PV ELITE SADDLE ANALYSIS
Saddle Width: Enter the width of the saddle support. This value does not include any wear pad on the vessel side,
and is used primarily for the Zick analysis of horizontal vessels on saddle supports.
Saddle Dimension a: Enter the distance between the centerline of the saddle support and the tangent line of the
nearest head. This dimension is labeled A in most pressure vessel texts.
Centerline Dimension B :Enter the distance from the base of the saddle to the centerline of the vessel, referred to
as dimension B in some pressure vessel texts. This value is used to determine additional saddle loads due to wind or
seismic events.
Saddle Contact Angle: Enter the angle between the two contact points ("horns") of the saddle, measured from the
axial center of the vessel. This value typically ranges from 120.0º to 150.0º.
Wear Plate Width: Enter the width of the wear plate between the vessel and the saddle support. This value is used
primarily for the Zick analysis of horizontal vessels on saddle supports.
Wear Plate Thickness: Enter the thickness of the wear plate between the vessels and the saddle support. This value
is used primarily for the Zick analysis of horizontal vessels on saddle supports.
Wear Plate Contact Angle: Enter the angle contained from one edge of the wear plate to the other edge, measured
from the axial center of the vessel. Typically this value is approximately 130º.
Baseplate Width Enter the short dimension (the width) of the baseplate.
Number of Ribs Enter the number of ribs on one saddleRib Thickness Enter the thickness of
the rib supports.
Web Thickness Enter the thickness of the web. The web is the vertical plate between the
baseplate and the wear plate, to which the ribs are attached.
Height of Center Web Enter the height of the center web as it extends from the baseplate to the shell inside
diameter (ID). Think of this value as the column height of all material above the baseplate to the inside of the
pressure vessel, including the Wear Plate Thickness and the Shell Thickness. The software uses this value to
determine if the centerline of the saddle may fail if the vessel fails at that specific location.
Web Location Select the web location relative to the saddle baseplate and wear plate. Select Center, Side -
Left, or Side - Right.
Height of Section Ring: If a custom fabricated composite (usually T type) stiffener is used over the saddle supports,
enter the height from the shell surface to the top of the stiffener. This value will be used to compute the stress at the
tip of the stiffener. If a horizontal vessel does not have stiffeners over the saddle supports, enter 0. If you selected a
stiffener from the AISC structural steel database in the Stiffening Ring dialog box, enter 0. In this case, the software
gets the ring height from the AISC database.
Friction Coefficient Mu: Enter the coefficient of friction mu between the base of the saddle and the supporting
foundation, piers or structure. A frictionless surface has a mu value of 0. Other typical values are in the range
of 0.3 to 0.5. The software uses this value to determine the counteracting force caused by thermal expansion and the
dead weight of the vessel on the saddle support. This is essentially a resistive force bending the saddle. The generated
force is proportional to mu times the normal force.
Moment Factor, Ftr: Enter the moment factor for calculating the saddle reaction force due to the wind or
earthquake transverse load. The recommended value is 3.
The value of 6 is conservative in that it assumes that the maximum edge load is uniform across the entire base,
when realistically it occurs only at the edge. A more accurate method converts this triangular loading into a more
realistic uniform load, leading to the value of 3. The following figure shows an end view of a horizontal vessel with
a transverse load, simulating wind/seismic loading:
The saddle reaction load Fst (or Fwt for wind) due to the
transverse load Ft is:
Fst (or Fwt) = (Saddle Moment Factor) * Ft * B / E
Dimension E at base
Enter the dimension of the baseplate that is less than the
distance in contact with the supporting surface. Dimension
E addresses the saddle reaction force due to wind or
seismic force when the baseplate distance dimension has a
different distance in contact with the supporting surface.
This entry is optional.
Tangent to Tangent Distance
Enter the length of the cylindrical shell measured from
tangent line to tangent line for a vessel with curved heads
or from inner face to inner face for vessels with flat covers
or tubesheets. For most horizontal vessels comprised of
dished ends and cylinders that are not heat exchangers, PV
Elite can determine this value and you can leave the value
set to zero. For vessels that have cones, tubesheets, and so forth, you must manually enter this value.
Circ Eff over Saddle
Enter the circumferential efficiency in the plane of the saddle.
When you create a shell by welding the ends together, there is a longitudinal weld. If that weld is at the saddle,
there are bending moment stress.
Circ Eff at Midspan
Enter circumferential efficiency at the mid-span.
When you create a shell by welding the ends together, there is a longitudinal weld. If that weld is between
saddles, there are bending moment stress.
Perform Anchor Bolts Calculations?
Select to add anchor bolt data, and perform anchor bolt and baseplate calculations. Enter values for the options
below.
PV Elite performs anchor bolt calculations for horizontal vessel saddle supports and skirt and leg baseplate supports. This analysis
determines the uplift on the saddle supports due to the external loads on the vessel. Loadings include defined forces and moments and wind and
seismic loads. If the vessel is in uplift, the required area of the bolts is determined. More information on this analysis is found in the Pressure Vessel
Design Manual by Dennis R. Moss, 1997 and later editions. In addition to calculation of the required bolt area, this method also calculates the
required thickness of the baseplate due to the applied bolt load. In some cases the bolt load controls the thickness of the saddle baseplate.
Saddle Bolted to Steel Foundation?
Select if the saddles are bolted to a steel substructure.
Number of Bolts
Enter the total number of bolts to be used on the baseplate. The bolts are assumed to be at the edge of the
baseplate along the short side.
Num of Bolts in Tension
Enter the number of bolts in tension, generally the total number of bolts divided by two.
Edge Distance
Enter the distance from the edge of the baseplate to the centerline of the bolts along the Baseplate Length.
Bolt Corrosion Allowance
Enter the bolt corrosion allowance (BCA). If the bolt corrosion allowance specified is a "total", then divide it by
two; otherwise this calculation will be overly conservative. When dealing with bolt corrosion, the following
equation is used to calculate the equivalent bolt OD and corresponding reduced area of the bolt:
BOD = ( BLTAREA * 4.0 / Õ )1/2 - 2.0 * BCA
Bolt Allowable Stress
Enter the allowable stress of the bolt. If you select a material directly from the Material Database dialog box
for Bolt Material, the software provides the allowable stress at ambient temperature. If you need the allowable
at an elevated temperature (such as for an insulated vessel), then you must enter the allowable stress at that
temperature.
Nominal Bolt Diameter
Select the nominal bolt diameter. In general this value ranges from 1/2 inch to 4 inches.
Bolt Root Area
For nonstandard or metric bolts, enter the root cross-sectional area of the bolt. If you have entered a value
for Bolt Corrosion Allowance, the software modifies the area of the bolt using the equation described above.
Optional Moments for Saddle Analysis
According to definitions in ASME VIII-2 4.15.6 enter values for the following optional moments:
Moment M1 - Net-section maximum, maximum longitudinal bending moment at the saddle support. The moment is
negative when it results in a tensile stress at the top of the shell.
Moment M2 - Net-section maximum, maximum longitudinal bending moment between the saddle support. The
moment is negative when it results in a tensile stress at the top of the shell.
The saddle analysis used in PV Elite can be either the method outlined in ASME VIII-2 paragraph 4.15.3 or PD 5500
Annex G. Both of these analyses are based on the original method outlined in the September 1951 Paper by L.P. Zick,
"Stresses in Large Horizontal Cylindrical Pressure Vessels on Two Saddle Supports." This paper first appeared in the
The Welding Journal Research Supplement. The basis of the analysis is a typical pressure vessel with ellipsoidal,
torispherical or hemispherical heads at either end, and cylindrical sections in the middle. The two saddle supports are
assumed to be equidistant from the ends. With these assumptions, the bending moments between the saddles and
over the saddles can be calculated.
Unfortunately, the geometry of many vessels and exchangers do not fall in line with these assumptions. As a result,
the analysis of these vessels may produce moments that are not correct with regard to the original Zick formulas. The
software allows the optional input of Moment M1 and Moment M2, as defined in ASME VIII-2 4.15.3, for both the
operating and hydrotest conditions. If Moment M1 and Moment M2 are zero, moments are calculated based on the
design information provided in the Saddle dialog. If Moment M1 and Moment M2 are non-zero, these moment values
are used, overriding the calculated moments. Moment M1 and Moment M2 can be positive or negative.
According to ASME VIII-2, paragraph 4.15.3.2, the moments are calculated for equidistant saddles with a ≤ 0.25L. If the
relationship between a and L is not maintained, the moments should be calculated using an appropriate engineering
beam type analysis method (such as shear and moment diagrams). From ASME VIII-2 4.15.6:
▪ a - Distance from the axis of the saddle support to the tangent line on the curve for a dished head or to the
inner face of a flat cover or tubesheet.
▪ L - Length of the cylindrical shell measured from the tangent line for a vessel with dished ends or from the
inner face to inner face for vessels with flat covers or tubesheets.
These overriding moments are only used in Division 2 saddle analysis and PD 5500 saddle analysis.
Moment M1 – Saddle: Net-section maximum, maximum longitudinal bending moment at the saddle support. The
moment is negative when it results in a tensile stress at the top of the shell.
Moment M2 - Saddle: Net-section maximum, maximum longitudinal bending moment between the saddle
support. The moment is negative when it results in a tensile stress at the top of the shell.
