A Failure Assessment Method for a Pipe Bend Subjected to Both a Bending Moment and Internal Pressure

This paper proposes a new failure assessment method for a steel pipe bend subjected to both a bending moment and internal pressure. Consistent with previous studies, it was shown that the maximum bending moment of a pipe bend subjected to a bending moment increases with the addition of internal pressure. However, it was experimentally confirmed that the addition of this internal pressure has the detrimental effect of significantly reducing the critical deformation (maximum bending angle) of the pipe bend. In addition, it was found that, subsequent to the application of a large deflection, cracks initiate at the most deformed part of the pipe bend during the process of unloading the internal pressure and then the applied load. Herein, the authors propose a practical failure assessment method which uses small-scale tests and nonlinear finite element (FE) analyses to predict the critical deformation and crack initiation position for a full-scale pipe bend. The failure criterion, which uses principal stress, mean stress, and equivalent plastic strain, was developed using small-scale tests. A failure assessment was conducted by comparing the predictions of this criterion with stress and strain histories obtained from FE analyses. Also, the authors’ failure criterion was compared with previous failure criteria, and the advantages/disadvantages discussed.