This paper presents an investigation of the potential of extended finite element method (XFEM) implemented in Abaqus standard software, with maximum principal strain and fracture energy as damage parameters for analysis of crack propagation and prediction of burst pressure in pipelines. Models of API 5L X60 pipe were calibrated first, using data from single edge notched tension test and then using

Nuclear containment structure plays a critical role of providing the leak proof boundary for preventing radioactive material leak into the environment during severe accident conditions. There is a growing demand to quantify the failure probability of containment structure under severe accident conditions. This paper mainly focuses on fragility analysis and performance evaluation of containment structure

As part of recent work on the structural behaviour of toroidal shells, this paper presents results of a numerical study on the buckling resistance of a closed toroidal vessel with a doubly-symmetric parabolic-ogival cross-section, subjected to uniform external pressure. The analysis was carried out on both geometrically perfect and imperfect elastic steel shells, and boundary conditions resulting in

Presently most structural integrity assessment procedures still allow the use of Charpy-V notch impact tests as a measure of fracture toughness. The use is generally made through some more or less reliable correlations between standard Charpy-V notch energy and fracture toughness or tearing resistance. A problem arises if the structure has such a geometry that standard size Charpy-V notch specimens

This work describes the framework to model ductile damage based on phenomenological stress-modified critical strain criterion (SMCS) coupled with a softening law to predict the onset of ductile initiation and ductile propagation in typical fracture specimens, extracted from a flat plate made of ASTM A285 Gr. C steel. A very detailed and well-illustrated methodology has been developed for the identification

The well-established benefits of compressive residual stresses over the fatigue lifetime constantly motivate engineers to scrutinize these trapped stresses in mechanical/civil structures. This research deals with characterization of thermal residual stresses in fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) tubes. Three important thermo-mechanical parameters, namely “cooling temperature”, “CNT reinforcement” and “tube

This paper is dedicated to providing a detailed limit load analysis for 180° pipe bends under bending moment using three dimensional finite element (FE) method considering geometric nonlinearity. Results show that FE results for 180° pipe bends are all lower compared to those for 90° pipe bends, especially for pipe bends with thin wall and small bend radius (R/r = 1.5, r/t = 50). However, for pipe

Fluid–structure interaction (FSI) and wave propagation in engineering structures can cause severe damage to piping systems or fluid machines, inducing serious accidents. In these phenomena, the mechanism of structural damage depends on the wave propagation across the fluid–solid interface. Previous studies reported that disagreements between the induced pressure value on the solid–fluid movable interface

In order to study the impact of surface explosion load such as terrorist attacks and disasters on buried pipelines, the field experimental study of the dynamic response characteristics of buried pipelines under surface explosion load was carried out by means of explosion experiment of on-site pre-buried pipelines and explosives, combined with blasting vibration and dynamic strain monitoring. The attenuation

A large portion of natural gas is transferred through transmission pipelines. For these facilities, in the United States, external corrosion has led to more than 1700 failures in the past decades, causing a property damage of approximately $189 M. Such numbers highlight the importance of maintaining such facilities in safe conditions to postpone corrosion failure. Given such criticality, addressing

Stick-slip affects torque-preload relationship during bolted joint tightening process. Its occurrence is not always possible to avoid and it can lead to an unreliable joint. In this study, tightening process was investigated and, in a first approach, modeled through theoretical analysis. In a second approach, experimental data was explored statistically using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and F-Test

In this paper, the ratcheting phenomena in the tubesheet of a heat exchanger, which made of modified 9Cr–1Mo steel, has been investigated. The nonlinear isotropic/kinematic hardening model (combined model) is used to investigate the progressive strains due to the cyclic pressure and temperature loading. Therefore, three series of tests were carried out at different temperatures (room temperature, 300