Anvil Fire Blog

Continued from Part 1 of seismic design for fire sprinkler systems. After you have determined if you need seismic bracing, how do you determine the amount of Horizontal Seismic Force or Fp to apply?  ( Hint - You can just go to our  Seismic Calculator App  and have much of the look up work done for you. ) STEP ONE - APPLICABLE STANDARDS AND CODES Assuming that you are working in a jurisdiction that has adopted the International Building Code (IBC), you would start with section 1613.1 which states: 1613.1 Scope. Every structure, and portion thereof, including nonstructural components that are permanently attached to structures and their supports and attachments , shall be designed and constructed to resist the effects of earthquake motions in accordance with ASCE 7, excluding Chapter 14 and Appendix l1A.  T he seismic design category for a structure is permitted to be determined in accordance with Section 1613  or ASCE 7.  Furthermore ...

There is a site similar to USGS' for earthquake data in Canada available at: http://earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca/hazard-alea/interpolat/index-eng.php Let us know if you are interested in having Anvil Fire update our Seismic Force Calculator App to include this information.

DesignMaps Application and 2008 Design Data USGS has released an updated DesignMaps application which is a great application.  However, before you start applying it to 2009 International Building Code please make sure to read their FAQ page which states: This application should currently only be used to investigate which design values will likely be mandated in the future. This recommendation by USGS is based on the hierarchy of the codes and standards, which is as follows: 2003 IBC 2006 IBC 2009 IBC 2012 IBC ASCE7-02 ASCE7-05 ASCE7-05 ASCE7-10 USGS 2002 USGS 2002 USGS 2002 USGS 2008 The  DesignMaps application  utilizes information from the 2008 USGS National Seismic Hazard Maps information.   For 2008 the hazard values in the Central and Eastern U.S. have been reduced by 10-25% in many cases, and most 1-second period ground motion values for the Western U.S. have also been reduced, in some cases by as much as 30%. Exampl...

So that our clients outside of the continental United States don't feel left out, we have expanded our seismic ground motion data to include: Hawaii Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands This data is from the USGS and is applicable for designs applying ASCE 7-05 as referenced by the 2006 and 2009 editions of IBC.  Visit our on-line fire sprinkler seismic calculation app and try it out for these locations.

How do you know when seismic bracing is required for fire sprinkler piping?  Lets walk through the general procedure to determine if bracing is required.  ( Hint - You can just go to our Seismic Calculator App and have much of the look up work done for you. ) STEP ONE - APPLICABLE STANDARDS AND CODES Assuming that you are working in a jurisdiction that has adopted the International Building Code (IBC), you would start with section 1613.1 which states: 1613.1 Scope. Every structure, and portion thereof, including nonstructural components that are permanently attached to structures and their supports and attachments , shall be designed and constructed to resist the effects of earthquake motions in accordance with ASCE 7, excluding Chapter 14 and Appendix l1A. T he seismic design category for a structure is permitted to be determined in accordance with Section 1613 or ASCE 7.  Furthermore the International Mechanical Code (IMC) section 301.15 states:...