CPSA Calculator Updates Give Efficient Buried Pipeline SolutionThe Concrete Pipeline Systems Association (CPSA) recently updated two online tools; the Material Cost Calculator and the Structural Design Calculator, which aid users in deciding on the most efficient buried pipeline solution.

The upgrades to the online calculators will further simplify the calculation process, based on recommendations in the standard BS EN 1295-1 Structural design of buried pipelines under various conditions of loading, and improve user experience. The new downloadable web app that the Association recently introduced will enable users to replicate the online calculators on portable devices.

The CPSA’s Structural Design Calculator simplifies pipeline design calculations and takes into account pipe crushing strength, external design loads, and bedding factors in order to provide advice on the type of bedding to use. The recent updates mean that the Structural Design Calculator is now able to automatically select the factor of safety used in the calculations for various sizes of concrete pipe, as per British Standard BS 9295: 2010. The results table produced can now also be exported as a PDF file, to an Excel file and/or to the CPSA’s Material Cost Calculator.

The CPSA’s Material Cost Calculator was developed to aid users to estimate the material costs for concrete pipe installations using different bedding designs; it will then compare these cost with the costs of plastic pipes. Calculations include the cost of bedding, the disposal of excavated material, as well as the cost of the pipes and fittings themselves.

The latest upgrades to the Material Cost Calculator ensure that clients, designers and installers have the option of entering their own values for the bulk density of excavated material and granular backfill; alternatively, they can opt to use the pre-set default values.

Further data has been added to the results table to show how the calculations are arrived at, and as with the Structural Design Calculator, on-screen results can now be exported to both PDF and Excel files.

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