Practical Guide to Seismic Restraint

Published in cooperation with ICC, this updated second edition is a comprehensive, detailed, and current manual that shows how to design, specify, and install seismic restraints for all mechanical and plumbing systems in buildings to meet the latest code requirements.

It provides consulting engineers, architects, project managers, contractors, building officials, and equipment manufacturers with information they need on codes as well as specification considerations, with numerous illustrated examples for clear understanding.

In addition to an introduction to the fundamentals of earthquakes and seismic restraints, this edition includes:

• updates on building codes, including the 2009 International Building Code® (IBC®), which has been adopted by most jurisdictions; the American Society of Civil Engineers' (ASCE) Standard ASCE 7; the 2010 California Building Code (CBC), and Canada's National Building Code
• information on shake table testing to meet the requirements for certification of equipment for essential facilities
• a new section on using flexible connectors to help mitigate failure of equipment piping connections (one of the leading causes of system shutdown in earthquakes)
• detailed, illustrated examples and calculations on design of restraints for suspended and floor-mounted equipment, ducts, piping, cooling towers, and more

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 171-2008 - Method of Testing Seismic Restraint Devices for HVAC&R Equipment was created to provide an accepted method for verifying the seismic capabilities of seismic restraints. The need for such a method was recognized in ASHRAE’s first edition of A Practical Guide to Seismic Restraint, and ASHRAE Technical Committee 2.7, Seismic and Wind Restraint Design, proposed that this standard be developed.

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This illustrated bulletin is a helpful tool when used in conjunction with Standard 171-2008. Learn more>