Temperature compensating stiff pipe clamp

A new type of non-integral pipe attachment for nuclear piping seismic restraint that allows the pipe free thermal diametric expansion without constraint when using dissimilar pipe and clamp material is described. The clamp has a high spring rate that can be controlled by variable stiffness parameters in the design. Described in detail are thermal constraint stress, load stress distribution, spring rates, load angles and design philosophy. Analytical methods of code design, fabrication techniques, cost benefits and lead time reduction techniques are presented. 5 refs