You cannot analyze with a negative pressure in CAESAR II. If you do input a negative pressure, you may see an effect on loads if the model includes expansion joints or the Bourdon Pressure effect is activated. However, for stress computations, the absolute value of the pressure is used. This is so that in equations such as [stress = PD/4t + iM/Z], a negative pressure does not reduce the stress.
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Regards,
Richard Ay - Consultant