Delta analysis is now a design requirement in most codes.
CSiPlant offers unlimited nonlinear load sequencing, also known as path-dependent loading, which considers the order of the loading. Since friction acts in different directions during startup vs. shutdown and other load states, sequenced loading, including sequenced thermal loading and unloading, is often needed to determine worst case reactions and stresses.
Buckling can be a design concern in a number of different piping applications including jacketed piping analysis, bowing due to thermal gradient, GRP and plastic piping, rack piping with intermediate anchors, and tall vertical risers among other design scenarios. Using both Eigen buckling and nonlinear large displacement buckling analysis options, CSiPlant makes it convenient to check for buckling during design.
Design Requests (DR) enable load cases to be analyzed using different code design options, including options that can change the stiffness matrix, requiring separate analyses. Different parts of the piping network can be analyzed and designed using different design and design-related options.
Nonlinear time history dynamic analysis using either FNA (modal Fast Nonlinear Analysis) or Direct Integration methods applied to any load type, including accelerations, point loads, imposed displacements, and thermal loads is available. Piping stress models routinely include nonlinear friction, gaps, and/or multilinear springs for a more accurate analysis. Using nonlinear analysis eliminates the need to linearize nonlinear boundary conditions.
Piping and structural frame models can be rapidly created and modified using CAD-like drafting tools which snap to objects, grid intersections and global axes. In addition, CSiPlant offers automatic alphanumeric labeling of node points and elements, intuitive Insert and Assign commands, and keyboard shortcuts, enabling engineers to utilize a variety of modeling options to quickly build, modify, and review their analysis models.