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Foundation Design Philosophy for Vertical Vessel / Tower

In this page I will talk about Vertical vessel/Tower equipment foundation load calculation. Following are some
Home pictures of Vertical vessel /Tower:
Vertical Vessel/Tower
Horizontal Vessel
Tube & Shell Exchanger
Rotating Equipment
Storage Tank on Ring
Beam
Equipment on Skid
Pipe Rack
Transformer Pit
Anchor Bolt
Stack Foundation
Help & More Help
Feed Back
About me
Site Link
The Grout
Specialists
Machinery grouting
and foundation
repairs. Solving
vibration problems
www.alphatec-engineering.com
Structural Erection
Picture-1 (Left) - A tall tower vessel resting on skirt and on Foundation.
Search Thousands of
Catalogs for Bridge
Foundation Picture-2 (Right) - A small vertical vessel resting on legs and on fpundation.
Construction
www.globalspec.com Now you will follow the following steps to start the foundation load calculation and design:
Pipestress Step-1 : Review of vessel drawing (Vendor Equipment Drawing)

Engineering
Static, dynamic, stress You need to review Vessel drawings from foundation design point of view and check whether you have
analysis CEA delivers all the following information:
reliable 3D software
www.cea-int.com
l Vessel Erection weight (De1):
l Vessel Empty weight (De2):
ASCE Online Library
Free search 600,000 l Vessel Operating weight (Do):
pages All areas of civil l Vessel Hydrotest weight (Dt):
engineering
www.ascelibrary.org l Wind Shear and Moment
l Seismic Shear and Moment (if the Project site is at Seismic zone)
l Total Height of vessel
Stainless steel tanks l Vessel Center of Gravity location for Seismic load calculation and application
Manufacturing for Anchor bolt location (Bolt circle Dia) with respect to center of vessel and also bolt offset with respect to
beverages, Food, l Plant North line.
chemicals industry l Anchor bolt supporting detail ( Anchor bolt size and detail of anchor chair)
www.astramachinery.lt
l Base plate detail
Step-2 : Verification of foundation location, elevation and external fittings loads
You need to review Plot plan, Equipment location drawings and 3 -D Models and check whether you
have all the following information:
l Verify the area available for foundation.

l Verify Foundation location and Elevation
l Pipe supports and Nozzle loads on Equipment (Dp)
l Location and size of Platforms around the vessel
l Locations of underground pipes
l Electrical and Instrument duct banks
l Locations and extent of adjacent foundations
l Verify the location and extent of new/existing foundations not shown in 3D model or plot plan.
Step-3 : Description of Foundation Loads:
Please follow this section to understand the different loads on foundation:
Vessel Erection weight (De1): The erection weight is the fabricated weight of the vessel, plus
internals, platforms, etc., that are actually erected with the vessel. Data from Equipment drawing.
Vessel Empty weight (De2): The empty weight is the in-place weight of the completed vessel,
including the fabricated weight of the vessel, plus the weight of internals, piping, insulation, and
platforms, but excluding the weight of fluids or products which will be contained in the vessel during
http://www.civildesignhelp.info/vv.html 08/12/2009
operation. Data from Equipment drawings.
Vessel Operating weight (Do): Vessel Empty weight (De2) + Weight of Fluid inside the vessel. Data
from Equipment drawings.
Vessel Hydrotest weight (Dt): Vessel Empty weight (De2) + Weight of test water
Pipe supports and Nozzle loads on Equipment (Dp): Please Coordinate with the Pipe Stress Group for
determination of nozzle loads and loads due to pipe supports attached to the vessel.
Wind Shear and Moment: You will find this load data in vendor drawings. However, you have to
calculate this load based on project design basis. During wind load calculation, you need to consider
the pipes and platforms attached with the vessel. Compare both the data (vendor load data and your
calculated data) and apply the critical one for foundation design.
Seismic Shear and Moment (if the Project site is at Seismic zone): You will find this load data in vendor
drawings. However, you have to calculate this load based on project design basis. During seismic load
calculation, you need to consider the pipes and platforms attached with the vessel. Compare both the
data (vendor load data and your calculated data) and apply critical one for foundation design.
Step-4 : Pedestal Sizing Criteria:
Concrete pedestals supporting vertical vessels shall be sized according to the following criteria:
Face-to-face pedestal size shall be the larger of the following:
(a) Bolt circle + 175mm
(b) Bolt circle + 8 x bolt diameters
(c) Bolt circle + sleeve diameter + 150mm
(d) Diameter of baseplate + 100mm
(e) Bolt circle + 2 x (minimum bolt edge distance)
Pedestals having a diameter or least dimension across sides that is equal to or greater than 1.5m shall be
octagonal in shape. All other pedestals shall be square in shape. For ease of forming, use multiples of 25mm for
each octagonal side or side of square.
It is desirable to make the pedestal deep enough to contain the anchor bolts and keep them out of the mat.
Step-5 : Anchor Bolt Check:
Design of anchor bolts shall be based on the following considerations. Corrosion allowance should be
considered when required by the project design criteria.
Tension Check:
The maximum tension force in the anchor bolts (Tmax) may be calculated according with following
formula:
Tmax = 4*M / (Nb x BCD) - (De1 or De2) / Nb
Where, M = total maximum moment on foundation

BCD = Bolt circle diameter
Nb = no. of anchor bolt
Use De1 or De2 whichever is critical.
The above formula provides a conservative value of Tmax compared to the concrete transformed section
method.
Shear Check:
When anchor bolts are utilized to resist shear, the unit shear per bolt shall be calculated as follows:
Vmax = V / Nb where, V = total shear force on anchor bolt.
When oversized anchor bolt holes are provided in the vessel base plates or when anchor bolt sleeves
that are not grout-filled are used, anchor bolts should be designed to resist tension only.
Frictional resistance to shear between the vessel base plate and the concrete or grouted bearing surface
shall be utilized to resist shears induced by wind or by other static loads. Frictional resistance shall not
be employed to resist shear induced by seismic loads. For seismic-induced shear, adequate mechanical
means shall be provided to resist horizontal shear, either by means of properly detailed anchor bolt / bolt
hole arrangements or through a combination of anchor bolts, shear lugs, or other anchorage devices.
The static coefficient of friction between steel and concrete or between steel and cementitious grout shall
be considered as 0.4 or specified in project design criteria.
Tension Shear Interaction check:
When anchor bolts are subjected to combined shear and tension loads, the design shall be based on
satisfying interaction formula (say Appendix-d of ACI 318).
Please note that anchor bolt edge distance, spacing and load capacity shall be as per project design
criteria.
Step-6 : Load combinations for foundation sizing / Pile loads and Foundation design:
You need to create the load combination per your project design criteria. However, I have created this
load combination based on ACI 318:
Load combination for Foundation sizing and Pile load calculation (un-factored load calculation):
l LC1: Do + Dp
l LC2: (De1 or De2) + Wind
l LC3: De2 + Seismic
l LC4: Do + Dp + Wind
l LC5: Do + Dp + Seismic
l LC6: Dt + 025*Wind
Load combination for Pedestal and Foundation design (factored load calculation):
l LC7: 1.4*(Do + Dp)

l LC8: 0.75 [1.4 De2 (or 1.4 De1)] +1.6 Wind
l LC9: 1.2 De2 +1.0 E
l LC10: 0.75 (1.4 Do + 1.4 Dp) + 1.6 Wind
l LC11: 1.2 (Do + Dp) + 1.0 E
l LC12: 0.75 (1.4 Dt) + 1.6 (0.25 W)
The weight of the foundation and of the soil on top of the foundation shall be included as dead load in all of
these load combinations.
Now from above steps, you have learnt the following:
l Different types of loads on foundation

l Different criterias for the pedestal sizing
l Maximum tension and shear force on each anchor bolt
l A sample load combinations.
To complete the foundation design, your work will be to create following calculation sheets:
A calculation sheet for anchor bolt embedment length check (ex: ACI 318 appendix-D).
A calculation sheet for foundation sizing (considering soil bearing pressure, Sliding, Buoyancy and
overturning) or pile load (tension, compression and shear on each pile) calculation and check with soil
consultant for acceptable values.
A calculation sheet for foundation and pedestal reinforcement calculation per your project design
criteria.
For typical Platform and foundation for a Vertical Vessel / Tower click here
Discussions:
Question from visitor: What is the reference of anchor bolt tension calculation formula?
Answer from Subhro: Refer "ASCE task committee on anchor bolt design" clause #3.5.1.1 - vessel anchor bolt design.
Question from visitor: How do I calculate the wind load on vertical vessel?
Answer from Subhro: Refer "Wind load and anchor bolts design for petrochemical facility by ASCE"
I hope this page will be very helpful to you to understand the basic foundation loads of a Vertical Vessel / Tower.
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved. Please do not print or copy of this page or any part of this page without written
permission from Subhro Roy.
Disclaimer: This page is prepared based on experience on Civil Engineering Design. All definitions and most of the
explanations are taken from different text books and international design codes, which are referenced in the contents. Any
similarity of the content or part of with any company document is simply a coincidence. Subhro Roy is not responsible for
that.
Foundation Design Philosophy for Horizontal Vessel

In this page I will talk about Horizontal vessel / Horizontal Drum equipment foundation load calculation. Following
Home is a picture of Horizontal vessel / Drum:
Horizontal Vessel
Rotating Equipment
Beam
Equipment on Skid
Pipe Rack
Transformer Pit
Anchor Bolt
Stack Foundation
Help & More Help
Feed Back
About me
Site Link
Now you will follow the following steps to start the foundation load calculation and design:
Step-1 : Review of vessel drawing (Vendor Equipment Drawing)
You need to review Vessel drawings from foundation design point of view and check whether you have
all the following information:
l Vessel Erection weight (De1):

l Vessel Empty weight (De2):
l Vessel Operating weight (Do):
l Vessel Hydrotest weight (Dt):
l Wind Shear and Moment in transverse direction
l Seismic Shear and Moment in transverse direction (if the Project site is at Seismic zone)
l Vessel operating temperature and confirm with Mechnaical discipline
l Total length of vessel and spacing of saddle supports
l Vessel Center of Gravity location with respect to saddle
l Anchor bolt location on fixed and sliding saddle
l Detail of equipment saddle (fixed and sliding)

Vessel Erection weight (De1): The erection weight is the fabricated weight of the vessel, plus
internals, platforms, etc., that are actually erected with the vessel. Data from Equipment drawing.
Vessel Empty weight (De2): The empty weight is the in-place weight of the completed vessel,
including the fabricated weight of the vessel, plus the weight of internals, piping, insulation, and
platforms, but excluding the weight of fluids or products which will be contained in the vessel during
operation. Data from Equipment drawings.
Vessel Operating weight (Do): Vessel Empty weight (De2) + Weight of Fluid inside the vessel. Data
from Equipment drawings.
Wind Shear and Moment (W): You will find this load data in vendor drawings. However, you have to
calculate this load based on project design basis. During wind load calculation, you need to consider
the pipes and platforms attached with the vessel. Transverse and longitudinal wind load shall be
calculated per design project criteria. No allowance shall be made for shielding of winds by nearby
equioment. The calculated design moments and shears due to wind load should be compared to those
shown on the vessel drawings and maximum loads shall be used for foundation design.
http://www.civildesignhelp.info/hv.html 08/12/2009
Seismic Shear and Moment (E) (if the Project site is at Seismic zone): You will find this load data in
vendor drawings. However, you have to calculate this load based on project design basis. During
seismic load calculation, you need to consider the pipes and platforms attached with the vessel. The
longitudinal seismic force shall be resisted by the fixed end pier only unless the piers are tied together
by tie beams below the base plates. Transverse seismic forces shall be resisted by both piers using
saddle or base plate reactions as the basis for computing base shear. The calculated design moments
and shears due to seismic should be compared to those shown on the vessel drawings and maximum
loads shall be used for foundation design.
Thermal Load (T): The thermal load is defined as the load which results from thermal expansion or
contraction of the exchanger/vessel in the longitudinal direction. The maximum thermal force is equal
to the maximum static friction force (frictional resistance) acting at the equipment sliding support before
the saddle begins to move. The frictional resistance equals the coefficient of friction (see project
design criteria) times the vertical support reaction.
The thermal load considered in foundation design shall be the smaller of the following:
1. The maximum pier reaction at the sliding end times the coefficient of friction of the sliding
surfaces
2. The force required to deflect each pier one-half the amount of the total thermal expansion
between supports (assuming thermal loads of equal magnitude, but opposite directions, act on
each pier).
Generally, for short piers, the frictional force discussed in item (a) above governs the design.
You need to create the load combination per your project design criteria. However, I have created this
load combination based on ACI 318:
l LC1: Do + Dp + T
l LC2: (De1 or De2)+ Wind
l LC3: De2+ Seismic
l LC4: Do + Dp + Wind + T
l LC5: Do + Dp + Seismic + T
l LC6: Dt + 025*Wind
l LC7: 1.4*(Do + T + Dp )
l LC8: 0.75 [1.4 De2 (or 1.4 De1)] +1.6 Wind
l LC9: 1.2 De2 +1.0 E
l LC10: 0.75 (1.4 Do +1.4 T + 1.4 Dp) 1.6 Wind
l LC11: 1.2 (Do +T + Dp) + 1.0 E
l LC12: 0.75 (1.4 Dt) + 1.6 (0.25 W)
Maximum shear and tension on anchor bolt shall be calculated based on above load combinations and shall
be compared with project acceptable value. Anchor bolt embedment length shall be checked per any project
approved code (ex: ACI 318 appendix-D).
Step-6 : Pedestal Sizing and reinforcement:
l Unless controlled by other factors, the minimum pier dimensions in each direction should equal to the
dimensions of the base plate plus 100mm. Piers shall be sized in 50mm increments. The minimum
thickness of the pier should be approximately 10% of the pier height, with a minimum of 250mm.
l Pier size should be adjusted to ensure the factored vertical force on the pier does not exceed the value
of 0.1Agfc (Refer ACI 318 section 10.3.5)
l Piers should be designed as axially loaded cantilever flexural members
l When the size of the pier cannot be adjusted and the value of the axial load exceeds 0.1Agfc, the
piers should be designed as compression members subjected to combined flexure and compressive
axial load.
l For piers with slenderness ratio equal to or exceeding 22, moment magnification effects should be
considered (refer section 10.13 of ACI 318). In calculating the slenderness ratio, a "K" factor of 2
should be used. The P-M column interaction check may also be considered in pier design.
l Shears on piers along both the longitudinal and transverse directions of the equipment shall be
checked per code requirements (refer ACI 318, Chapter 11).
l Reinforcement should normally be arranged symmetrically. Both the fixed end and sliding end piers
shall be sized and reinforced identically. For pier height less than 7 feet, the vertical reinforcement
may be extended from the foundation with no dowels being required.
l A double tie shall be placed at the top of piers, spaced 50mm and 125mm below the top of concrete (or
below the bottom of grout), to protect the top of concrete piers against cracking.
Step-7 : Slide plate :
l Slide plates are placed at the sliding end pier to allow longitudinal movement of exchangers and
vessels due to the thermal growth. The steel slide plate on the sliding end is generally coated with
Dow Corning G-n Metal Assembly Paste or similar lubricant in order to reduce the coefficient of
friction. Slide plates should be galvanized or painted to prevent corrosion.
l For large movements and/or heavy horizontal vessels, it may be necessary to use slide plates with low
coefficient of static friction, such as lubrite, teflon, etc. Design of lubrite and teflon slide plates shall be
in accordance with the recommendations of the slide plate manufacturer, as the coefficient of static
friction varies with the temperature and pressure at the bearing surface.
l Typical coefficients of friction () are as follows
l 0.15, for mild steel slide plates coated with Dow Corning G-n Metal Assembly Paste
l 0.20, for mild steel to mild steel without lubricant
l 0.06, for teflon slide plates with bearing pressure over 100 psi

A calculation sheet for foundation sizing (considering soil bearing pressure, Sliding, Buoyancy and
criteria.
For typical foundation for a Horizontal Vessel click here
I hope this page will be very helpful to you to understand the basic foundation loads of a Horizontal Vessel.
that.
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Foundation Design Philosophy for Shell & Tube

Home Exchanger
Horizontal Vessel In this page I will talk about Shell & Tube Exchanger equipment foundation load calculation. Following is a picture
Tube & Shell Exchanger of Shell & Tube Exchanger:
Rotating Equipment
Beam
Equipment on Skid
Pipe Rack
Transformer Pit
Anchor Bolt
Stack Foundation
Help & More Help
Feed Back
About me
Site Link
Now you will follow the following steps to start the foundation load calculation and design:
Step-1 : Review of vessel drawing (Vendor Equipment Drawing)
You need to review Vessel drawings from foundation design point of view and check whether you have all the
following information:
l Vessel Erection weight (De1)

l Vessel Empty weight (De2)
l Vessel Operating weight (Do)
l Vessel Hydrotest weight (Dt)
l Weight of Tube Bundle
l Wind Shear and Moment in transverse direction
l Seismic Shear and Moment in transverse direction (if the Project site is at Seismic zone)
l Vessel operating temperature and confirm with Mechnaical discipline
l Total length of vessel and spacing of saddle supports
l Vessel Center of Gravity location with respect to saddle
l Anchor bolt location on fixed and sliding saddle
l Detail of equipment saddle (fixed and sliding)
You need to review Plot plan, Equipment location drawings and 3 -D Models and check whether you have all the

Vessel Erection weight (De1): The erection weight is the fabricated weight of the vessel, plus internals,
platforms, etc., that are actually erected with the vessel. Data from Equipment drawing.
Vessel Empty weight (De2): The empty weight is the in-place weight of the completed vessel, including the
fabricated weight of the vessel, plus the weight of internals, piping, insulation, and platforms, but excluding the
weight of fluids or products which will be contained in the vessel during operation. Data from Equipment drawings.
Vessel Operating weight (Do): Vessel Empty weight (De2) + Weight of Fluid inside the vessel. Data from
Equipment drawings.
http://www.civildesignhelp.info/ex.html 08/12/2009
Wind Shear and Moment (W): You will find this load data in vendor drawings. However, you have to calculate
this load based on project design basis. During wind load calculation, you need to consider the pipes and
platforms attached with the vessel. Transverse and longitudinal wind load shall be calculated per design project
criteria. No allowance shall be made for shielding of winds by nearby equioment. The calculated design moments
and shears due to wind load should be compared to those shown on the vessel drawings and maximum loads
shall be used for foundation design.
Seismic Shear and Moment (E) (if the Project site is at Seismic zone): You will find this load data in vendor
drawings. However, you have to calculate this load based on project design basis. During seismic load
calculation, you need to consider the pipes and platforms attached with the vessel. The longitudinal seismic force
shall be resisted by the fixed end pier only unless the piers are tied together by tie beams below the base plates.
Transverse seismic forces shall be resisted by both piers using saddle or base plate reactions as the basis for
computing base shear. The calculated design moments and shears due to seismic should be compared to those
shown on the vessel drawings and maximum loads shall be used for foundation design.
Thermal Load (T): The thermal load is defined as the load which results from thermal expansion or contraction
of the exchanger/vessel in the longitudinal direction. The maximum thermal force is equal to the maximum static
friction force (frictional resistance) acting at the equipment sliding support before the saddle begins to move. The
frictional resistance equals the coefficient of friction (see project design criteria) times the vertical support
reaction.
The thermal load considered in foundation design shall be the smaller of the following:
l The maximum pier reaction at the sliding end times the coefficient of friction of the sliding surfaces
l The force required to deflect each pier one-half the amount of the total thermal expansion between
supports (assuming thermal loads of equal magnitude, but opposite directions, act on each pier).
Bundle Pull Load (Lb): The bundle pull load is applicable only to foundations supporting exchangers with a
removable tube bundle. It is the longitudinal force which results from the tube bundle removal operation during
maintenance.This force shall be applied at the center of bundle elevation. In case of stacked exchangers, the
more (most) critical load due to bundle pull, applied at the center of the respective bundle, shall be used. The
force due to bundle pull shall be resisted by the fixed end pier only. Bundle pull load may be omitted if a bundle
pulling extractor is used for removal of the bundle. The method of bundle removal should be listed in the project
design criteria. Unless the project design criteria dictates otherwise, the bundle pull load is considered to be 100%
of the bundle weight. Bundle pull load should be considered as live load for assigning load factors.
You need to create the load combination per your project design criteria. However, I have created this load
combination based on ACI 318:
l LC1: Do + Dp + T
l LC2: (De1 or De2)+ Wind
l LC3: De2+ Seismic
l LC4: Do + Dp + Wind + T
l LC5: Do + Dp + Seismic + T
l LC6: Dt + 025*Wind * LC7: De2+ Lb
l LC8: 1.4*(Do + T + Dp )
l LC9: 0.75 [1.4 De2 (or 1.4 De1)] +1.6 Wind
l LC10: 1.2 De2 +1.0 E
l LC11: 0.75 (1.4 Do +1.4 T + 1.4 Dp) 1.6 Wind
l LC12: 1.2 (Do +T + Dp) + 1.0 E
l LC13: 0.75 (1.4 Dt) + 1.6 (0.25 W)
l LC14: 1.4*De2+ 1.7*Lb
The weight of the foundation and of the soil on top of the foundation shall be included as dead load in all of these
load combinations.
Maximum shear and tension on anchor bolt shall be calculated based on above load combinations and shall be
compared with project acceptable value. Anchor bolt embedment length shall be checked per any project
approved code (ex: ACI 318 appendix-D).
Step-6 : Pedestal Sizing and reinforcement:
Unless controlled by other factors, the minimum pier dimensions in each direction should equal to the dimensions
of the base plate plus 100mm. Piers shall be sized in 50mm increments. The minimum thickness of the pier
should be approximately 10% of the pier height, with a minimum of 250mm.
l Pier size should be adjusted to ensure the factored vertical force on the pier does not exceed the value of
0.1Agfc (Refer ACI 318 section 10.3.5)
l Piers should be designed as axially loaded cantilever flexural members
l When the size of the pier cannot be adjusted and the value of the axial load exceeds 0.1Agfc, the piers
should be designed as compression members subjected to combined flexure and compressive axial load.
l For piers with slenderness ratio equal to or exceeding 22, moment magnification effects should be
considered (refer section 10.13 of ACI 318). In calculating the slenderness ratio, a "K" factor of 2 should be
used. The P-M column interaction check may also be considered in pier design.
l Shears on piers along both the longitudinal and transverse directions of the equipment shall be checked per
code requirements (refer ACI 318, Chapter 11).

l Reinforcement should normally be arranged symmetrically. Both the fixed end and sliding end piers shall be
sized and reinforced identically. For pier height less than 7 feet, the vertical reinforcement may be extended
from the foundation with no dowels being required.
l A double tie shall be placed at the top of piers, spaced 50mm and 125mm below the top of concrete (or
below the bottom of grout), to protect the top of concrete piers against cracking.
Step-7 : Slide plate :
l Slide plates are placed at the sliding end pier to allow longitudinal movement of exchangers and vessels
due to the thermal growth. The steel slide plate on the sliding end is generally coated with Dow Corning G-n
Metal Assembly Paste or similar lubricant in order to reduce the coefficient of friction. Slide plates should be
galvanized or painted to prevent corrosion.
l For large movements and/or heavy vessels, it may be necessary to use slide plates with low coefficient of
static friction, such as lubrite, teflon, etc. Design of lubrite and teflon slide plates shall be in accordance with
the recommendations of the slide plate manufacturer, as the coefficient of static friction varies with the
temperature and pressure at the bearing surface.
l Typical coefficients of friction (m) are as follows:
* 0.15, for mild steel slide plates coated with Dow Corning G-n Metal Assembly Paste
* 0.20, for mild steel to mild steel without lubricant
* 0.06, for teflon slide plates with bearing pressure over 100 psi

l A calculation sheet for anchor bolt embedment length check (ex: ACI 318 appendix-D).
l A calculation sheet for foundation sizing (considering soil bearing pressure, Sliding, Buoyancy and
l A calculation sheet for foundation and pedestal reinforcement calculation per your project design criteria.
For a typical foundation for Shell & Tube Exchanger click here
that.
Foundation Design Philosophy for Rotating Equipment

References has been taken from,
Home 1. Design of structures and foundations for vibrating machines by S. Arya, M. O'Neill and G. Pincus
Vertical Vessel/Tower 2. Foundation analysis and design by J. E. Bowels
Horizontal Vessel 3. Dynamics of bases and foundations by D. Barkan
Tube & Shell Exchanger 4. Design of Machine Foundations - Lecture Notes of Professor M.H. El Naggar, Department of Civil
Engineering, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5B9
Rotating Equipment
In this page I will talk about the rigid block foundation for Centrifugal (Pump) and Reciprocating machines
Beam
(Compressor). We are considering the concrete block is infinitely rigid and thus a lump mass model can be
Equipment on Skid considered in computer 3D modelling. To start the design of a block foundation, we need to follow the following
Pipe Rack steps to collect the design data:
Transformer Pit
Anchor Bolt Step-1 : Review of pump / compressor drawing (Vendor Equipment Drawing)
Stack Foundation
Help & More Help The machine data pertinent to the dynamic analysis and design of the block foundation should be obtained
from vendors.
Feed Back
About me l Plan dimension of pump / compressor base frame
l Height of rotor / shaft center line from the bottom of skid
Site Link
l Anchor bolt location, size and embedment depth
l Weight of machine parts and the rotor parts (pump / compressor rotor and motor rotor)
l Location of center of gravity both vertically and horizontally
l Operating speed of machines and power rating of motor (RPM)
l Magnitude and direction of unbalanced forces.
For reciprocating machines both primary and secondary unbalanced forces and couples and
l respective CG locations needs to be checked.
l Limit of deflection and vibration amplitudes at center line of rotor.
Step-2 : Collection of Geotechnical / soil data (Pl discuss with soil consultant and look into project design criteria)
The Geotechnical data are used for evaluating the soil / pile stiffness and damping coefficients, and are
required for both static and dynamic design and analysis of of block foundations. Following soil parameters
are required:
l Soil weight density

l Poisson's ratio
l Dynamic shear modulus (G)
l Shear wave velocity (vs)
l Dynamic modulus of sub-grade reaction (ks)
l Allowable soil bearing pressure or pile load carrying capacity for design of foundation
Step-3 : Categorization of rotating machines based on machine speed:
The rotating machines are categorized based on machine speed. Following are different categories of
machines:
l Low Speed machine: The low speed machines operate at a speed range of less than 500 RPM. High
tuned foundations, having first natural frequency more than machine's operating speed, should be
designed for this type of machines. In this case machine do not pass the resonance during machine
start up and coast down condition.
l Intermediate speed machine: The intermediate speed machines operate at a speed range 500 RPM to
1000 RPM. Foundations should be designed for this type of machines high tuned or low tuned side
whchever more practical. If the foundation is low tuned, dynamic amplitude shall be checked during
start up and coast down condition.
l High Speed machine: The high speed machines operate at a speed range of more than 1000 RPM.
Low tuned foundations, having first natural frequency less than machine's operating speed, should be
designed for this type of machines. In this case machine will pass the resonance during machine start
up and coast down condition. Dynamic amplitude shall be checked during start up and coast down
condition. You need to ensure that there is no adverse effect to machine operation during the resonant
conditions.
l Variable Speed machine: The variable speed machines operate at a speed range as prescribed by
vendor. Foundations should be designed for this type of machines high tuned or low tuned side
whchever more practical. A detail dynamic analysis of foundation is required for a range of machine
operating speeds to ensure that the dynamic design criteria are met.
Step-4 : Preliminary sizing of foundations:
A block foundation consists of massive concrete blocks, piers and mat foundation. The preliminary sizinng of
block should be based on the following:
l Weight of the block foundation should be at least 4 times the weight of reciprocating machines and 3
times the weight of centrifugal machines.
l The width of foundation should be at least 1.5 times the vertical distance from the bottom of foundation
to the center line of the shaft / rotor.
http://www.civildesignhelp.info/pump.html 08/12/2009
l The center of mass of machine foundation (machine+foundation system) should coincide with the
centroid of the soil foundation or pile group resistance. Horizontal eccentricity should be limited to 5%
of the corresponding foundation dimension.
l For a rigid mat, following criteria to be followed:
Minimum thickness of the mat will be 600 mm or 1/5 th of least foundation dimensions or 1/10 th
of largest foundation dimensions, whichever is greater .
Maximum thickness of the mat will be 1500 mm
Minimum thickness of mat, t = 0.0012 x (ks x (a)4)1/3 ft, ks = soil dynamic modulus of subgrade
reaction, lbs/in3, from soil report, a = maximum cantilever projection (inches), measured from
face of block (Refer: Foundation analysis and design by J E Bowles)
Step-5 : Requirement for dynamic analysis of foundations:
Dynamic analysis of concrete foundations are not required for all the foundations supporting rotating
equipment. You need to refer your project design criteria for the conditions for dynamic analysis. Following
are the general criteria for not performing any dynamic analysis of foundation supporting rotating equipment:
l Dynamic analysis is not required if the weight of machine is less than 25kN.
l Dynamic analysis is not required if the power rating of motor is less than 200hp.
If you are not doing any dynamic analysis of concrete block foundation, then follow Step-4 for foundation
sizing and put it into 3D model for any interference check.
If you are doing the dynamic analysis of concrete block, then follow the following steps.
Step-6 : Calculation of un-balanced forces for dynamic analysis of foundations:
If unbalance force is not mentioned in the Vendor equipment drawing, then you will calculate the force as
follows:
Un-balance force for pump: Fpump = mp-rotor x e x w2
Un-balance force for motor: Fmotor = mm-rotor x e x w2
Where, mp-rotor = weight of pump rotor, mm-rotor = weight of motor rotor
w = circular frequency = 2 x pi x (f / 60), f = speed of machine from vendor drawing (RPM).
e = rotor eccentricity, depends on machine speed
Eccentricity Table ( Refer reference -1)
Eccentricity e
Machine Operating Speed (f in RPM)
(mils)
Pump / compressor f < 3000 (1.8-107) / (f)2
Pump / compressor f > 3000 (12000/f)1/2
Motor f < 1500 1.5
Motor 1500< f < 3000 1
Motor f > 3000 0.5
Now you are having all the information to start the foundation analysis and design. You can put all the above data
in any computer software program (say - Dyna5) or use any text books to calculated the natural frequencies of
foundation. You can also use the different tables that I have attached here (click for the table).
Natural frequency analysis of foundation:
This rigid block has six degree of freedom. So, you will calculate all the following uncouple natural frequencies:
1. Sliding Frequency along horizontal X-direction

2. Sliding Frequency along horizontal Y-direction
3. Sliding Frequency along vertical Z-direction
4. Rocking Frequency about X, rotational mode
5. Rocking Frequency about Y, rotational mode
6. Rocking Frequency about Z, rotational mode
When the CG of foundation system is far above the foundation base, coupling effect needs to be considered to
calculate the foundation natural frequency. In this case sliding mode and rocking mode frequencies overlap each
other and as a result foundation dynamic analysis may be more critical. You can calculate the coupled natural
frequency using the formula mentioned in the table.
Coupled condition: 1. Sliding along X & Rocking about-Y and 2. Sliding along Y & Rocking about X
Once, analysis is completed, please check the foundation for the following conditions:
Resonance Frequency Check:
Calculate resonanace frequency and check that reonance frequency ratio is either 0.8 or 1.2.
Resonance frequency can be calculated as follows: fd = fn / (1-2 x D2)
where, fn = foundation natural frequency, D = Damping ration (see table 5 and 12)
Soil Bearing Pressure / Pile Capacity Check
Soil bearing pressure or pile load should not exceed 75% of the allowable. Please avoid any foundation
upliftment in seismic / wind condition.
Maximum Velocity check:
Maximum velocity should fall in "Good Condition" per table-1 of attached table
Environmental condition
Maximum displacement amplitude of vibration at foundation level should lie within or below "Zone-B" of
figure -1 and it should fall below the Zone "Troublesome to persons" of figure -2 in the attached table.
Reinforcement:
Reinforcement shall be provided per project approved design code. However, you can use minimum
reinforcement as follows:
0.2% rebar on all face of concrete block and mat.
1% rebar for all concrete pedestal.
Rebar spacing should not be more than 300 mm.
Anchor Bolt:
Anchor bolt shall be checked for start-up and coast down contion.
For a typical pump foundation drawing click here
I hope this page will be very helpful to you to understand the basic design of a Pump foundation.
that.
Design of Concrete Ring Beam for Storage Tank

Home In this page I will talk about the design philosophy of ring beam for storage water tank. The granular fill foundation
Vertical Vessel/Tower of the tank shall be designed per project design criteria / specification. This type of foundation is mostly common
Horizontal Vessel to all project site. However, sometimes we design concrete ring beam around the tank foundation. Following are
Tube & Shell Exchanger some reasons for design of concrete ring beam, though this is more costly and take longer to construct than
granular fill ring:
Rotating Equipment
Storage Tank on Ring l Sometimes clients ask to provide concrete ring beam around tank foundation.
Beam l Prevent uplift of the tank due to wind or earthquake
Equipment on Skid l Prevent edge failure of the soil at the tank shell
Pipe Rack l Prevent local uplift of the tank due to internal pressure.
Transformer Pit
Anchor Bolt Now you will follow the following steps to start the foundation load calculation and design:
Stack Foundation
Help & More Help Step-1 : Review of Tank detail drawing (Vendor Drawing)
Feed Back You need to review tank drawings from foundation design point of view and check whether you have all the
About me following information:
Site Link
l Tank Dimension, Diameter and Height
l Type of Roof (Floating or fixed roof), weight of roof
l Detail of tank shell and weight of tank shell
l Detail of tank base plate, location of base sump, annular plate and total weight of base plate
l Detail of anchor bolt (BCD, no of bolt and dia of bolt) and anchor bolt fixing detail
l Location and detail of man-hole at bottom portion of tank
l Product density and and maximum height of product
l Maximum height of water inside the tank for the hydrotest* Internal pressure or suction
l Live load
l Wind Shear and moment on tank shell
l Seismic shear and moment on tank shell

l Pipe supports and Nozzle loads on tank (Dp)
l Location and size of Platforms around the tank
Step-3 : Loads on concrete ring beam and on the confined compacted granular fill in-side the ring:
You need to place concrete ring beam in such a way that outer surface of the tank shell should be the center of
ring beam. Consider the following loads on ring beam and on granular compacted fill inside the concrete ring.
Geotechnical Data:
Before starting the design, you need to collect the following information about soil:
l Allowable Bearing Pressure

l Density of Soil
l Co-efficient of earth pressure at rest (Ko)
Loads on Ring beam:
l Total weight of tank shell (vertical load), kN / m (DL)

l Total weight of roof , for fixed roof case. For floating roof, part of the roof weight will come on the ring beam,
kN / m (DL)
l Total live load on roof , for fixed roof case. For floating roof, part of the live load will come on the ring beam,
kN / m (LL)
l Part of annular base weight on ring beam, kN / m2 (DL)
l Part of product / test water load on ring beam, kN / m2 (PL)
l Seismic shear and wind shear on ring beam, kN / m
l Part of internal pressure / suction load on ring beam, kN / m2(IP)
Loads on compacted granular fill inside the ring beam:
l Floating roof weight on compacted granular fill, kN / m2(DL)

l Annular base weight on compacted granular fill, kN / m2 (DL)
http://www.civildesignhelp.info/tf.html 08/12/2009
l Live load on floated roof, kN / m2 (LL)

l Product / test water load on compacted granular fill, kN / m2(PL)
l Internal pressure / suction load on compacted granular fill, kN / m2 (IP)
Following load combimations can be used for soil bearing pressure check (at bottom of ring beam level) :
l Load Combination: LC1 - Self weight of soil / Beam + Self weight of tank + Product weight + Internal
pressure
Pressure + Live Load
pressure + Wind Load
pressure + Seismic Load
pressure + Live Load + Wind Load
pressure + Live Load + Seismic Load
l Load Combination: LC7 - Self weight of soil / Beam + Self weight of tank + Test water weight
Load combinations for Ring beam design for Hoop tension:
l Load Combination: UC1 - 1.7 x (Surcharge load of confined soil) + 1.7 x Surcharge load of (Self weight of
tank + Product weight + Internal pressure)
tank + Product weight + Internal pressure)+ 1.4 x surcharge of Live Load
tank + test water weight)
Step-4 : Determination of concrete ring beam size:
The ring wall should be a minimum 300 mm thick and extend to a suitable bearing stratum, whch may be natural
ground or built-up compacted granular material. It should be 500 mm below ground level and extend below frost
line. The bearing capacity of the soil below the ringwall should be calculated using a strip foundation analysis
loaded with vertical load as mentioned in step-3.
API 650, appendix-B, clause B.4.2.2 states that it is desireable that the ringwall width be such that the average
unit soil loading under the ring wall will be approximately equal to the earth pressure under the confined earth at
the same depth (in maximum liquid level condition).
Once, the ringwall thickness is determined from above condition, it should be reviewed to ensure that excessive
quantities of concrete are not used for tanks with low liquid levels and that the permissible ground pressure for the
width of the wall is not exceeded.
Please note that, soil bearing pressure under the ring beam and under the confined earth at same depth should
not exceed the allowable soil bearing pressure for any of the above described load and any load combinations.
Step-5 : Determination of Hoop Tension on concrete ring beam and reinforcement calculation:
The concrete ring beam shall be designed for hoop tension. This hoop tension will be generated from surcharge
load due to confined soil and loads on confined soil.
Load calculation:
Surcharge due to confined soil: Sursoil = 0.5 x (height of ringwall)2 x soil density x Co-efficient of earth pressure
at rest (Ko)
Surcharge due to uniform load on confined soil: Surudl = (Load on confined soil) x (height of ringwall) x Co-
efficient of earth pressure at rest (Ko)
Total Hoop tension (T) = (Sursoil + Surudl) x (0.5 x centerline diameter of ring beam)
Factored Hoop Tension load can be calculated as per step-3.
Required area of Hoop reinforcement is, Ast = (Factored Hoop tension) / (0.9 x yeild stress of rebar---fy)
The ringwall must also be designed to take care circumferential bending moments due to the vertical load being
applied eccentrically to the ringwall center line.
The ringwall should be reinforced on both faces, with vertical reinforcement (stirrups) closest to the concrete
surfaces. Not more than 50% of the hoop reinforcement should be lapped at any one position.
Step-6 : Anchor Bolt Design:
Anchor bolt shall be checked per design criteria and Tenssion & Shear load supplied by vendor. If wind and shear
forces are not supllied by vendor, you need to calculate the anchorage load from API 650. Anchor bolt shall be
designed for ductility failure. If required, additional reinforcement to be provided around the anchor bolt.
For a typical concrete ring beam detail click here.
I hope this page will be very helpful to you to understand the basic design of a concrete ring beam for storage
tank.
that.
Foundation Design Philosophy for Equipment on Skid

In this page I will talk about the foundation design philosophy for Equipment on skid. These equipment are static
in nature and are resting on Channel section or Wide beam section. A very simple analysis and design is required
Home to produce a Foundation for equipment on skid. You need to follow the following steps to complete the foundation
Vertical Vessel/Tower design:
Horizontal Vessel
Tube & Shell Exchanger Step-1 : Review of Equipment Drawing (Vendor Equipment Drawing)
Rotating Equipment
l Plan dimension of Equipment base frame
Storage Tank on Ring l Height of Equipment
Beam l Anchor bolt location, size and embedment depth
Equipment on Skid l Empty weight of Equipment (De)
Pipe Rack l Operating weight of equipment (Do)
Transformer Pit l Location of center of gravity both vertically and horizontally
Anchor Bolt
Stack Foundation Step-2 : Verification of foundation location, elevation and external fittings loads
Help & More Help
Feed Back have all the following information:
About me
Site Link l Verify the area available for foundation.
l Location and size of Platforms around the Equipment, if any
Equipment Empty weight : The empty weight is the in-place weight of the Equipment, including the
fabricated weight of the equipment, plus the weight of internals, piping and insulation, but excluding
the weight of fluids or products which will be contained in the equipment during operation.
Equipment Operating weight : Equipment Empty weight (De2) + Weight of Fluid inside the
Equipment
determination of nozzle loads and loads due to pipe supports attached to the Equipment.
Wind Shear and Moment: Most of the time you will not find this load data in vendor drawings. You need
to calculate this load based on project design basis. During wind load calculation, you need to consider
the pipes and platforms attached with the equipment.
Seismic Shear and Moment (if the Project site is at Seismic zone): Most of the time you will not find this
load data in vendor drawings. You need to calculate this load based on project design basis. During
seismic load calculation, you need to consider the pipes and platforms attached with the equipment.
Step-4 : Block Sizing Criteria:
Concrete foundation block supporting equipment, shall be sized according to the following criteria:
Face-to-face Block size shall be the larger of the following:
(a) Bolt center line distance + 200mm
(b) Bolt center line distance+ 8 x bolt diameters
(c) Bolt center line distance + sleeve diameter + 150mm
(d) Out to out dimension of skid + 100mm each side
(e) Bolt center line distance + 2 x (minimum bolt edge distance)
It is desirable to make the pedestal deep enough to contain the anchor bolts.
Design of anchor bolts shall be based on the following considerations. Corrosion allowance should be considered
when required by the project design criteria.
http://www.civildesignhelp.info/skf.html 08/12/2009
Tension Check:
The maximum tension force in the anchor bolts (Tmax) may be calculated according with following formula:
Tmax = M / (Nb x BCD) (Equipment weight) / Nb
Where, M = total maximum moment on foundation due to wind or seismic
BCD = Bolt center line distance
Shear Check:
When oversized anchor bolt holes are provided in the vessel base plates or when anchor bolt sleeves that
are not grout-filled are used, anchor bolts should be designed to resist tension only.
Frictional resistance to shear between the equipment skid and the concrete or grouted bearing surface shall
be utilized to resist shears induced by wind or by other static loads. Frictional resistance shall not be
employed to resist shear induced by seismic loads. For seismic-induced shear, adequate mechanical
means shall be provided to resist horizontal shear, either by means of properly detailed anchor bolt / bolt
hole arrangements or through a combination of anchor bolts, shear lugs, or other anchorage devices. The
static coefficient of friction between steel and concrete or between steel and cementitious grout shall be
considered as 0.4 or specified in project design criteria.
When anchor bolts are subjected to combined shear and tension loads, the design shall be based on
satisfying interaction formula (say, Appendix-d of ACI 318).
Please note that anchor bolt edge distance, spacing and load capacity shall be as per project design criteria.
l LC1: Do + Dp
l LC2: (De) + Wind
l LC3: Do + Seismic
l LC4: Do + Dp + Wind
l LC5: Do + Dp + Seismic
l LC6: 1.4*(Do + Dp)

l LC7: 0.75 [1.4 De] +1.6 Wind
l LC8: 1.2 Do +1.0 E
l LC9: 0.75 (1.4 Do + 1.4 Dp) + 1.6 Wind
l LC10: 1.2 (Do + Dp) + 1.0 E

l Different criterias for the concrete block sizing
A calculation sheet for Concrete block sizing (considering soil bearing pressure, Sliding, Buoyancy and
criteria.
I hope this page will be very helpful to you to understand the basic foundation loads of a Skid Mounted
Equipment.
that.
Pipe rack Design Philosophy

In this page I will talk about the pipe rack design philosophy. Pipe rack is the main artery of any plant. This
Home carries the pipes and cable trays (raceways) from one equipment to another equipment within a process unit
Vertical Vessel/Tower (called ISBL piperack) or carries the pipe and cable trays from one unit to another unit (called OSBL pipe rack).
Horizontal Vessel Some times you will also find the AIR COOLED HEAT EXCHANGERS on the pipe rack.
There are different types of pipe rack:
Rotating Equipment
Storage Tank on Ring l Continuous Piperacks (conventional pipe rack) system
Beam l Non-continuous Piperacks system
Equipment on Skid l Modular Pipe rack
Pipe Rack
Transformer Pit
Anchor Bolt Conventional / Continuous Pipe rack
Stack Foundation
Help & More Help Continuous Piperacks (conventional pipe rack) system: This is essentially a system where multiple 2-dimensional
(2D) frame assemblies (commonly called bents), comprised of two or more columns with transverse beams, are
Feed Back tied together in the longitudinal direction utilizing beam struts (for support of transverse pipe and raceway
elements and for longitudinal stability of the system) and vertical bracing to form a 3D space frame arrangement.
About me
Piperacks supporting equipment such as air-cooled heat exchangers must utilize the continuous system
Site Link approach.
Step-1: Data collection for pipe rack design:
Due to the fast track nature associated with most of the projects, often the final piping, raceway, and equipment
information is not available at initiation of the piperack design. Therefore, as a Civil/Structural Engineer, you
should coordinate with the Piping group, Electrical, Control Systems, and Mechanical groups to obtain as much
preliminary information as possible. When received, all design information should be documented for future
reference and verification. In the initial design, the Engineer should use judgement when applying or allowing for
loads that are not known, justifying them in the design basis under "Design Philosophy" (a part of your calculation)
The following should be reviewed for design information:
l Plot plans and equipment location plans

l 3D model showing piping layout, cable tray layout, Piperack bent spacing and elevation of support levels in
the transverse direction , Elevation of longitudinal beam struts and locations of vertical bracing. and location
of pipe bridge, if any.
l Piping orthographic drawings.
l Vendor prints of equipment located on the rack, e.g., air coolers and exchangers.The vendor prints should
include the equipment layout, mounting locations and details, access and maintenance requirements, and
the magnitude and direction of loads being transmitted to the piperack.
l Electrical and control systems drawings showing the routing and location of electrical and instrumentation
raceways and/or supports.
l Underground drawings that show the locations of buried pipes,concrete structures and foundations, duct
banks, etc. in the area of the piperack.
l Pipe rack construction material (Steel, Cast-in-situ concrete, Pre-cast concrete) shall be as per project
design criteria.
Please note that, Unless specifically explained in the project design criteria, no allowance or provisions should be
made for future additions for pipe or raceway space and related loading.
Step-2: Design loads consideration:
Following loads are to be considered for the pipe rack design:
Piping Gravity load (D): In the absence of defined piping loads and locations, an assumed minimum uniform pipe
load of 2.0 kPa should be used for preliminary design of piperacks. This corresponds to an equivalent load of 6 in
(150 mm) lines full of water covered with 2 in (50 mm) thick insulation, and spaced on 12 in (300 mm) centers.
This assumption should be verified based on coordination with the Piping Group, and concentrated loads should
also be applied for any anticipated large pipes. When the actual loads and locations become known, as the
project develops, the structural design should be checked against these assumed initial load parameters and
revised as required. A concentrated load should then be added for pipes that are 12 in (300 mm) and larger in
diameter. The concentrated load P should be:
P =(W - s x p x d), s = Spacing of piperack bent, p = pipe weight considered (kPa), d = pipe diameter W = pipe
concentrated load.
Where consideration of uplift or system stability due to wind or seismic occurrences is required, use 60% of the
design gravity loads as an "all pipes empty" load condition.
Loading due to hydrostatic testing of lines should be considered in the design if applicable. Coordinate the testing
plan(s) with Construction, Startup, and/or the Piping Group as necessary, in order to fully understand how such
loads will be applied to the piperack structure. Under most normal conditions, multiple lines will not be
simultaneously tested. The hydro-test loads do not normally need to be considered concurrently with the other
non-permanent loads, such as live load, wind, earthquake, and thermal. Typical practice is to permit an
overstress of 15% for the hydro-test condition. Because of these considerations, the hydro-test condition will not
normally govern except for very large diameter pipes.
http://www.civildesignhelp.info/pr.html 08/12/2009
Electrical Tray and Conduits (D): Electrical and control systems drawings and/or the project 3D model should be
reviewed to determine the approximate weight and location of electrical trays, conduits, and instrumentation
commodities. Unless the weight of the loaded raceways can be defined, an assumed minimum uniform load of
1.0 kPa should be used for single tier raceways.
Self weight of Pipe rack (D): The weight of all structural members, including fireproofing, should be considered in
the design of the piperack.
Weight of Equipment on pipe rack (D): Equipment weights, including erection, empty, operating, and test (if the
equipment is to be hydro-tested on the piperack), should be obtained from the vendor drawings.The equipment
weight should include the dead weight of all associated platforms, ladders, and walkways, as applicable.Special
Loads: Special consideration should be given to unusual loads, such aslarge valves, expansion loops, and
unusual piping or electrical configurations.
Live Load (L): Live load (L) on access platforms and walkways and on equipment platforms should be
considered, as applicable.
Snow Load (S): Snow load to be considered on cable tray and on large dia pipes. This load shall be calculated
per project approved design code and project design criteria. Generally, you need to consider 100% snow load on
top tier and 50% on other tier of pipe racks.
Wind Load (W): Transverse wind load on structural members, piping, electrical trays,equipment, platforms, and
ladders should be determined in accordance with project approved design code. Longitudinal wind should typically
be applied to structural framing, cable tray vertical drop (if any), large dia pipes vertical drop (if any) and
equipment only. The effects of longitudinal wind on piping and trays running parallel to the wind direction should
be neglected.
Earthquake Loads (E): Earthquake loads in the vertical, transverse, and longitudinal directions should
bedetermined in accordance with the project design criteria. Vertical, transverse, and longitudinal seismic forces
generated by the pipes, raceways, supported equipment, and the piperack structure should be considered and
should be based on their operating weights. Pipes must be evaluated for seismic loads under both full and empty
conditions and then combined with the corresponding gravity loads.
Friction Loading (Tf): Friction forces caused by hot lines sliding across the pipe support during startup and
shutdown are assumed to be partially resisted through friction by nearby cold lines. Therefore, in order to provide
for a nominal unbalance of friction forces acting on a pipe support, a resultant longitudinal friction force equal to
7.5% of the total pipe weight or 30% of any one or more lines known to act simultaneously in the same direction,
whichever is larger, is assumed for piperack design. Friction between piping and supporting steel should not be
relied upon to resist wind or seismic loads.
Anchor and Guide Loads (Ta): Piperacks should be checked for anchor and guide loads as determined by the
Pipe Stress Group. It may be necessary to use horizontal bracing if large anchor forces are encountered. For
conventional pipe rack systems, it is normally preferred to either have the anchors staggered along the piperack
so that each support has only one or two anchors, or to anchor most pipes on one braced support. For initial
design, when anchor and guide loads are not known, use a longitudinal anchor force of 5.0 kN acting at midspan
of each bent transverse beam (refer project design criteria). Guide loads are usually small and may be ignored
until they are defined by the Pipe Stress Engineer. For non-continuous pipe rack systems, piping may be
transversely guided or anchored at both cantilever frames and anchor bays. Longitudinal anchors may be located
only at anchor bays.
Please note that, all friction forces and anchor forces with less magnitude, (say ~ 5.0 kN), applied to the top flange
of the beam, may be considered as resisted by the total beam section. When anchor loads have large magnitude
and are applied to the top flange of the beam, the effect of torsion must be addressed.If the beam section is
inadequate to take care of this torsional force, alternatives to be considered, such as provide horizontal bracings
at the load locations.
Step - 3: Load Combinations and allowable deflection of pipe rack:
You need to create the load combinations per your project design criteria. However, I have refered here some load
combinations.
Please note the following:
l Earthquake load is a factored load.

l For load combinations that include wind or earthquake loads, use only the non-friction portion (anchor and
guide portion) of the thermal loads, i.e., friction loads are not combined with wind or seismic loads. Friction
loads are considered to be self-relieving during wind and earthquake and should only be combined with
anchor and guide loads when wind or earth-quake loads are not considered.
l Hydrostatic test loads need not be combined with wind and earthquake loads unless there is a reasonable
probability of the occurrence of either of these loads during hydrostatic testing.
For calculation of foundation soil bearing pressures or pile loads, stability checks against overturning, sliding, and
buoyancy, and deflection checks, the following unfactored load combinations (ACI 318) shall be used:
1. D
2. D + L + SL + Tf + Ta
3. D + Tf + Ta
4. D + 1.3W + Ta
5. D + L + 0.5SL + 1.3W +Ta
6. D + L + S +0.65W + Ta
7. 0.9De + 1.3W + Ta
8. D + E/1.4 + Ta
9. D + 0.2S + E/1.4 + Ta
10. 0.9De + E/1.4 + Ta
Load Combinations for design of foundations (ACI 318):
1. 1.4D
2. 1.4D + 1.7L +1.7S
3. 1.4D + 1.4Tf +1.4Ta
4. 0.75 (1.4D + 1.7L + 1.7S + 1.4Tf + 1.4Ta)
5. 0.75 (1.4D + 1.7L + 1.7S + 1.4Ta) + 1.6W
6. 1.2D + 0.2S + 1.0E + 1.2Ta
7. 0.9De + 1.6W + 1.2Ta
8. 0.9De + 1.0E + 1.2Ta
Steel Design load combinations: (AISC - LRFD)
1. 1.4D
2. 1.2D + 1.6L + 0.5S + 1.2Tf + 1.2Ta
3. 1.2D + 1.6S + 0.5L + 1.2Tf + 1.2Ta
4. 1.2D + 1.6S + 0.8W + 1.2Ta
5. 1.2D + 1.6W + 0.5L + 0.5S + 1.2Ta
6. 1.2D + 1.0E + 0.5L + 0.2S + 1.2Ta
7. 0.9De + 1.6W + 1.2Ta
8. 0.9De + 1.0E + 1.2Ta
De is the minimum dead load on the structure.
FINAL ANCHOR AND GUIDE LOAD CHECK:
Where the design of transverse beams has been based on anchor loads as explained in step-2,a final check of
beams (and other affected members) should be made when final definition of these loads is available from the
Pipe Stress Engineer.Based on the Engineer's experience and judgement, an overstress in any element (of up to
10%) can be considered, provided proper justification is given. Where such overstress cannot be properly
justified, modifications should be made to the piperack structure in order to bring the stress levels within the
normal allowables. Modifications could entail the addition of horizontal bracing to the transverse beams to resist
significant loads from the anchor(s), replacing and/or adding members, strengthening members (i.e.,cover plating,
etc.), and/or relocating the anchor and guide load(s).
ALLOWABLE HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL DEFLECTION:
Allowable deflections of piperack structures shall be as per project design criteria. However, you can consider the
following as limit of deflection:Lateral deflection produced by load combinations that include wind or seismic
forces:Piperacks supporting equipment: h/100, unless a more stringent requirement is given by the manufacturer
of the equipment.Piperacks supporting piping and raceway only: h/200 or as per project design criteria.Lateral
deflection produced by sustained static forces such as pipe and anchor loads: h/200 or as per project design
criteriaVertical deflection of beams due to gravity pipe loads:as per project design criteria h is the total height of
the pipe rack structure.
Step-4: Framing of Continuous/Conventional Pipe rack:
Frames
Main piperacks are usually designed as moment-resisting frames in the transverse direction. In the longitudinal
direction, there should be at least one continuous level of beam struts on each side. For piperacks with more
than one tier, the beam struts should be located at a level that is usually equal to one-half tier spacing above or
below the bottom tier. Vertical bracing in the longitudinal direction should be provided to carry the longitudinal
forces, transmitted through the beam struts, to the baseplate / foundation level.
Transverse Beam
Transverse beams must be capable of resisting all forces, moments, and shears produced by the load
combinations. Transverse beams are generally a moment-resisting frame, modeled and analyzed as part of the
frame system. The analysis model must reflect the appropriate beam end conditions. In the design of beams,
consideration should be given to
l Large pipes that are to be hydro-tested.

l Anchor and friction load with large magnitude (see step-2, anchor and friction load)
Central Spine:
For steel piperacks with spans of more than 6 m, a center spine consisting of a system of horizontal braces and
struts located at midspan of each level of piping should be considered . This additional light horizontal framing
greatly increases the capacity of the transverse pipe support beams to resist friction and anchor forces, and also
serves to reduce the unbraced length of the beam compression flange in flexure and to reduce the unbraced
length of the beam about the weak-axis in axial compression. This concept reduces the required beam sizes and
provides a mechanism for eliminating or minimizing design, fabrication, or field modifications that could otherwise
be required due to late receipt of unanticipated large pipe anchor forces.
Longitudinal Beam Strut
For typical continuous piperack systems, the longitudinal beam struts should be designed as axially loaded
members that are provided for longitudinal loads and stability. Additionally, the longitudinal beam struts that
support piping or raceway should be designed for 50% of the gravity loading assumed for the transverse pipe or
raceway support beams, unless unusual loading is encountered. This 50% gravity loading will account for the
usual piping and raceway take-offs. Normally, the gravity loading carried by the beam struts should not be added
to the design loads for the columns or footings since pipes or raceway contributing to the load on the beam struts
would be relieving an equivalent load on the transverse beams. Concentrated loads for large pipes may be
treated as in step-2.
For any continuous piperack system where the anticipated piping and raceway take-offs are minimal or none, the
50% loading criteria does not apply. In such cases, the beam struts should be designed primarily as axially
loaded members. Do not provide beam struts if they are not needed for piping or raceway support, or for system
stability. Conversely, the 3D model should be checked to verify that beam struts subjected to unusually large
loads (such as at expansion loops) have been given special consideration. All longitudinal beam struts, including
connections, should be designed to resist the axial loads produced by the longitudinal forces.
When designing the longitudinal beam struts for flexural loads, the full length of the beam should be considered
as the unbraced length for the compression flange.
Vertical Bracing
When moment-resisting frame design is not used in the longitudinal direction, vertical bracing should be used to
transmit the longitudinal forces from the beam struts to the foundations. Knee-bracing or K-bracing is most often
used for this purpose. Unless precluded by equipment arrangement or interferences, bracing should be placed
equidistant between two expansion joints. Design calculations and drawings must reflect a break in the beam
strut continuity between adjacent braced sections through the use of slotted connections or by eliminating the
beam struts in the bays designated as free bays. The maximum length of a braced section should be limited to
48m to 50m. If the braced bay is not located equidistant from the free bays, the maximum distance from the
braced bay to a free bay should be limited such that the maximum total longitudinal growth or shrinkage of the
unrestrained segment does not exceed 40 mm.
Column
The columns must be capable of resisting all loads, moments, and shears produced by the load combinations.A
moment-resisting frame analysis should normally be used to determine the axial load, moment, and shear at
points along the columns.The frame analysis model should be based on the following:
l Consider column base as hinge.

l Use 4 bolt connections for safety purpose
For design of steel columns subjected to flexural loads, the distance between the base and the first transverse
beam or the knee brace intersection should be considered as the compression flange unbraced length.
Please click here for continuous piperack sketch.
Non-conventional Pipe rack Modular

Pipe rack
that.

(Non-conventional Pipe rack)
Home
Vertical Vessel/Tower In this page I will talk about the Non-continuous piperack system. I hope you have read the Conventional pipe
Horizontal Vessel rack system design philosophy. If not, please read that section before.
Non- Continuous Pipe rack:
Rotating Equipment
Storage Tank on Ring This is a system comprised of independent cantilevered, freestanding 2D frames not dependent on longitudinal
Beam beam struts for system stability. This system, where feasible, should result in lower total installed cost (TIC).
Equipment on Skid
Pipe Rack Step-1: Data collection for pipe rack design:
Transformer Pit
Anchor Bolt Method of Data collections is same as continuous pipe rack. Please look into 3D model and collect all the data as
Stack Foundation required.
Help & More Help
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Following loads are to be considered for the non-conventional pipe rack design:
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Site Link Gravity load (D): For Gravity load calculation, refer Conventional pipe rack system
Wind Load (W): For Wind load calculation, refer Conventional pipe rack system,
Earthquake Loads (E): For Earth quake load calculation, refer Conventional pipe rack system. Longitudinal
seismic will be applied on anchor bay only.
Friction Loading (Tf): Friction forces caused by hot lines sliding across the pipe support during startup and
shutdown do not apply on individual frame, as frame will deflect along the pipe direction. Therefore, this force will
be considered on anchor bay only.
Anchor and Guide Loads (Ta): For Anchor and Guide load calculation, refer Conventional pipe rack system,
For Load combinations and allowable deflection of non-conventional pipe rack, refer Conventional pipe rack
system,
Step - 4: Frames of non-conventional pipe rack:
Please click here for typical non-continuous pipe rack system.
Conventional Pipe rack Modular Pipe

rack
that.
http://www.civildesignhelp.info/pr2.html 08/12/2009

(Modular Pipe rack)
Home
Vertical Vessel/Tower In this page I will talk about the Modular piperack system. I hope you have read the Conventional pipe rack
Horizontal Vessel system design philosophy. If not, please read that section before.
Modular Pipe rack
Rotating Equipment
Storage Tank on Ring Sometimes clients look for modular pieprack / modular structure for their plants. But do you know what is a
Beam module? Module is a series of standard units that function together. Examples are:
Equipment on Skid
Pipe Rack Building modules: Structural Frames completely fitted with Miscllaneous equipment and architectural finishes.
Transformer Pit Piperack Module: Structural Frames completely fitted with pipes, Cable trays and miscellaneous equipment.
Anchor Bolt
Stack Foundation Now the question is , why do we go for modular structure sometimes? Here are some reasons:
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l If the project site is at remote location, then it will be very difficult to get good local contractor.
Feed Back l Parallel construction activities are possible (foundation and module fabrication) and gain in time schedule
l Controlled construction environment is possible
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l Controlled quality controlled
Site Link l In some countries, labour cost at site is more than labour cost at fabrication / module assembly shop. So, if
you fabricate and fit all the pipes , cable trays etc. at shop, then you can save the project cost.
However, there are some disadvantages also and these are:
l Late changes in design has huge effect on structure and module assembly.
l Transportation cost from module shop to site may be very high.
l Transportation time needs to be considered in total project schedule.
Pipe-rack Module Transportation: Module can be transported by roadways and waterways. I have some
experiences in roadways piperack module transportation. In Alberta province (Canada) 100 ft (long) x 24 ft (wide)
x 29ft-6 in (high from road surface) PRM can be transported by truck from module yard to site. Please click here
for different module shipping envelope.
Pipe-rack Module Lifting: 4 point lifts are preferred and 8 point lifts are second preference. 6 and 10 point lifting
are difficult and should be avoided. 4 point lifts reduce rigging cost and associated man-power during setting. 4
point lifts result higher crane capacity and safer lifts due to shorter boom requirements. Regardless of the length,
typical self supporting bridge truss style pipe rack modules use 4 lift points located at the top of the modules
columns in the webs. By lifting at the same location that the module is supported in-situ, the force distribution
throughout the module
is similar to the in-situ design, except that the module columns are in compression in-stu and reversed to tension
during a lift. Please click here for 4-point module lifting.
Following are some steps to design the Modular pipe rack:
Step-1: Data collection for pipe rack design:
Method of Data collections is same as Conventional pipe rack system. Please look into 3D model and collect all
the data as required.
Following loads are to be considered for the non-conventional pipe rack design:
Gravity load (D): For Gravity load calculation, refer Conventional pipe rack system
Wind Load (W): For Wind load calculation, refer Conventional pipe rack system,
Earthquake Loads (E): For Earth quake load calculation, refer Conventional pipe rack system.
Friction Loading (Tf): For Friction load calculation, refer Conventional pipe rack system.
Anchor and Guide Loads (Ta): For Anchor and Guide load calculation, refer Conventional pipe rack system,
Transportation loads: When pipe-rack modules are transported on the road, different types of horizontal loads are
generated. During up-hill or down-hill movement of the truck , we generally considered a horizontal load of value
30% of total load (o.30 x dead weight) acts towards the longitudinal direction of the module. During a truck turn or
due to superelevation of the road, a horizontal load is also generated (centrfugal force) and value of that load is
also 0.30 x weight of module (30% of total dead load) acting transverse direction of modules. But both the
horizontal loads (longitudinal and transverse direction) do not act together. Other than these horizontal loads, we
also consider wind load and vertical impact load.
Summary of transportation load:
l Vertical Impact Load (IV) 50% of (self weight of structure + Empty weight of pipe + Cable tray)
l Horizontal Impact in Longitudinal direction (IL) 30% of (self weight of structure + Empty weight of pipe +
Cable tray)
l Horizontal Impact in Transverse direction (IT) 30% of (self weight of structure + Empty weight of pipe +
Cable tray)
l Wind load (WLT) Wind load is applied on pipe rack module structure, pipe and cable tray, in Transverse
direction.
You need to check the Factor of safety againgst overturning during transportation and value should be
more than 1.5.
Erection loads and lifting points: In this case we generally consider a vertical impact load (load factor = 1.5) on
module.
For Load combinations and allowable deflection of Modular pipe rack for in-situ analysis and design, refer
Conventional pipe rack system,
Modular pipe rack to be analysed for transportation and for lifting also.
Lifting load combinations: LC1 = 2.0 x Total dead load (ultimate load combinations for member design per
Canadian steel code CISC / NBC -95)
Transportation load combinations (ultimate load combinations per CISC-Canadian steel code / NBC -95 for
member design)):
LC1: 1.25 x Dead load + 1.5 x IV + 1.5 x IL

LC2: 1.25 x Dead load + 1.5 x IV + 1.5 x IT
LC3: 1.25 x Dead load + 1.5 x IV + 1.5 x Wind
LC4: 1.25 x Dead load + 1.05 x IV + 1.05 x IT + 1.05 x Wind
LC5: 1.25 x Dead load + 1.05 x IV + 1.05 x IL + 1.05 x Wind
Above load combinations are for reference only. You need to follow your project design criteria for the
pipe-rack analysis and design.
Step - 4: Frames of Modularl pipe rack:
Please click here for typical modular pipe rack sketch.
Conventional Pipe rack Non-conventional Pipe

rack
that.
PREPD. BY: S. ROY Http://www.civildesignhelp.info/
PREPD. BY: S. ROY

Design Philosophy for Transformer Pit

In this page I will talk about how to detemine the size of oil containment for transformer. Following is a typical
picture of a transformer and its foundation with oil containment.
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Horizontal Vessel
Rotating Equipment
Beam
Equipment on Skid
Pipe Rack
Transformer Pit
Anchor Bolt
Stack Foundation
Help & More Help
Feed Back
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Now, you will follow the below steps to determine the foundation and size of spilled oil containment.
Step-1 : Review of Transformer drawing (Vendor Equipment Drawing)
You need to review transformer drawings from foundation design point of view and check whether you
l Transformer Erection weight (De)

l Transformer Operating weight (Do)
l Plan dimension of Transformer base
l Height of transformer and location of oil tank
l Total volume of oil in the oil tank
Transformer Center of Gravity location in empty condition and operating condition for Seismic load
l calculation and application
l Anchor bolt detail (size, location, projection, etc..) and transformer supporting details

l Verify the area available for foundation and containment.

l Verify transformer Foundation and containment location and Elevation
l Electrical and Instrument duct banks Bus duct support and foundation detail, on and around the transformer
pit
l Location of fire hose and sprinkler around the transformer
l Locations and extent of fire wall and construction type of fire wall
Step-3 : Soil / Geotechnical information:
Following Geotechnical information are required to start the foundation and spilled oil containment:
l Soil allowable Bearing pressure or pile capacity (Tension, compression and Lateral force capacity)
l Soil density
l Active soil pressure co-efficient of soil
l Earthquake soil pressure co-efficient
l Ground water table location
l Frost depth (for winter snow)
Step-4 : Transformer Pedestal sizing criteria:
Transformer pedestal shall be sized according to the following criteria:
(a) Bolt c/c distance + 175mm
(b) Bolt c/c distance + 8 x bolt diameters
(c) Bolt c/c distance + sleeve diameter + 150mm
(d) Size of base frame + 200mm
http://www.civildesignhelp.info/trp.html 08/12/2009
(e) Bolt c/c distance + 2 x (minimum bolt edge distance)
It is desirable to make the pedestal deep enough to contain the anchor bolts and keep them out of the mat.
Step-5 : Transformer spilled oil containment sizing criteria:
Containment size shall be calculated for worst condition. It is assumed that worst condition will be happened when
total oil is in the containment + Transformer on fire + Heavy rain fall. So, total containment volume will be, addition
of following items:
l Volume of transformer oil (mentioned in the equipment drawing)

l Transformer on fire: When transformer is on fire (refer IEEE-980 annex-B or NFPA-850 chapter-6 ) all the
hose pipe (deluge system) will spray the water on all four sides and top of the transformer. So total volume
of water will be: Water volume = (Total surface area of the transformer (all 4 sides) + top plan area of
transformer) xrate of water flow from hose pipe per unit area x total fire rating time.
l Rain water: Total volume of rain water shall be calculated for total fire time. So volume of rain water = Rain
fall intensity (mm/hr) x Plan area of containment x total fire rating time.
Generally, you will find that containment area is full of stones (40 mm down). In this case, we consider that 35%
void is available to accommodate the above volume of oil and water mix. So, you need to increase the capacity of
the containment accordingly.
Tension Check:
Tmax = M / (Ny x BCD) - (De / Do) / Nb

BCD = Bolt c/c distance
Ny = No. of bolt row
Use De or Do whichever is critical.
Shear Check:
Frictional resistance to shear between the transformer base plate and the concrete or grouted bearing surface
shall be utilized to resist shears induced by wind or by other static loads. Frictional resistance shall not be
employed to resist shear induced by seismic loads. For seismic-induced shear, adequate mechanical means shall
be provided to resist horizontal shear, either by means of properly detailed anchor bolt / bolt hole arrangements or
through a combination of anchor bolts, shear lugs, or other anchorage devices. The static coefficient of friction
between steel and concrete or between steel and cementitious grout shall be considered as 0.4 or specified in
project design criteria.
When anchor bolts are subjected to combined shear and tension loads, the design shall be based on satisfying
interaction formula (say Appendix-d of ACI 318).
l LC1: Do
l LC2: (De) + Wind
l LC3: De + Seismic
l LC4: Do + Wind
l LC5: Do + Seismic
Load combination for Pedestal and containment mat foundation design (factored load calculation):
l LC6: 1.4*(Do)
l LC7: 0.75 [1.4 De] +1.6 Wind
l LC8: 1.2 De +1.0 E
l LC9: 0.75 (1.4 Do ) + 1.6 Wind
l
l LC10: 1.2 (Do) + 1.0 E
The weight of the foundation and of the soil on top of the foundation shall be included as dead load in all of these
load combinations.
Step-8 : Loads on containment wall
Containment wall shall be designed for following loads and load combinations:
l Active soil pressure on the wall

l Surcharge load on wall due to live load on soil. You need to discuss with construction about any site crane
movement around the transformer pit.
l Earthquake load on wall due to soil movement. Use Monobe Okabe Equation for Earthquake load
calculation.
Typical foundation and oil containment drawing for a Transformer

For requirement of firewall refer NFPA-850 chapter-5.

l A calculation sheet for foundation sizing (considering soil bearing pressure, Sliding, Buoyancy, uplift of
foundation due to frost and overturning) or pile load (tension, compression and shear on each pile)
calculation and check with soil consultant for acceptable values.
l A calculation sheet for foundation, pedestal and containment wall reinforcement calculation per your project
design criteria.
Discussions:
Question from visitor: Do I need to consider soil passive pressure on transformer wall for sliding check, when the
transformer pit is in high seismic zone?
Recommendation from Subhro: It is advisable not to consider any passive pressure on wall for sliding check, when pit is in
high seismic zone. If it is absolute necessary to consider the passive pressure on wall for sliding check, you must consult with
geotechnical engineer for recommendations.
Recommendations courtsey: Soumyabrata Roychowdhury, Civil/Structural Engineer
I hope this page will be very helpful to you to understand the basic loads for transformer foundation and
containment pit design
that.
Anchor Bolt Design Philosophy

In this page, I will tell you about the design philosophy of anchor bolt design and also to define the different terms
Home used for anchor bolt design.
Horizontal Vessel Anchor bolt is the most important part to transfer the load from superstructure to sub-structure (say Foundation
Tube & Shell Exchanger system). So, though anchor bolt design is very simple, but still you have to give more care to design this small
element as load transfer mechanism. Otherwise, super structure and sub-structure, designed separately, will not
Rotating Equipment
behave as a single structure, in other words, a failure of total structural system.
Beam Whenever you start the design of anchor bolt, you will see the words like "Cast in place anchor", "Post installed
Equipment on Skid expansion anchor", "Preloaded anchor", "Ductile design", "Anchor Bolt Projection" "Edge distance for shear", and
Pipe Rack "edge distance for tension". Please look below for the definition of some of the different terms:
Transformer Pit
Anchor Bolt Cast in place anchor:
Stack Foundation
Help & More Help When a headed bolt, headed stud, or hooked bolt is installed before placing concrete, is called "Cast in place
anchor". See project standard for dimensions and areas. The recommended minimum embedment depth for cast-
in anchors varies from eight (8) to twelve (12) bolt diameters (see project design code). The design engineer
Feed Back
should note that minimum embedment requirements have an impact on concrete thickness, especially in designs
About me such as area slabs and building slabs.
Site Link
Cast-in anchors have many benefits, including the following:
l They are capable of supporting very large loads.

l Drilling or cutting of reinforcement is not required for installation.
l Strength is not sensitive to installation procedures and techniques.
l Supplementary reinforcement may be easily included in the design.
Some disadvantages are as follows:
l Labor and materials are required to create templates for placement in the form-work.
l Re-work is costly when anchors are incorrectly placed (location and elevation).
l Fabrication lead time is required to support concrete placement.
Please click here for details of different types of anchor bolts used in the different projects.
Post installed expansion anchor:
When an anchor rod is installed after placing concrete, making a hole in concrete with drill-bit, is called "Post
installed expansion anchor". This type of anchors rely on bond to transfer load to the concrete. Post-installed
anchors have many benefits, including the following:
l Savings in labor and materials on templates required for cast-in anchors

l Placement locations that may be adjusted as required to accommodate attachments
l Flexibility in the construction schedule
Some disadvantages include:
l Performance that is highly dependent on installation procedures and techniques

l Potential for cut or damaged reinforcing bars if drilling is required for installation
l Limited load capacities
l Difficulty including supplementary reinforcing in the design
l Prohibited preloading
In these cases we generally use HILTI Anchor (adhesive or grouted anchor).
Preloaded anchor:
An anchor is subjected to a large tensile force by intentionally elongating the entire length of the bolt. A nut is
generally advanced along the bolt threads until the desired tensile force is achieved. In general, there are no
standard criteria for preloading anchor bolts. The level of the required preload generally depends on the
specific application of the anchor bolt. In general, preloaded bolts will require a sleeve or bond breaker to permit
elongation to occur along the entire length of the bolt. Without a sleeve or bond breaker, the concrete would
bond to the shank of the bolt during construction. The bond may not be completely broken during the preloading
process. Over time, the bond may become completely broken and may cause a significantly reduced preload in
the bolt.
Anchor bolts used for equipment supports should be preloaded to the equipment manufacturer's
recommendations when specified. This is especially true for bolts anchoring rotating or vibrating equipment.
Anchor bolts of ASTM F1554 Grade 36, A307, or A36 material (i.e., regular carbon steel bolts) should have only a
nominal preload applied. It is recommended that they be tightened to a snug tight condition. Snug tight is defined
as tightness attained by a few impacts of an impact wrench or the full effort of a man using an ordinary spud
wrench. When bolts are anchoring equipment or are subject to possible loosening during operation, a locking
device should be provided. Acceptable locking devices include double nuts or jam nuts, interrupted threads, and
tack welds (for weldable materials only).
The three basic methods used for applying a preload to a high-strength anchor boltusing hydraulic tensioners,
http://www.civildesignhelp.info/ab.html 08/12/2009
torquing to a specified level, and using turn-of-the-nut methodare described in detail below.
l Hydraulic Tensioners: Hydraulic tensioners should be used when a precise preload on large diameter
anchor bolts is required. The tensioner applies a direct load to the bolt by threading onto the projected end
of the bolt and then jacking against the adjacent concrete surface. Once the jacking is complete, the nut is
hand tightened down to a snug position to lock the tension in the bolt. The anchor bolt must project a
minimum of one diameter past the end of the nut to allow for use of the tensioner. The residual preload
should be specified, as there will be a loss of pretensioning (depending on the length and diameter of the
bolt) when the tensioner is released.
l Torquing to a Specified Level: Applying a specified torque to an anchor bolt is another method of obtaining
a preload. This method results in a preload that varies significantly as a function of field conditions
(cleanliness of bolt, existence of lubrication, etc.) and is no longer recognized by AISC. Therefore, use of a
predetermined torque for preloading purposes is not recommended (with the exception of equipment
manufacturer requirements).
l Turn-of-the-Nut Method: This method is described in the AISC Specification for Structural Joints for ASTM
A325 and A490 bolts. The specification lists the required nut rotation from the snug tight condition for bolt
lengths up to 12 diameters.
Refer to the relevant specification for requirements for hardened washers. For example, AISC Specification for
Structural Joints describes the requirements for ASTM F436 washers for certain preload applications.
Elongation Checks For Preloaded Bolts: Where precise preloads are required, the elongation of the anchor bolts
may be checked as a verification that the proper preload has been applied. Elongation checks are usually
performed only when tensioners are used as the preloading device. Dial gauges can be used to measure the
projection of the bolt from a reference surface before and after preloading. The required elongation for a given
preload can be calculated as follows:
For plain rod: de = (P*L) / (Ab*E)
For full threaded rod: de = (P*L) / (At*E)
For partial thread rod: de = (P/E)*[(Lt/At) + (Ls/Ab)]
where
de = Elongation of anchor bolt, mm.
P = Desired preload, kN
L = Effective length of bolt, mm. (usually taken from centers of nut to anchor nut)
Ab = Nominal cross sectional area of bolt (area of shank), mm2
E = Young's Modulus of Elasticity, MPa
Lt = Length of thread below nut, mm
Ls = Length of shank, mm.
At = Area of threaded section, mm2
The preload is generally considered acceptable if the actual elongation is within + 5 percent of the calculated
value for the given preload.
Sleeves:
Two basic types of sleeves are partial depth and full depth anchor bolt sleeves. Partial depth sleeves typically
have a corrugated profile and are made from high density polyethylene (say, Plastic Wilson or equal). Full depth
sleeves are typically made from a steel pipe section with a steel bearing plate seal welded to the embedded end.
Sleeve diameters are generally two to four times the diameter of the anchor bolt. Sleeves serve two purposes:
l First, partial depth and full depth sleeves afford the opportunity to move the top of the bolt slightly when
trying to align the attachment. However, the presence of a sleeve does not imply that an anchor bolt may be
freely bent or otherwise deformed in order to account for placement that was out of construction tolerance.
l Second, a full depth sleeve may be used in conjunction with preloaded bolts. The sleeve permits elongation
along the entire length of the bolt, and the bearing plate transfers the tension force from the anchor bolt to
the concrete. It must be emphasized that the bearing plate must be sized to ensure that the anchor does not
pull through or cause the plate to deform excessively. Also, the nut on the bottom of the anchor plate must
be held securely in place to prevent loosening during construction activities.
In most applications, the sleeves are cut flush with the top of concrete and then filled with nonshrink grout after
the attachment has been placed and aligned. Prior to grouting the sleeves, precautions must be taken to prevent
water from freezing inside the sleeves.
Anchor Bolt Projection
The length of an anchor bolt that projects from the concrete surface where the length is measured from the
concrete surface to the free end of the anchor bolt. Any thickness of grout placed on the concrete surface must be
included in the projection length.
Baseplate Leveling Systems
Some of the most common methods used for leveling base plates, are, the use of shim stacks and leveling nuts.
It must be emphasized that the shims and leveling nuts should be removed before preloading the bolts. Leveling
nuts may be used only on anchor bolts where preloading is not required. Use of leveling nuts on anchor bolts that
are preloaded would result in bolt tension only in the region between the leveling nut and the top nut.
Ductile Design
The ability of an element to deform beyond the point of elastic yield prior to total failure is called ductility. Ductile
design referring to an anchor with design strength equal to the design strength of the steel element. All potential
concrete failure modes must have design strengths greater than the steel element (supplemental reinforcing may
be used to increase the design strength of concrete failure modes).
Design discussions for Cast in place anchor:
As with all designs, anchor bolt designs must meet the project design criteria and project commitments to codes
and standards. Here, this discussions follow the provisions of ACI 318-05, Appendix D, for the design of cast-in
anchors.
Much consideration is given to ductility in the design of anchor bolts. In general, steel is a ductile material and
plain concrete is not. For anchorage to concrete, ductility usually means that in the event of overload, the ductile
steel anchor will yield before the concrete can fail in a brittle manner. In this discussion, ductile designs are also
referred to as developed anchors. Ductile designs are therefore preferable for most applications.
During anchor bolt design, you may find that proper ductile design is not possible for some reasons and following
are some cases:
l Piers/pedestals or other concrete elements where the edge distances and bolt spacings preclude
development of the steel anchor strength -The addition of supplemental reinforcing can often provide
restraint and confinement capable of producing a ductile design.
l Large diameter bolts specified by machine manufacturers - Machine anchor sizes are often much larger
than the sizes that would be required for strength considerations only. In such cases, supplemental
reinforcement should be provided in order to come as close as practicable to a ductile design. Note that
manufacturers sometimes specify ductile anchors as part of their design criteria.
l Supports for architectural, mechanical, and electrical components - This case consists primarily of post-
installed adhesive or grouted-in anchors for medium to light duty service.
l Supports for structures or equipment where anchors are not required to be designed for an applied load -
Such cases would include posts subject to gravity load only, equipment skids subject to gravity load only,
etc. In these cases, anchors should be provided with minimum recommended embedment depths given in
Project design criteria.
Anchors must be designed for Tension load , Shear Load and combination of Shear and Tension. Following are
some method of transferring Shear and Tension Load to concrete:
Shear Load: There are several alternatives for transferring shear from an attachment to the concrete.
l Anchor Shear: An anchor may be loaded in shear, and, in turn, transfer the shear to the concrete. Welded
studs are most commonly used to transfer shear in this manner. Welded studs have the advantage of being
securely welded to the attachment. An anchor bolt inserted through a hole in an attachment requires special
consideration to assure shear transfer from the attachment to the anchor. Usually, the bolt holes in the
attachment will be oversized to accommodate anchor installation tolerances. Oversized holes make it
unlikely to achieve bearing at all anchors in a given attachment. There are two methods to deal with
oversized holes: First, the number of anchors considered to resist the shear may be limited to half of the
total no of anchor used; second, washers without oversized holes may be provided and then welded to the
attachment to transfer the shear to the anchor.
l Friction: For cases where a sustained compressive force exists between the attachment and the concrete
surface, friction will be developed. Project criteria and codes must be reviewed to determine if it is permitted
to rely on frictional resistance.The friction load should be based on the dead load and any portion of the live
load that causes the shear. Care must be taken not to overestimate the dead load. If the applied shear load
exceeds the shear that can be transferred by friction, additional means must be provided to transfer the
applied shear that is in excess of the friction.
l Shear-Friction: Shear-friction may be developed as a result of the anchors effectively clamping the
attachment to the concrete surface. In this case the anchor must be designed for the tension resulting from
shear friction as well as any tension applied directly.
l Shear Lugs: Shear lug is the preferred methods of shear transfer when friction is not an option or is not
sufficient to resist the applied shear. This method requires pre-formed pockets in the concrete. The shear
lug is generally a steel element, welded to the attachment, that transfers the shear directly to the concrete
through bearing. Shear lugs are most commonly single cantilever plates but may be wide flange shapes or
box sections for very large loads. Use of cantilever shear lugs greater than the thickness of the attachment
plate is not recommended, and shear lugs should be designed using a minimum of 50 mm. embedment into
the concrete. Fillet welds are preferred over penetration welds by fabricators for attaching shear lugs to
baseplates. For the case of extremely large shear loads, shear lugs made from wide flange sections or box
sections may be necessary. The behavior of large shear lugs with deep embedments will be dependent on
the stiffness of the shear lug and the stiffness of the attachment.
Tension Load: Tension may be transferred from an attachment to the anchor by a number of means. Most
commonly, the anchor is welded directly to the attachment, as with welded studs, or secured with nut and washer,
as with column base plates. Where attachments are provided with oversized holes, a plate washer may be
required to ensure that there is adequate bearing and that the anchor does not pull through the attachment.
Now to complete the design of cast in place anchors, you can create your own calculation sheet based on ACI
318-05, Appendix D as explained step by step.
I hope this page will be very helpful to you.
that.
Foundation Design Philosophy for Flare Stack

In this page , I will discuss about the Guyed stack Foundation only. Self standing stack is almost similar to vertical
vessel / tower. Hence, for those types, you can refer vertical vessel / tower foundation page.
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Vertical Vessel/Tower Guyed Stack:
Horizontal Vessel
Rotating Equipment
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Equipment on Skid
Pipe Rack
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Anchor Bolt
Stack Foundation
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From the above sketch you can see the stack, Guy sets and Deadmen. Each guy set has 3 guys connected with
the stack at a particular level at one end at 120 degree apart and other end connected with Deadman. This
deadman is nothing but a mass concrete foundation, which is counter acting the guy tension.
So now, you can easily understand that you will design two types of foundations, one for stack and another for guy
support i.e. Deadmen.
To start the foundation design, you need to follow the below steps:
Step-1 : Review of Stack drawing (Vendor Equipment Drawing)
You need to review stack drawings from foundation design point of view and check whether you have all
the following information:
For Stack:
l Stack Dead weight (De)

l Stack underside base plate level
l Anchor bolt location (Bolt circle Dia) with respect to center of stack and also bolt offset with respect to Plant
North line.
l Anchor bolt supporting detail ( Anchor bolt size and detail of anchor chair) and Base plate detail
l Wind Shear and Moment
l Seismic Shear and Moment (if the Project site is at Seismic zone)
l Temperature load (TL)
l Snow load (SL)
For Deadman:
l Location of all the deadmen with respect to Stack center line

l Bottom level of Guy wire fixing base plate
l Tension at Guy wire support due to wind
l Tension at Guy wire support due to seismic
l Tension at Guy wire support due to Temperature
l Tension at Guy wire support due to Snow and Ice load
l Anchor bolt detail (size, location and projection) and Guy wire fixing (detail of fixing base plate) detail with
deadman.

l Verify Foundation location, Elevation and finished grade level
l Pipe supports and Nozzle loads on stack (Dp)
l Location and size of Platforms around the Stack
l Location of miscellaneous skid mounted equipment around the stack
l Electrical and Instrument duct banks Locations and extent of adjacent foundations
http://www.civildesignhelp.info/stf.html 08/12/2009
Step-3 : Pedestal Sizing Criteria:
For Stack:
Concrete pedestals supporting Stack shall be sized according to the following criteria:
l Bolt circle + 175mm

l Bolt circle + 8 x bolt diameters
l Bolt circle + sleeve diameter + 150mm
l Diameter of baseplate + 200mm
l Bolt circle + 2 x (minimum bolt edge distance)
Pedestals shall be octagonal in shape for ease of construction. For ease of forming, use multiples of 25mm for
each octagonal side.
For Deadman:
Concrete pedestals connected with Guy wire shall be sized according to the following criteria:
l Bolt c/c distance + 175mm

l Bolt c/c distance + 8 x bolt diameters
l Bolt c/c distance + sleeve diameter + 150mm
l Baseplate size + 200mm
l Bolt c/c distance + 2 x (minimum bolt edge distance)
Pedestals shall be rectangular in shape for ease of construction. For ease of forming, use multiples of 25mm for
each rectangular side.
It is desirable to make the pedestal deep enough to contain the anchor bolts and keep them out of the
mat.
For stack
Tension Check:
Tmax = 4*M / (Nb x BCD) - (De) / Nb

BCD = Bolt circle diameter
The above formula provides a conservative value of Tmax compared to the concrete transformed section method.
Shear Check:
When over sized anchor bolt holes are provided in the vessel base plates or when anchor bolt sleeves that are not
grout-filled are used, anchor bolts should be designed to resist tension only.
Frictional resistance to shear between the vessel base plate and the concrete or grouted bearing surface shall be
utilized to resist shears induced by wind or by other static loads. Frictional resistance shall not be employed to
resist shear induced by seismic loads. For seismic-induced shear, adequate mechanical means shall be provided
to resist horizontal shear, either by means of properly detailed anchor bolt / bolt hole arrangements or through a
combination of anchor bolts, shear lugs, or other anchorage devices. The static coefficient of friction between
steel and concrete or between steel and cementitious grout shall be considered as 0.4 or specified in project
design criteria.
For Deadman Foundation
At deadman anchor location, anchor bolts shall be checked for Tension only. If concrete around the anchor bolt is
not sufficient enough to resist tension in anchor bolt from ductility point of view, provide additional reinforcement
around the anchor bolt to transfer the force from bolt to foundation mat by non-contact splicing method (ACI 318
appendix-D)
When anchor bolts are subjected to combined shear and tension loads, the design shall be based on satisfying
interaction formula (say ACI 318 appendix-D ).
You need to create the load combination per your project design criteria.
Please note that the weight of the foundation and the soil on top of the foundation shall be included as dead load
in all the load combinations.
l Different types of loads on Stack foundation and on deadman anchor foundation

l A calculation sheet for foundation sizing (considering soil bearing pressure, Sliding, Buoyancy and
l A calculation sheet for foundation and pedestal reinforcement calculation per your project design criteria.
I hope this page will be very helpful to you to understand the basic foundation loads of Stack and
Deadman anchor.
that.
PREPD. BY: S ROY http://www.civildesignhelp.info

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Civil Design Help Pgina 1 de 3

Foundation Design Philosophy for Vertical Vessel / Tower

Pipestress Step-1 : Review of vessel drawing (Vendor Equipment Drawing)

Step-2 : Verification of foundation location, elevation and external fittings loads

l Verify the area available for foundation.

Step-3 : Description of Foundation Loads:

Please follow this section to understand the different loads on foundation:

operation. Data from Equipment drawings.

Step-4 : Pedestal Sizing Criteria:

Face-to-face pedestal size shall be the larger of the following:

(a) Bolt circle + 175mm

(b) Bolt circle + 8 x bolt diameters

(c) Bolt circle + sleeve diameter + 150mm

(d) Diameter of baseplate + 100mm

(e) Bolt circle + 2 x (minimum bolt edge distance)

Step-5 : Anchor Bolt Check:

Tmax = 4*M / (Nb x BCD) - (De1 or De2) / Nb

Where, M = total maximum moment on foundation

Use De1 or De2 whichever is critical.

Vmax = V / Nb where, V = total shear force on anchor bolt.

Tension Shear Interaction check:

l LC7: 1.4*(Do + Dp)

Now from above steps, you have learnt the following:

l Different types of loads on foundation

Foundation Design Philosophy for Horizontal Vessel

Step-1 : Review of vessel drawing (Vendor Equipment Drawing)

l Vessel Erection weight (De1):

Step-2 : Verification of foundation location, elevation and external fittings loads

l Verify the area available for foundation.

Step-3 : Description of Foundation Loads:

Please follow this section to understand the different loads on foundation:

Step-5 : Anchor Bolt Check:

Step-6 : Pedestal Sizing and reinforcement:

l Piers should be designed as axially loaded cantilever flexural members

Step-7 : Slide plate :

l Typical coefficients of friction () are as follows

Now from above steps, you have learnt the following:

l Different types of loads on foundation

For typical foundation for a Horizontal Vessel click here

Foundation Design Philosophy for Shell & Tube

Step-1 : Review of vessel drawing (Vendor Equipment Drawing)

l Vessel Erection weight (De1)

Step-2 : Verification of foundation location, elevation and external fittings loads

l Verify the area available for foundation.

Step-3 : Description of Foundation Loads:

Please follow this section to understand the different loads on foundation:

Step-5 : Anchor Bolt Check:

Step-6 : Pedestal Sizing and reinforcement:

code requirements (refer ACI 318, Chapter 11).

Step-7 : Slide plate :

Now from above steps, you have learnt the following:

l Different types of loads on foundation

Foundation Design Philosophy for Rotating Equipment

l Soil weight density

Step-3 : Categorization of rotating machines based on machine speed:

Step-4 : Preliminary sizing of foundations:

Step-5 : Requirement for dynamic analysis of foundations:

Step-6 : Calculation of un-balanced forces for dynamic analysis of foundations:

Un-balance force for pump: Fpump = mp-rotor x e x w2

Un-balance force for motor: Fmotor = mm-rotor x e x w2

Where, mp-rotor = weight of pump rotor, mm-rotor = weight of motor rotor

w = circular frequency = 2 x pi x (f / 60), f = speed of machine from vendor drawing (RPM).

e = rotor eccentricity, depends on machine speed