Failure prediction analysis for polyethylene flawed pipes

C. BERNAL; HUGO L
OPEZ MONTENEGRO,; P. M. FRONTINI

ENGINEERING FRACTURE MECHANICS

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2003 p. 2149 - 2162

0013-7944

Through this paper limit load analysis and the EPRI/GE procedure were applied to predict instability conditionsfor medium density polyethylene flawed pipes. Predicted values for internally pressurized cylinders with axial cracksand cylinders with circumferential cracks under remote tension were compared to experimental results obtained fromtests conducted on full scale structures. For the pipes under internal pressure, both schemes led to critical pressurevalues in agreement with actual burst pressures, despite plastic collapse having been observed in the failure of thesestructures. For the pipes with circumferential internal cracks subjected to remote tension, the predicted loads fromthe EPRI procedure do not agree with experimental values whereas limit load predictions are quite satisfactory. Onthe other hand, for the circumferentially externally cracked pipes both predictions reasonable agree with experimentaldata.