Stress Analysis & Mechanical Integrity Flashcards
7 cards from real SPED practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Stress Analysis & Mechanical Integrity flashcards as text
Which failure mode is addressed by checking the sustained stress ratio (SL/Sh) in ASME B31.3?
Answer: Plastic collapse under sustained loads
The sustained stress check ensures the pipe will not undergo plastic collapse or excessive deformation under continuously applied pressure and weight loads.
When a piping system has high vibration levels, which type of support is most commonly added to mitigate dynamic response?
Answer: Snubber (shock arrestor)
Snubbers allow slow thermal movements but lock up and resist rapid dynamic loads such as vibration, water hammer, or seismic events.
In Caesar II or similar piping analysis software, what does a 'restraint report' typically identify?
Answer: Forces, moments, and deflections at each support point
Restraint reports summarize the loads imposed on each support, which are used to design the structural steel and evaluate equipment nozzle loads.
Which piping code primarily governs stress analysis of high-pressure steam piping in power plants?
Answer: ASME B31.1 Power Piping
ASME B31.1 applies to power piping including steam, feedwater, and other services in power-generation facilities.
A pipe stress engineer discovers that the calculated sustained stress exceeds the allowable. Which corrective action is most effective?
Answer: Relocate or add pipe supports to reduce bending moments from weight
Adding or repositioning supports reduces the unsupported span and the bending moments from gravity loads, directly lowering sustained bending stress.
The stress intensification factor (SIF) for a butt-welded tee is greater than 1.0 because:
Answer: The branch connection creates a local stress concentration
The geometric discontinuity at a branch connection concentrates stresses, requiring the SIF to amplify the calculated moment stresses above the straight-pipe baseline.
What is the difference between a 'variable spring hanger' and a 'constant effort hanger'?
Answer: Variable hangers change load with pipe movement; constant hangers maintain the same load throughout travel
Variable spring hangers exert increasing or decreasing load as the pipe deflects, while constant effort hangers maintain the same support load throughout their full travel range.