Guided cantilever method

Mechanical / Civil engineering, Design of Pressure Vessels, Heat-exchangers, Piping, Steel / Civil Structure etc.
Post Reply
neo
Posts: 42
Joined: 12 Jul 2025, 09:25
Area of interest: Chemical Engineering

Guided cantilever method

Post by neo »

How the piping flexibility analysis can be performed manually and how is the guided cantilever method is applied?
ben
Posts: 214
Joined: 24 Aug 2010, 03:11
Area of interest: Mechanical Engineering

Re: Guided cantilever method

Post by ben »

Pipe stress analysis is generally recommended under the following conditions:

Operating temperatures of 150°F (approximately 65°C) or higher.
Pipe sizes 4 inches (DN 100) or above.
When rotating equipment is involved, line sizes of 2.5 inches (DN 65) and above.
Connection to pressure vessels for line sizes of 6 inches (DN 150) and above.
Complex systems with multiple branches.
Systems experiencing vibrations.
Piping in high seismic activity areas.
Cryogenic systems and those carrying hazardous chemicals.
When operating temperatures exceed 200°C or fall below -30°C.
Large diameter pipes (24 inches NPS and above) or heavy wall pipes.
Thin-walled vessels (corroded thickness < 5mm) at elevated temperatures.

The Guided Cantilever method is an approximate technique used in piping flexibility analysis to assess how a piping system can accommodate thermal expansion and contraction. It is particularly useful for simple piping configurations.

A guided cantilever beam is modeled as a beam fixed at one end, with the other end constrained to move only in a direction perpendicular to its original orientation, thus preventing rotation. This is often conceptualized as half of a fixed beam under a concentrated load. This method is applied to piping systems to estimate the stresses and leg lengths required to absorb a given thermal displacement. It assumes that the thermal expansion is primarily absorbed by a perpendicular leg of the piping.

I would recommend you a book to study this further, "Process Piping" by Charles Becht.
mechcolor
Posts: 258
Joined: 17 May 2010, 18:05
Area of interest: Manufacturing Engineering

Re: Guided cantilever method

Post by mechcolor »

If you are looking for a manual calculation of piping flexibility analysis, attached document will take you through.
A very good reference with example.
Pipe-Line-Flexibility-Manual-Calculation.pdf
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Post Reply