CAESAR II develops three buried zones - 1, 2 & 3 with a focus on horizontal support supplied by the soil. Zone 1 is located around thrust points in the system such as changes in direction and tees and entries and exits from the soil. Zone 1 is controlled by bearing - the lateral push of the pipe on the soil. Zone 3 is found on long runs where the bearing is minimal and the axial friction load predominates. Zone 2 is the transition from 1 to 3. With our point supports, we require more supports to model the continuous support at bearing points. Axial friction can be modeled with fewer supports. So, CAESAR II must break the system into these three zones in order to accurately model the effects of the soil. CAESAR II can identify Zone 1 around bends but other thrust points must be identified by the user. So, at tees or entry/exit points, the user must spoecify a fine mesh (Zone 1). If an element begins at such a thrust point, the user must check the "From Node" box. If an element ends at such a thrust point the user must check the "To Node" check box.
Edited by Dave Diehl (11/08/06 08:31 AM)
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Dave Diehl