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Revision Change Notices

Revision Location of Changes Brief Description of Change

A1 Throughout New Document
A2 Throughout Updated format and for MDS 12.0 and 12.1

Holds Table

Location Hold Action By

None

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Table of Contents
1. Purpose 4
2. Scope 4
3. Definitions 4
4. Responsibilities 4
4.1 Feedback 4
5. Workflow/Process 5
5.1 Creating a Spring Support in MDS using WH4 Interface 5
5.2 Witch-hanger (WH4) Interface 10
5.3 How to Modify a Spring Support 12
5.4 Inspection of Hierarchy 15
5.5 Outputs 16
6. Process Flowchart 19
7. Outputs 19
8. Closeout 19
9. References 19

List of Associated Guidelines

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1. Purpose
The purpose of this guideline is to show the first time user basic methodology for producing
Carpenter and Paterson Spring Supports in a PDMS model using MDS (Multi Discipline
Supports) and the Witch-Hanger 4 Interface for MDS. The guide is based on the use of
MDS 12.0 and 12.1 and version 4.3.4.66-PDMS/MDS of the WH4 interface. The user
should already be familiar with MDS guide line OAG-X160-170-GDL-050.
Actual design criteria, such as support loadings, functions and locations are not taken into
account for the examples in this guide.
Reference:
OAG-X160-170-GDL-050 MDS User Guide

2. Scope
This guideline is applicable to users within the Europe and West Africa (EWA) Brownfield
business unit who have authorised use of MDS and PDMS for the purpose of design and
modelling of pipe supports.

3. Definitions
PDMS
Plant Design Management System is a multi-discipline 3D design and spatial management
tool, which has been designed and specifically developed to meet the needs of the process
industries. AMEC has adopted PDMS as the preferred 3D-design tool.
MDS
Multi Discipline Supports
ES
Engineering Systems
WH4
Witch-Hanger 4 Interface for MDS
CPL
Carpenter and Paterson

4. Responsibilities
The Engineering Systems Manager will be responsible for ensuring the continued
availability of this application and controlling the release of all modifications and upgrades.

4.1 Feedback
Should users of this guideline have any comments regarding its content, then feedback
should be passed to the Engineering Systems Manager for potential incorporation in
future revisions.

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5. Workflow/Process

5.1 Creating a Spring Support in MDS using WH4 Interface

Pipe Support Designers may already be accustomed to using the Carpenter & Paterson
Ltd. Witch-Hanger program (stand-alone CD version) for selection of springs, and will
find the new Witch-Hanger (WH4) interface in MDS easy to use as it is virtually the
same. The interface is available as part of the standard PC set-up for Designers. You
can install it using the Software Self Service facility on your PC.
It is assumed that you have the necessary information from the Stress Engineer for the
design and location of the spring support
EXAMPLE:
For this typical example we will try to build the constant load spring support as shown
on the following picture:

STEP 3 The spring is modelled STEP 2 A steel beam

in MDS using the WH4 support for the spring to
interface by selecting the pipe attach to may be
first then selecting the modelled in as part of
supporting steel. The spring the ‘Special’ support in
components will be modelled MDS, and this will be
as part (2) of the grouped part (1) of the grouped
support. support.

STEP 1 The spring can be

modelled onto either a pipe or an
MDS trunnion branch. If on a
trunnion, this MUST be modelled
first using MDS. The trunnion
branch will be named e.g.
0202C-PS-B50-001-TR the ‘-TR’
at the end being the accepted
tag for a pipe support trunnion in
AMEC.

Fig.1 – Shows WH4 Spring hanger in Design

A spring is always* modelled as part of a ‘Grouped’ support.

As described above, to build a spring, first you need the pipe in the view and also
the supporting beam whether above or below the pipe depending on what type of
spring you need. The supporting beam is nearly always a specific trimmer
located for the purpose and will be detailed on the support drawing so must be

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modelled as part of the Special support. Therefore the two parts of the group,
Spring and Special must be ‘Grouped’ to produce one detail drawing.

* A support STRU is needed for the ADP Draft process to work. In Brownfield work, a
spring support is always bolted to the steelwork, whether new or existing, so a STRU is
always needed for the bolted plates, brackets or trimmers (see later).
AMEC Engineering practice require the spring details to be called up on the support
detail drawings as well as printing out the CPL Data sheets for the spring from the WH4
interface.

Part (1) Create Special support with supporting beam

Ensure any trunnion to be used for the spring is correctly named as previously
described.
Then, on selecting the ‘Create Special’ icon from the MDS Toolbar, simply use the
cursor to select the trunnion body (REDU) in this example, select a ‘REST ATTA’ to
insert a DATUM ATTA onto the trunnion. This ATTA can then be located at a point along
the trunnion which suits your intended spring location below support beam or trimmer.
The location of this support STRU will also be the centre point of the pipe clamp
component of the spring as shown above.
The STRU should be named i.e. 0202C-PS-B50-001 for this example.
Now complete the modelling of your support beam above this point.
With your Special including beam in place, you need to convert it to a grouped support.
Select support STRU in hierarchy and select Modify/Convert Special to Group. This
essentially changes the name of the Special support to i.e. 0202C-PS-B50-001[1].

Part (2) Now create the second part of the group, the spring.
Create a Spring Support by selecting one of the two icons shown below from the MDS
Toolbar.

Both of these icons have been pre-configured to point to the WH4 interface via the
Hangers using Witch-Hanger Interface form. We are hoping AVEVA can improve on
this interface in the near future as this can be confusing for first time users.

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Single Hanger connected
to bottom of single beam
Hint:
Add to Support Group
It is normal practice to build a spring
support as part of a support group.
There is usually a Special support
framework built first that the spring is
to be attached to and this will be the
first part of the group. To convert a
special to a group support select
Modify/convert support to group.
This will add [1] to end of support
number.
Now use this icon to make the spring
part [2] of the group.

Fig.2 – Shows Hanger interface with type filters

To name the second part of the group, select the small green icon next to the edit box at
top of form. You will be prompted to select an item of the group which is your support
beam or anything within that support. The support number is taken and a bracket [2]
added and it appears in the edit box.
Your support name now appears as i.e. 0202C-PS-B50-001[2]. Select one of the filters
depending on what configuration of support is required.
There are 9 active filters at this stage of which the first group is for connection to
steelwork and the second for connection to ‘Civils’. (The ANY and ALL filters are
disabled and are only used when the MDS springs utility is activated in place of the WH4
interface).
Remember to follow prompts at the bottom of the main window.

In this example select icon for a Single Hanger connected to bottom of Single
Beam.
Follow prompt instruction at bottom of PDMS window to identify the tube of trunnion (or
pipe) next to atta already positioned for special then identify the beam to be attached to.
We will attach to trunnion 0202C-PS-B50-001-TR on the existing pipe for this example.
The WH Hanger – Fixed Hanger form appears:

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Fig.3 – Shows WH4 Fixed Hanger Creation form

You will notice that in our example the Distance will be ‘Blanked out’ (at 414.49). This is
because the support beam above is positioned ‘across’ the line of the trunnion being
supported and therefore sets the distance along the trunnion as you have already
located the beam directly above the special support DATUM.
Should the beam be aligned ‘along’ the line of the trunnion, then spring would
automatically be in the correct position as long as you selected the outside portion of the
trunnion next to the datum atta, In which case Distance would be blanked out at 0.00.
Click OK to continue
If this is the first support created or modified in the session, then the next dialog will ask
you to enter the project database name.

Fig.4 – Shows Witch Hanger DB selection form

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Select the already existing database WH4 by selecting it on the list and then selecting
OK. (Any new dbs will be set up by ES if project requires it)
However, normally, the only database available is WH4
Select OK.

MDS now has enough information to pass on to WH4 which can receive the following
information:
Hanger Mark Number
Loads
Pipe Size
Pipe Temperature
Pipe Insulation
Pipe Z, X & Y dimensions
Pipe Material
Lateral Movement
Horizontal Movement
Vertical Movement
Steel Width
Steel Z, X & Y dimensions
Configuration Type
Beam Flange Width
Beam Flange Thickness
Pipe Angle

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5.2 Witch-hanger (WH4) Interface

(Version: 4.2.4.66 at time of writing) ES will update on a regular basis or on request
from user.
If you are a previous user of Witch-Hanger, you will notice that not a lot has changed.
The toolbar buttons available include, the ‘V’-Variable Support, ‘C’- Constant Support &
‘R’- Rigid Support buttons. If you have selected the filter option to create a Dynamic
support, then the ‘D’ button will be enabled.
For our example we want to design a Constant Support, therefore select ‘C’ from top
menu.

Enter these details normally supplied by

Stress Engineer. Check other default
settings

Fig.5 – Shows Constant Support Input Screen in WH4

On the Constant Support Input Screen you must input all the necessary design
information for your spring support and Click OK

Fig.6 – Shows Support Selection Method form

On this form, Support Selection Method, select Manual or Typical. You can use the
typical method unless your have a special set-up in mind.

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See Typical Assemblies Form below:

Fig.7 – Shows Typical selectable configurations

On above form you can select what configuration your actual support design requires by
clicking on the appropriate icon within the window.
Note that you have Types C50, C51 and C52 to pick from depending on what your top
detail is to be. For this example you may choose the first icon Type C50 –
114/P/395/304
Select the configuration needed (blue). Click OK (or double click cursor on blue
selection)
The main window now shows the drawing of the configuration you have selected so far.
You will notice that all the Icons at the top of the screen are now Live, and simple to use
(see later).
Review your support design configuration, and, if all seems in order with your support
configuration then hit the SAVE button in top menu.
It is especially important that the top elevation is correct as this corresponds to the
underside of support steel level.
Selecting the SAVE button in effect sends all the spring design information back to MDS
so that the 3D configuration can be built exactly as the WH4 drawing. This also takes
you out of the WH4 application and back to MDS. If your configuration is not correct in
accordance with CPL design parameters you will see an error report at this point
informing you of the error details. Correct all errors and select the SAVE button again.
You will now see the fully modelled Constant Spring Unit as shown on FIG.2 below.

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Go to Settings>Graphics>Representation, and, if you have ‘insulation’ set to, say

‘50%’, your spring will show up as being transparent in model, as shown on picture.
The reason for this is that the whole spring is modelled into the pipe hierarchy and
therefore is subject to the insulation settings for the display. The spring component
details are NOT called up on the isometric of the pipe. Only the pipe support number is
called up.

Note: When you select the support beam during the

build process, the program adds an invisible Fitting
onto the beam so that the fitting can hold the
parameters of the beam section properties and
elevation that WH4 needs to determine the spring
height. Select the beam to see fitting in hierarchy.

FIG.8 – Show spring FIG.9 – Shows Graphics settings

5.3 How to Modify a Spring Support

To Modify a spring support simply pick spring in view, select Modify>Support from
MDS top menus.
At this stage there is really only one modification you need to sometimes make, i.e.
rotate the spring can to avoid local clashes.
When a constant effort spring is built, it is always aligned along the supporting section
due to the ‘direction’ of the fitting attached as shown above.
Rotating it is done easily from within the modify form by selecting the rotate all atta icon
in options. Please note that only the components from the can up will be rotated.
Apply and click OK on the form (not shown this time) to go back into WH4.

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Alternate modification 1
If you need to make a modification in MDS, say, you need to add a bolted insert plate
between the underside of the support beam and the CPL top brackets, you will need to
use the following simple procedure.

Historical Note:
I Brownfield it is generally accepted that a bolted plate bracket is inserted between the
top of the spring unit brackets and the supporting beam, or alternatively the top
bracket could be a fabricated TEE bracket, meaning that the support beam needs to
be lowered by the same distance as the insert plate thickness, for example, before
spring creation.
This ensures the spring configuration is at the correct height. The beam is simply
moved back up by that distance to allow correct modelling of insert plate. The
interface does not have the facility to select an vertical offset distance so this action
cannot be avoided.

Because the fitting on the support beam ‘sends’ the elevation for the beam to WH4, the
beams needs to be lowered by the same amount as the plate you are going to insert.
This is to ensure the correct height of the spring configuration is achieved within WH4
and hence the model. Having done this, simply modify spring using the modify/support
function, go straight into WH4, do nothing other than hit the save button to immediately
return to the model. You will see that the hanger now has changed to the new lower
underside of beam level. Simply move your beam back up by the same distance and
then model in your insert plate. See new FIG.10 below
As described in the historical note above, this is a work-around for the ‘modify support’
situation where the user has forgotten to allow for, say a 15mm thick insert plate, when
first creating the spring, so that the top brackets of the spring are at the correct
elevation to allow insertion of the plate to weld the WH4 brackets to as shown below.
In other words, remember to move the support beam
again if you need a further modification in WH4.
This is a temporary situation and both AVEVA and
Witch-hanger will come up with a permanent solution
soon.

Using this method your Draft drawing will still reflect

your changes as all the info is taken from the model
(not WH4), and the material list will be correct for all
your spring items

FIG.10 Shows Spring on bolted bracket

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Alternate modification 2

If your support requires a modification to its CPL configuration, say a change to the type
of pipe clamp, use modify/support then select OK to proceed back into Witch-Hanger
where this and other changes can be made using the various tools and icons on the
menu bar.
For example, select the Icon on top menu bar to Change Item.

Fig.11 – Shows selections available

On the list of spring components click on item to be changed i.e. Item 6 pipe clamp.
Click OK.
Select Insulated Clamps tab as shown above and select one of the insulated options,
Click OK.
SAVE button to return to MDS where model will be updated automatically.

How to delete a Spring Support.

It is advised that you should remove a spring support from its grouped support prior to
deleting it. To do this, select spring in model and then Modify/Support Name.
The following form appears:

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Fig.12 – Shows Modify Support Name form

Select CE to add existing support name which will have [2] at the end of it.

Select icon to remove support from group and apply.

Now remove spring support by selecting Delete/Support from pull-down menus.

5.4 Inspection of Hierarchy

Firstly, select spring ATTA for your support I.E. the constant spring unit you have just
added, and go to PIPE level.
Hierarchy now looks like this assuming pipe name is TEST-PIPE-01:
PIPE -> TEST-PIPE-01
BRAN TEST-PIPE-01-B1
BRAN TEST-PIPE-01/0202C-PS-B50-001-TR
BRAN TEST-PIPE-01-B2
BRAN TEST-PIPE-01-B3
REST 0202C-PS-B50-001/REST

You will see that the REST ATTA in bold text is automatically built under PIPE level.
However if you now go to the BRAN level for the trunnion you will see that an additional
ATTA has been added (highlighted in bold text) at the location of the spring on the
trunnion.

BRAN -> TEST-1000-01/0202C-PS-B50-001-TR

ATTA 0202C-PS-B50-001-TR /NOTE1
REDU 0202C-PS-B50-001-TR /MAKEUP
ATTA 0202C-PS-B50-001-TR /NOTE2
ATTA 0202C-PS-B50-001
ATTA 0202C-PS-B50-001-TR /SREF
PLAT 0202C-PS-B50-001-TR
Now click on pipe clamp on trunnion and go to REST level:
REST ->0202C-PS-B50-001/REST
HANG 0202C-PS-B50-001/H1
HANG 0202C-PS-B50-001/H2

Under HANG/H1 level you will see all the different components for the primary spring
assembly as shown below:
HANG ->0202C-PS-B50-001/H1
PCLA 1

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EYRD 1
VSPR 1
SCLA 1

Under HANG/H2 level you will see only the secondary SCLA:
HANG ->0202C-PS-B50-001/H2
SCLA 1

You can select each one of these separately in the model and Q ATT to view its details,
or Q Spref to get the mds reference name of each item..
It is not recommended you attempt to modify these manually as they are selected by
Witch-Hanger during the design process.

Additional info:
Witch-Hanger Getting Started basic instructions:
This appears every time you enter WH4 unless you tick the ‘don’t show’ box and shows
a reminder of the basic method used to build springs.

Fig.13 – Shows Witch-Hanger Welcome Form

5.5 Outputs
Printing Spring Data Sheets from WH4 and MDS
N.B. If a Draft drawing already exists for a particular spring support, all the reference
numbers in PDMS will change when the user re-enters the WH4 Interface, therefore the
drawing will have to be modified. This in effect means that if the user needs to re-enter

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the interface to print out the configuration data sheets at new revision, then the ref. Nos.
need to be fixed in Draft.
Please refer to Recommended Practice REP – 005 to print data sheets. We will need to
use this work-around until AVEVA find a permanent solution to the reference number
issue. See section 7.0 References.

OAG-X160-170-REP-005 Up-Rev and print CPL Drawings from Draft (without changing
RefNos)

Printing from Witch-Hanger

Normally, to print out the spring data sheets for supports using the MDS-WH4
interface, Witch-Hanger must be running in MDS mode.
Note that if you have created multiple databases within MDS for springs, you must
select the correct Witch-Hanger database from within MDS.
In our example there is only one database created i.e. WH4.
In MDS, use mouse to select spring support to be printed then select Modify >Support
from top menu. The Witch-Hanger interface will open.
When in Witch-Hanger, select the PRINT menu option:
You will see that there are several print options as listed:

Fig.14 – Shows Print options

Select Assembly Drawings to print off the standard first sheet showing the spring
design configuration or select Spring Drawing to print off the second sheet showing the
detailed dimensions of the spring unit. The other three options are self explanatory.

There is an icon on the top menu bar to change the view to the detail sheet and
back to configuration sheet.

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Spring Design Configuration

Fig. 15 – Shows Design configuration of spring

Spring Details

Fig.16 – Shows Dimensions of main spring unit

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Getting a check print of spring config. Sheet from within MDS

To print from within MDS, without going into Witch-Hanger interface,
Select Utilities>WitchHanger Print
The form below takes a good couple of minutes to appear as it is collecting ALL hangers
in the model.

Fig.17 – Shows all spring supports found for printing

Select one or more supports from list using cursor and Apply. This opens the standard
print form but only the first data sheet of the support which shows the spring
configuration view, is printed.
To get the detail sheet you need to go into the WH4 interface.

6. Process Flowchart
None

7. Outputs
None

8. Closeout
None

9. References
List of Associated Documents
OAG-X160-170-GDL-050 MDS User Guide
OAG-X160-170-REP-005 Up-Rev and print CPL Drawings from Draft (without changing RefNos)

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