Analysis of a piping system under seismic load using incremental hinge technique

ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code treats piping system as a series of components but not as an overall structural system. Limit analyses and collapse tests at component level are used to establish stress allowables on seismic stresses. The code does not consider the load redistributions and structural redundancy existing in piping systems that prevent system collapse even when one or more individual components loaded beyond their collapse levels. This necessitates a simple analytical method for evaluation of inelastic seismic response at system level. The present paper presents a simplified analytical procedure for predicting inelastic response of a typical piping system subjected to seismic load. The analytical method known as incremental hinge technique is based on plastic system behavior in which the yielded components are replaced with hinge models when a critical hinge moment is reached. It also takes into account the inelastic response spectrum reduction factors and displacement ductility. The analytical method is used to obtain the inelastic response, location of hinge formation and level of base excitation needed for hinge formation. The predicted hinge locations and hinge ordering is compared with the results of a shake table test conducted on the piping system. (author)