initially by the location in the building and the experienced product selection of the Mason UK engineering team .
“ The closer you get to the fabrication , the more urgent the need for vibration isolation . Similarly , the higher up you go in the building , the more lightweight the structure gets , and more vibration isolation is necessary . Down in the foundations , vibration is minimal , but if you ’ re on the roof , that roof structure can be quite sympathetic to vibration . The vibration isolation properties can also be equipment driven . By and large , the bigger the diameter of your pipe , the bigger your pump or your ducting gets and the more energy it is able to carry . Consequently , larger pipes require a higher level of vibration isolation .”
DESIGN SUPPORT LIKE NO OTHER
Not only was Mason UK brought on board to supply the vibration control products , but the team was also invited to conduct associated design work . Mason UK has unrivalled design capabilities in this area , so this was a welcome invitation for its experienced engineers .
The team took 3D models of the ducts and supporting steels and generated their own drawings using building information modelling software , Revit . Mason UK also produced detailed 2D drawings using AutoCAD . These were used to calculate how much each component weighs , how much it expands and how much it contracts . This process was repeated for hundreds of pieces of plant equipment and kilometres of building services , for all locations and configurations , to show which products were required where . Crucially , this removed some responsibility from the contractor .
However , the project was not without its engineering challenges . Instead of simply supplying a standard catalogue product , Mason UK made bespoke spring mounts with different housing to meet the needs of this project . This allowed for clearance on vertical ducts when they grow and shrink thermally .
As with any project of this magnitude , smooth installation is key . The physical size of the products , some of which were half a metre in height and a vast range of sizes , could have proved tricky . Mason UK went above and beyond to help simplify the process . The company anticipated that it would be difficult to detail all duct supports and created bespoke spring mounts , with consistent dimensions and attachments . This ultimately made the installation cheaper and easier .
QUALITY OF PRODUCT Mason UK also supplied flexible connectors for the project to isolate the pumps from the ground . The flexible pipe connectors selected were the Safeflex variety , using a uniquely robust flange design and reinforced with Kevlar , which has immense strength and fantastic resistance to becoming brittle over time . Cheaper variations use nylon and can become brittle if heated water passes through it . This can lead to failure which is absolutely unacceptable for a
continually running fabrication process .
“ No one else builds connectors in this way ,” continued Fox . “ With the vast majority of connectors , you snap them on to their flange — but if you can snap them on , you can also snap them off . We use a solid steel ring which is bolted in place so that there ’ s no way it can snap out and fail .
“ Our connectors can accept steam or chemicals passing through at high pressure and temperatures . If it were to burst , severe injury or flooding can result . From damage to equipment , to whole buildings being written off — the repercussions would be huge . Our Safeflex flexible pipe connectors are such a reliable design that we ’ ve never had a failure .”
While this project was clearly a massive engineering exercise , the quality and reliability of Mason UK ’ s products , coupled with the company ’ s unrivalled design expertise , proved invaluable to ensure the upgrade will be a success .
For more information about Mason UK ’ s design services or its comprehensive range of vibration control products visit www . mason-uk . co . uk .
35