ELASTIC-PLASTIC J AND COD ESTIMATES FOR CIRCUMFERENTIAL THROUGH-WALL CRACKS BETWEEN ELBOWS AND STRAIGHT PIPES UNDER BENDING

摘要

A method for elastic-plastic fracture mechanics analyses is presented for the circumferential through-wall crack in weldment joining elbows and attached straight pipes, subject to in-plane bending, based on the reference stress approach. Based on small strain finite element limit analyses using elastic-perfectly plastic materials, closed-form limit loads for circumferential through-wall cracks in between elbows and straight pipes under bending are given. Then applicability of the reference stress based method to approximately estimate J and crack opening displacement (COD) is proposed