TRIFLEX® Windows 2.6.1
July 11, 2005

Enhancements

1. Multiple Load Cases – This version of TRIFLEX®Windows includes the option to select and calculate a number of load cases limited only by the capabilities of the computer, in essence, as many as the user desires. A great many dialogs have been modified to be able to accommodate a variable number of cases, including the Case Definition dialog, the component process page, the Anchor movement page, those code compliance pages where provision is made for multiple allowable stresses, the fatigue cyclic loading dialog, etc. Each defined case must be assigned a name (default if the user desires). Ways in which dynamic calculations were handled previously with fixed case numbers is now revised. The case selection dropdown on the main menu lists case index, case name, and case description.

2. Direct Stress Isometric Drawings – TRIFLEX®Windows now produces Stress Isometric Drawings in DXF format, including User selected stress tables, which contain information calculated by the program and available in the View Analysis Results reports. This may be displayed using AutoDesk's AutoCad, using the export to DXF menu item. As with various other optional features, this capability is initiated and controlled by the security activator of TRIFLEX®Windows.

3. Export to Excel – TRIFLEX®Windows now exports all reports to Microsoft Excel spreadsheet with each report on a separate worksheet.

4. Euro Code – The European Code Compliance Dialog has been modified such that Creep Stress range calculations may be turned on or off at the User's discretion.

5. Ignore Temperature Limits – Another option has been added to the Code Definition Dialog under the Setup menu tab, such that the user may completely ignore any temperature limitations on the material. This is in addition to the check box that already existed such that the user could simply relax the material temperature limits to those within the range of available properties. Property data and allowable stresses are taken as the values at the lowest or highest temperature available for the particular material depending on whether the actual supplied temperature is lower or higher than that strictly allowed by code. These data may then be modified by the User if desired.

6. Merging of Pipe Components – When a continuous run consisting of non-branching pipe components is selected, the User may merge this into a single pipe component by using the new Main Menu/Edit/Merge command. The single pipe that replaces the run will have the properties associated with the first selected pipe, in component list order.

7. Response Spectrum Definition Page – The response spectrum definition page has been redesigned both in appearance and function, such that the operation is more intuitive and easier to follow. As one example, if a spectrum is input manually using the spreadsheet, the User is asked if he/she wishes to save the spectrum, either to file or memory, before exiting the dialog with it unsaved.

8. View Analysis Results - Piping System Movements – Two new columns have been added to the Piping System Movements report, giving the resultant deflections and resultant rotations in addition to movements along and rotations about the global axes.

9. View Analysis Results to Component Dialog – Where applicable, double clicking on a row in a report in any View Analysis Results spread sheet, will bring up the dialog for the component referenced on that row. Further an extra column, "Data Sequence", has been added to some reports in the View Analysis Results, such that sorting on that column will restore data to its original order, if it has been reordered due to a sort on another column.

10. Anchor-Anchor, Anchor-Restraint Warning – Occasionally in coding a piping system, an anchor can be placed at the same node location as another anchor or a component with a specified restraint. While this will not necessarily invalidate the calculation, the results may not be that which were expected. A warning message is now issued before the calculation should such a configuration be encountered in preliminary checks.

Modifications

1. Branch Selection – When selecting a branch of the piping system using Shift - Left Click on the mouse, if the User was pointing to a restraint symbol rather than an actual component rendering at the time of the Shift - Left Click action, an error would occur. This problem has been resolved such that pointing to a restraint is now handled the same as pointing to the component on which that restraint is defined.

2. Selected Bend or Elbow – A bend or elbow drawn in line mode now has a line width consistent with other components whether or not it is selected. Previously, the width of line used to draw elbows or bends was not affected by the state of selection.

3. File Name Length Warning – Occasionally, when using long file names in deep folder structures, it became possible to exceed the path name restriction of 256 characters imposed by Microsoft Windows when the program was trying to create and store intermediate files. This would cause an unexpected crash during the calculation phase. A warning message is now issued during loading and saving of data files should the user's choice of path name become long enough such that problems would later be encountered.

4. Valve Operator Weight Reset – Previously, when multiple valves existed within a piping system and an operator weight was specified for one valve, that operator weight was automatically assumed for all valves that followed in the Component List. This feature has been revised such that operator weight is no longer rippled automatically. If the user wishes operator weight to be considered on a valve, he/she must explicitly enter the operator weight in the Valve Entry Dialog.

5. European Comma Decimal Separator – When Microsoft language settings were used specifying the comma character, rather than the period, as the decimal separator, some spreadsheet information would be lost. This problem has been resolved.

6. Annotation Overflow – Node numbers and component names displayed on the graphic display could, under certain circumstances, overflow onto the bottom corner of the display screen when zoomed or panned off the screen instead of simply being clipped. The problem has been corrected such that this text is clipped when it leaves the viewable area..

7. Code Compliance Report Value Rounding – In previous versions of TRIFLEX®, some values, in particular integral percentage values, in the code compliance reports were reported by truncating the fractional part of the number beyond the number of digits given. All values in the report are now properly rounded.

8. Restraint Selection Display – When selecting a component, through menu or mouse, any attached restraint no longer shows the highlight or selected color indication. This removes the problem wherein the restraint and associated component lost synchronization, during saves and recalls or when showing selected components, indicating that the restraint was selected but the component not, or vice versa. Ctrl-Left click on the restraint still selects the associated component as it always did, however. The only change is that the restraint itself is not drawn as selected.

9. Skewed Restraints – An error in calculating the system behavior due to skewed restraints specified with a direction vector was corrected. This no longer results in a single X direction force or about X rotation, but behaves as expected.

10. API 610 Dialog – The dialog for API 610 centrifugal pump entry had been updated and the logic has been rewritten to more accurately display the requirements for analysis using the 6th and 7th edition of the code.

11. View Analysis Results Local Forces and Moments –The local forces and moments report has been modified to bring it into compliance with the local movements report. Note that local axes for components are defined as L, N, and G with the L, or longitudinal, axis corresponding to the axial direction, the N, or normal, axis corresponding to that direction perpendicular to the L axis with the minimum divergence from the global Y axis, and the G, or guide, axis the cross product of vectors in the L and N directions. Further restraint forces and moments are shown in this report as seen from the local axis perspective.