Saddle support is support consisting of a stanchion that utilizes a curved section for cradling the pipe. Each component of a piping system has a job to do. Making sure a system can function correctly and efficiently requires that designers thoroughly account for each component’s design from the conditions at installation (cold) to those during system operation (hot). One requirement of pipe supports, critical to every piping run, is that they accommodate pipe displacement, or movement, generated during operation without adding excessive stress to the overall system. Movement results from changes in temperature, load, or any other operating characteristics that affect the forces at play — whether inside the pipeline or in the environment surrounding the system.

 

Optimal use of pipe supports

• Collect and use good data: Know the full range of loads and movement the piping system will handle during a full operating cycle, and remember that movement in the real world occurs in all three dimensions.

• • Make note of other factors that can affect piping loads, such as temperature, weight, states of matter, and external conditions.