ASME B31.

8-2012

of all parts of the line and all restraints, such as rigid supports or guides, shall be considered. (d) Calculations shall take into account stress intensification factors found to exist in components other than plain straight pipe. Credit may be taken for the extra flexibility of such components. The flexibility factors and stress intensification factors shown in Table E-1 may be used. (e) Properties of pipe and fittings for these calculations shall be based on nominal dimensions, and the joint factor E shall be taken as 1.00. (f) The total range in temperature from minimum design temperature to the maximum design temperature shall be considered in all expansion stress calculations, whether piping is cold-sprung or not. Should installation, start-up, or shutdown temperatures be outside of the design temperature range, the maximum possible temperature range shall be considered. In addition to the expansion of the line itself, the linear and angular movements of the equipment to which it is attached shall be considered. (g) Flexibility calculations shall be based on the modulus of elasticity corresponding to the lowest temperature of the operational cycle. (h) In order to modify the effect of expansion and contraction, runs of pipe may be cold-sprung. Coldspring may be taken into account in the calculations of the reactions, provided an effective method of obtaining the designed cold-spring is specified and used.

832.3 Flexibility Requirements

(a) Piping systems shall be designed to have sufficient flexibility to prevent thermal expansion or contraction from causing excessive stresses in the piping material, excessive bending or unusual loads at joints, or undesirable forces or moments at points of connection to equipment or at anchorage or guide points. Formal calculations shall be performed where reasonable doubt exists as to the adequate flexibility of the system. See para. 833.7 for further guidance. (b) Flexibility shall be provided by the use of bends, loops, or offsets, or provision shall be made to absorb thermal changes by the use of expansion joints or couplings of the lip joints type or expansion joints of the bellows type. If expansion joints are used, anchors or ties of sufficient strength and rigidity shall be installed to provide for end forces due to fluid pressure and other causes. (c) In calculating the flexibility of a piping system, the system shall be treated as a whole. The significance
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832.5 Modulus of Elasticity

The modulus of elasticity for carbon and low alloy steel at various temperatures is given in Table 832.5-1. Values between listed temperatures may be linearly interpolated.

ASME B31.8-2012

Table 832.5-1 Modulus of Elasticity for Carbon and Low Alloy Steel
Temperature, F (C) 100 (73) 70 (21) 200 (93) 300 (149) 400 (204) 500 (260) Modulus of Elasticity, psi 106 (GPa) 30.2 29.5 28.8 28.3 27.7 27.3 (208) (203) (198) (195) (191) (188)

be affected by aspects of pipeline construction, support design, soil properties, and terrain. Part 833 is applicable to all steel piping within the scope of B31.8. For purposes of design, this Code recognizes two axial restraint conditions, restrained and unrestrained. Guidance in categorizing the restraint condition is given below. (b) Piping in which soil or supports prevent axial displacement or flexure at bends is restrained. Restrained piping may include the following: (1) straight sections of buried piping (2) bends and adjacent piping buried in stiff or consolidate soil (3) sections of aboveground piping on rigid supports (c) Piping that is freed to displace axially or flex at bends is unrestrained. Unrestrained piping may include the following: (1) aboveground piping that is configured to accommodate thermal expansion or anchor movements through flexibility (2) bends and adjacent piping buried in soft or unconsolidated soil (3) an unbackfilled section of otherwise buried pipeline that is sufficiently flexible to displace laterally or which contains a bend (4) pipe subject to an end cap pressure force

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ASME B31.8-2012

(1) duplicates or replaces without significant change a system operating with a successful record (2) can be readily judged adequate by comparison with previously analyzed systems (3) is of uniform size, has no more than two points of fixation, no intermediate restraints, and falls within the limitations of the following empirical equation
DY (L U)2 K

where D p nominal outside diameter of pipe, in. (mm) K p 0.03, for U.S. Customary units (208, for SI units) listed in the equation above L p developed length of piping between anchors, ft (m) U p straight line separation between anchors, ft (m) Y p resultant of total displacement strains, in. (mm), to be absorbed by the system
NOTE: No general proof can be offered that this empirical equation always yields conservative results. It is not applicable to systems used in severe cyclic conditions. It should be used with caution in configurations such as unequal leg U-bends having L/U > 2.5; or nearly-straight saw-tooth runs; or where i 5 due to thin-walled design; or where displacements not in the direction connecting anchor points constitute a large part of the total displacement. There is no assurance that terminal reactions will be acceptably low even if a piping system falls within the limitations of para. 833.7(a)(3).

(b) Any piping system that does not meet one of the criteria in para. 833.7(a) should undergo a flexibility stress analysis by a simplified, approximate, or comprehensive method as deemed appropriate.

833.7 Flexibility Analysis for Unrestrained Piping

(a) There is no need for formal flexibility analysis for an unrestrained piping system that
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