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Associated programs

Entering and analysing seismic bracing of the fire extinguishing system

Within the "Installation" tab, in the "Bracing" group of the main toolbar, there are tools for entering seismic bracing and for assigning them a zone of influence consisting of a given set of pipes of the fire extinguishing system:

Seismic bracing

Enters seismic bracing into the model.

When entering or editing a seismic bracing, the following parameters can be configured:

  • Reference
    Seismic brace reference.
  • Seismic brace
    Defines the type of seismic bracing from the following options:
    • Lateral sway brace
      The bracing is arranged to be perpendicular to the pipe it supports.
    • The bracing is arranged in the same direction as the pipe it supports.
    • Four-way sway brace
      Two-directional bracing to support vertical pipes.
  • Support composition
    Defines the components of the seismic bracing. The program selects components from the manufacturer's catalogues included in the Open BIM Database. These can be downloaded from the "Catalogue management" option in the "Project" group.
    • Sway brace (Series / Type) 
    • Brace (Series / Type) 
    • Fastener (Series / Type)
  • Arrangement of the support
    • Angle
      Angle of the support measured with respect to the vertical line.
    • Fastener position
      • Horizontal force, perpendicular to the surface
      • Vertical force, perpendicular to the surface
      • Force parallel to the surface

The seismic bracing must then be arranged in the model on a given point of a pipe of the fire extinguishing system.

It is then necessary to assign the pipes in the zone of influence of the bracing using the corresponding option in the same group.

With the data supplied, when carrying out the analysis, the program performs the following checks on the seismic bracing, which can be consulted and listed in the corresponding section of its editing panel:

  • Pipe size
    Checks that the pipe size of the sway brace is equal to or greater than the diameter of the pipe it holds.
  • Distance between hangers
    Checks that the distance between hangers does not exceed the maximum value.
  • Maximum brace load
    Checks that the load assigned to the brace does not exceed the maximum value allowed by the selected component types.
  • Maximum fastener load
    Checks that the load assigned to the fastening does not exceed the maximum value allowed by the selected component types.
Note:
To enter seismic bracing, the "Seismic analysis" box must be activated under "General data > Design conditions" in the "Project" group and a seismic "Cp" coefficient must be specified.
Lateral sway brace
Longitudinal sway brace
Four-way sway brace

The program also incorporates the following checks during the analysis to ensure the correct distribution of seismic bracing in the installation:

  • Detection of the start and end points of manifolds and uprights for the insertion of the corresponding bracings near them.
  • Analysis of the distribution of the bracings along the pipes.
  • Detection of the sections of the installation without seismic bracing and, therefore, not protected against earthquakes.

These verifications are shown as incidences on the installation in case they are not fulfilled. In order to solve them, the number or layout of seismic bracings in the installation must be modified.


The program also incorporates the following checks during the analysis to ensure the correct distribution of seismic bracing in the system:

  • Pipe size
    Checks that the pipe size of the sway brace is equal to or greater than the diameter of the pipe it holds.
  • Distance between hangers
    Checks that the distance between hangers does not exceed the maximum value.
  • Maximum brace load
    Checks that the load assigned to the brace does not exceed the maximum value allowed by the selected component types.
  • Maximum fastener load
    Checks that the load assigned to the fastening does not exceed the maximum value allowed by the selected component types.
Note:
These checks come from the NFPA 13 standard, which includes a series of checks for the design of seismic supports. These have been implemented in the program to enable the correct entry of this type of element in places where it is required (the west coast of North America is the area covered by NFPA 13).

Also, by clicking on the "Consult checks" option, a complete data sheet with the data, the detail plan and the analysis results of the selected bracing can be obtained.

Assign

Assigns or unassigns pipes of the fire extinguishing system to certain seismic bracing.

When clicking on a seismic brace, a dialogue box appears where users choose whether they wish to "Assign" or "Unassign" pipes to it. After accepting, the program lights up the pipes that are already assigned to it or those that are not yet assigned, depending on the selected operation. This way, the desired pipes can be selected to complete the operation.