Constant Support
A constant support hanger exerts a constant vertical supporting force on the piping, irrespective of whether the pipe is in hot or cold condition. It is equivalent to a weight pulling up the pipe through a pulley, where the same upward force is exerted on the pipe irrespective of the position of the pipe. The constant support load is automatically calculated by CAEPIPE. To analyze an existing constant support with a known load, input it as a user hanger with a zero spring rate.
A constant support is input by typing “cons” in the Data column or selecting “Constant Support” from the Data Types dialog.
The Constant Support dialog is shown.
Tag
Tag can be 14characters long. Tags are useful in identifying a support while modeling, reviewing of reports and in field erection. Tag Name entered in this field is shown in all reports.
Number of Hangers
The number of hangers is the number of separate hangers connected in parallel at this node.
Connected to Node
By default the hanger is connected to a fixed ground point which is not a part of the piping system. A hanger can be connected to another node in the piping system by entering the node number in the “Connected to node” field. This node must be above the hanger node.