SEDL / STP / STP1131-EB / STP23704S

Three-Dimensional Elastic-Plastic Analysis of Small Circumferential Surface Cracks in Pipes Subjected to Bending Load

Franco, C
Mechanical engineer and expert, Fracture Mechanics, FRAMATOME, Paris-La Defense,

Gilles, P
Mechanical engineer and expert, Fracture Mechanics, FRAMATOME, Paris-La Defense,

Pages: 23    Published: Jan 1992

Download this paper for $25 PDF (340K)          View License Agreement
Abstract

This study presents the elastic-plastic behavior of a circumferentially surfacecracked pipe using the finite element method based on a three-dimensional model.

The action of a pure bending load on the pipe is analyzed for three crack depths with a/t equal to 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75, and their eccentricities, a/c, being 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6, respectively.

The material obeys a Ramberg-Osgood power law. The goals are to determine the stressstrain fields and the values of J on the crack front, to define the different plastic deformation stages reached as the load on the crack is increased, and to validate the Central Electricity Generating Board (U.K.) (CEGB) two-criteria rule for circumferential surface flaws on the basis of the J results.