The document discusses the interface between piping and structural loads from the perspectives of structural and pipe stress engineers. Structural engineers need to know individual load cases such as weight, vessel motions, wind, and blast on pipe supports. Pipe stress engineers need to know support displacements to fully define pipe system loadings as pipes are flexible and supports allow displacement. The document proposes an interface using two electronic files, a neutral file and loads-at-restraints output file, to facilitate communication between the two disciplines.

1. Piping-Structural Loads Interface Overview
Structural engineers point-of-view
Structural support systems are most commonly
linear so that design conditions may be defined by
linear superposition of “basic” loads
Loads generally from external sources only
Structural engineers would like to know the Pipe
Support Reaction (PSR) loads due to weight, vessel
motions, wind and blast taken individually along
with those due to temperature and pressure.
Pipe Stress engineers point-of-view
Pipe systems are very flexible and are supported in a manner where
they may undergo large deflections and where they are allowed to
displace at some supports up to a pre-defined limit ie are
geometrically non-linear
Loads from both external and internal sources
Pipe Stress engineers need to know the relative displacements of
support structure in way of their Pipe Supports to fully define the
loadings on the pipe systems.
Both parties have a stake in the interface so…
Simple, clear, timely communication is vital.
In the interface system proposed here, only two electronic data files required by structural discipline for each
piping system that is stress-analysed: The (CII) neutral file and a “Loads-At-Restraints” output file in MS Excel
format