Hi to all,
I was intrigued the flexibility calculation introduced by WRC 297 concept. Does it possible to apply on Branch connection whether Lateral or Not? If possible, HOW?

Anybody who have experienced related to my query?

WRC-297 does not address lateral intersections. Your only alternative is FEA.

I know that WRC 297 can applied for cylinder to cylinder intersection to calculate most accurate stiffnesses but can be also applied even not perpendicular intersection with some factors to be considered during modeling, although the stiffnesses results is consider as approximation but consider as approriate than considering the connection as rigid.
So, that idea considering also the statement as per CAESAR II Pipe Stress Seminar Notes which mention that the idea of WRC 297 can be used to model a lateral branch connection..

You are outside the scope of WRC-297 if you do this. CAESAR II will not prevent you from building the model though.

Hello Nald,

Classical pipe stress analysis programs use piping beam elements that are constrained to the limitations inherent with beam elements. For example, beam elements do not capture the effect of ovalization where the cross section of the pipe deforms away from the unloaded round geometry. To compensate for the limitations, correction factors are applied to the beam models to more closely match the flexibility and stresses of the pipe to reality. The correction factors, flexibilities and stress intensification factors (SIFs), are based on analytical and empirical relations correlated to piping component geometries. The accuracy of the correlations depends on the geometries of the piping components.

FE-SIF and FE107 from PAULIN RESEARCH GROUP, bring finite element analysis (FEA) to the piping designer's toolkit to provide accurate SIF and flexibility factor calculations for all geometries and load conditions. FE-SIF can be used to calculate correction factors for components outside the correlational limits of standardized design codes and for components with no guidance in the design codes. You can click on link below to find out more about this issue.

http://www.paulin.com/WEBfe107-1.aspx