CSI's SAP2000 and ETABS structural analysis software programs have been widely used for over 50 years in the design and analysis of some of the world’s most iconic structures including the Burj Khalifa Tower, Petronas Towers, new San Francisco Bay bridge, Chinese "birds nest" Olympic stadium and many others.
In March 2019 CSI released a new standalone pipe stress analysis software program called CSiPlant, which is based on SAP2000. As a result, CSiPlant inherited a number of useful capabilities not available in other older generation pipe stress software programs.
Capabilities such as second order P-delta analysis with large displacements, nonlinear time history analysis which can consider gaps, one-way supports, friction, and P-delta effects in the dynamic analysis, no practical limit to the number of load cases or model size, buckling analysis, and path-dependent load sequencing, to name a few of CSiPlant's unique advantages for more rigorous design calculations.
CSiPlant offers comprehensive bi-directional integration with SAP2000 structural models for combined pipe/structure interaction for more realistic calculation of reactions and stresses, with options to automatically export selected pipe support reactions from the combined model back into SAP2000. All this with a modern intuitive and efficient graphical user interface.
Limitations of widely used pipe stress programs result in engineers having to overlook certain analysis considerations that can have potentially impactful safety and economic consequences. P-delta effects, for example, have been a near- mandatory consideration in structural design codes for many years due to its importance in design calculations, yet P- delta analysis is not even an option with most other piping stress programs.
CSiPlant makes it not only feasible, but downright straightforward to account for these real-world analysis considerations for better and safer designs. Let us show you!