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An Easy and Correct Method of Ascertaining Length of Pipe Required in 45° Angles

In the pipe fitting of steam and hot water heating plants, 45 degree elbows are brought into use extensively and it is not every mechanic who has mastered mathematics sufficiently to be able to figure square root in order to find the hypotenuse of an angle, and on this account we give the following methods of getting the measurements of 45 degree angles, which is approximately correct for pipe use.

For each inch of offset add 53/123 of an inch and the result will be the distance from center to center of the 45 degree angle.

For instance: Referring to illustration, Fig 4, we will suppose that a pipe is to be brought up from a lower floor near a wall, and it is to pass through the ceiling of a room at a distance of 20 inches farther away from the wall than that which it rises through the floor, as indicated in the illustration by the figures, 20 inches, which is shown by the plumb-bob. This shows that the distance in a straight line from center to center of the two points is 20 inches. Now it is simply necessary to add to the 20 inches 20 times 53, and divide the result by 128, to get the additional length necessary for the 45 degree angle. Thus: 20X53=1060, 1060/128=8/32, which added to the 20 inches, makes the distance of the angle, as shown, 28 9/32 inch.

In any case it will be necessary to allow for the distance taken up by the fittings from center to center of same, as shown in Fig. 5.

By this system it will make no difference how many inches the offset may be; simply add for each inch an additional fraction of 53/123 of an inch. Again, suppose the offset is to be 5 inches, we multiply by 53, which gives us 265. We now divide the 265 by 128, which gives us 21/16; this result we now add to 5 inches, which is the distance of offset, and we have 71/16 inches from center to center of the 45 degree angle. Any distance may be obtained in the same manner.