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CAESAR II - Pipe Stress AnalysisWindows 2000/XP
Summary CAESAR II is the Pipe Stress Analysis standard against which all others are
measured and compared. The CAESAR II spreadsheet input technique revolutionized
the way piping models are built, modified, and verified. CAESAR II was the first
pipe stress program specifically designed for the PC environment. The
interactive capabilities permit rapid evaluation of both input and output,
thereby melding seamlessly into the "design - analyze" iteration cycle. CAESAR II incorporates a wide range of capabilities, from numerous piping
codes, to expansion joint, valve & flange, and structural databases, to
structural and buried pipe modeling, to equipment and vessel nozzle evaluation,
to spectrum and time history analysis. Most of the features of CAESAR II are
available at a keystroke, but at the same time are not imposed upon the analyst.
A menu-driven scroll and select interface provides logical options when and
where expected. Context-sensitive help provides instant technical assistance for
each data field, with expected units. Data values presented in the help screens
are automatically presented in the current set of units to aid input. The customization options of CAESAR II have been driven by user requests,
code changes, and the need to benchmark older, existing systems and their
initial design. Many of these customization options enable newer analysis
techniques appearing in current literature. As with all COADE products, CAESAR II is continuously maintained and improved
by the engineering staff. The engineering staff of COADE have worked in
industry, for engineering and consulting firms. This experience not only guides
program development, but provides users with knowledgeable support. This allows
CAESAR II to work the way a typical engineer thinks and solves a problem. This
also means that the technical support provided to users by the engineering staff
is almost instantaneous. Users talk straight to the developers, ensuring an
accurate and timely answer. Program revisions incorporate additional capabilities addressing both
technical and operational items. Users are encouraged to suggest improvements
that would help their day to day usage of the software. See the enhancement list
for details of capabilities added for each release of the CAESAR II program.
Operational Features Menu / Spreadsheet Interface The menus are set up to present the available program options in a logical
order, when they are needed. Menus govern the overall flow of control throughout
the program. The input spreadsheets provide concise prompts for input data. The piping
spreadsheet duplicates "elemental" data values forward to succeeding elements as
the user defines them. When appropriate, databases can be accessed to obtain
values for valves, flanges, and expansion joints. If desired, an expansion joint
modeler can be invoked to build the necessary spreadsheets (with the appropriate
tie-bar connections) to accurately simulate a variety of expansion joint styles.
CAESAR II does not enforce artificial coding rules on the user during model
construction. Models can be started anywhere and can continue in any direction
from tees or anchors. The unique List Processor provides a concise method to review specific data
sets, for example all the bends in the model. The fields in the List Processor
tables are active, allowing user modification of the data. This processor also
enables groups of elements to be "blocked," with further manipulation of the
data in the block. Blocks can be rotated, duplicated, renumbered, or deleted as
necessary. Over 60 restraint types provide the most comprehensive library of boundary
conditions available to the pipe stress analyst today. Support types include all
of the expected linear and non-linear directional restraints, as well as:
bottomed out spring hangers, large rotation rods, and bi-linear soil restraints.
The Buried Pipe Modeler allows rapid creation of complex soil models. By
simply specifying the soil characteristics, and which portions of a system are
buried, CAESAR II can re-mesh the model, computing the soil restraint locations,
directions, and stiffnesses as necessary. Through the use of 32 bit compilers, the upper limit on model size is
restricted solely by the amount of free upper RAM. The limits on model size are
reported in the input processor, to inform the user during model construction.
Context-Sensitive Help The "help" facility provided with CAESAR II gives the user access to very
specific information about the current input cell or menu selection. The help
text details exactly what is expected, why, and when appropriate the code
reference. When necessary, the help text shows the expected units for the
current data cell. The same help engine is used to provide program diagnostics in the event of
system or program failures. Diagnostic messages are available for computational
as well as system abnormalities. All help and diagnostic messages provide complete contact information to
ensure users have a variety of methods available for contacting the COADE
support staff. Interactive Graphics The CAESAR II graphics modules are designed to provide an alternate method of
interrogating the input and output The interactive rotate, pan, and zoom features of the input module are
controlled directly from the cursor pad. A "high light" option is available to
selectively plot any portion of the model matching a particular search criteria,
such as "all the pipe of a certain temperature." The output graphics include standard options such as displaced shapes and
colored stress plots. Additionally, the output graphics can show the direction
of restraint action, and the individual details (displacements, forces, and
stresses) on each element in the model as the cursor is moved through the model.
Integrated Error Checking The CAESAR II program includes an integrated error checker, which is
automatically run following the completion of the input specification. This
error checker analyzes the user-specified input and checks it for consistency
from both a "finite element" and "piping" point of view. Two types of messages
are generated by this error checker, warnings and fatal errors. Warning messages
are conditions which may be errors, but are numerically acceptable. For example,
warning messages are generated when a change in direction is encountered,
without a bend or tee being specified. Fatal error messages are generated when
the specified input data is inconsistent or illogical, for example if the
corrosion allowance is larger than the corresponding wall thickness. Jobs can be analyzed with warning messages, but not with fatal error
messages. Interactive Report Review Once a job has been analyzed, the solution results are available for review
at any time. The review module is interactive, allowing the selective review of
individual output reports for individual load cases. Reports can be generated in
any units system simply by altering the configuration. Reports can be viewed on
the terminal screen, or sent to a printer or to a disk file. DataBases The CAESAR II program incorporates many databases to reduce the time the
analyst spends looking for numeric values associated with piping components.
CAESAR II currently provides the following data bases: Pipe Size Specifications: Valve & Flange DataBases: Crane - The Crane valve & flange data Currently there are 19 spring hanger tables from around the world available.
These tables are: 1 Grinnell (US) Expansion Joint Catalogs: Pathway Bellows (US) Structural Library For structural modeling, CAESAR II includes a number of libraries of
structural shapes. These libraries contain the necessary parameters required to
build the element stiffness matrix as well as dimensioning and detailing data.
The libraries installed with CAESAR II include AISC 1977, AISC 1989, German
1989, Australian 1990, South African 1991, Korean 1990. Graphics Display of Solution Data Once the solution data is available it can alternatively be reviewed in a
graphical format. This presentation shows how the system responds to a
particular set of loads by plotting the system in its deformed position. These
plots can also include restraint, force, and stress data. These graphics results
can be shown on the terminal screen, sent to a printer, or saved in PCX format
for incorporation into desktop publishing documents. Custom Program Configuration The CAESAR II program can be customized to suit individual taste or project
requirements. This customization can be controlled on a directory by directory
basis, accommodating different users or different client needs. The customization options are grouped into categories, such as Text Screen
Colors, Display & Printer, Computation Controls, SIFs & Stresses, and
DataBases. In each category, the options are listed with their current setting.
Typically, the setting of a particular option can be changed by toggling through
a list valid settings. Each option is backed up by on-line help, further
defining the purpose of the option and the available settings. Interfaces to Other Programs CAESAR II provides interfaces to most major CAD packages and several
analytical packages. These interfaces are listed below. CAD Interfaces: AutoCAD - A DXF file can be generated by CAESAR II and exported.
Analytic Interfaces: LIQT - A data file of dynamic pipe forces can be imported. CAESAR II incorporates a robust static solver, employing both the Choleski or
LDLT methods as appropriate. The static solvers are designed to iterate to a
converged solution, modifying the global stiffness matrix as the status of
non-linear restraints changes. Once the static displacement solution is
available, element forces and moments are computed, followed by the element
stress computation according to any of the 21 built-in piping codes. In addition to the standard boundary conditions (restraints and
displacements), the user may specify either WRC-297 vessel or API-650 tank
nozzles. The flexibilities of these nozzles are computed according the
respective document, and inserted into the model at the referenced node point.
Structural steel models can be incorporated into the piping models, or solved
as stand alone models. Buried pipe and jacketed pipe models can be analyzed
also, just as easily. The dynamics solutions include natural frequencies, harmonics, earthquake
spectra, force spectra, and time history. Once the dynamic solution has been
obtained, the animation module can be used to show the natural modes of
vibration, the harmonic response, or the motion in the time domain. Auxiliary modules are provided to determine the acceptability of the piping
forces and moments on the boundary elements of the model. The Equipment module
includes checks for NEMA-SM23, API-610, API-661, API-560, and the HEI Standard.
WRC-107 and WRC-297 modules are provided for stress checks on vessel nozzles.
Other modules allow checking for ASME Section VIII, Division 1, Appendix 2
flanges, expansion joint rating, B31G pipelines, and AISC structural unity
checks. CAESAR II performs stress computations on pipe elements according to various
piping codes. Currently the piping codes incorporated into CAESAR II are: ANSI B31.1 Related Items
Buy the Latest ASME B31.1 Code Here
Buy the Latest ASME B31.3 Code Here
View the Entire ASME Piping Code Catalogue Here |
