I modeled a universal expansion joint within a pipeline following the Application Guide.

Node 10-20: rigid, half of the total weight
Node 20-30: expansion joint, with trans/bending/axial stiffness and effective ID blocks filled.
Node 20-40: rigid, zero weight; Restraints at Node 40 Cnoded to 30: RY, RZ, X
Node 40-50: rigid, half of the total weight

After running, the restraints summary are as follows:

40 Rigid RY Rigid RZ Rigid X
3 OPE ********* 0. 0. 0. 27833. -35264.
4 SUS 6. 0. 0. 0. -2172. 5478.
5 EXP ********* 0. 0. 0. 30005. -40742.

Is this Fx the pressure thrust force? Why they are ********* ?


Edited by harrychiu (10/31/06 10:30 PM)
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Harry Chiu
A newbie for piping stress analysis