Structural integrity assessment of pipe elbows: burst test and finite element analysis

In this study, the failure pressures of pipe elbows were compared with those predicted using Level 3 numerical assessment method (Finite Element Method). Four 90-degree pipes elbows representing a pristine pipe, a pipe with a single corrosion defect, a pipe with longitudinally aligned interacting defects, and a pipe with a circumferentially aligned interacting defects, were subjected to internal pressure based on the ASME B31.3–2012 Burst Test standard until failure. The Sch-80 pipes were made of ASTM A234 WPB steel with a wall thickness and bending radius of 12.7 mm and 305 mm respectively. The corrosion defects were simulated on the exterior surface of the pipe elbows using computer numerical control (CNC) machine to generate a machined version of the corrosion defect. The results revealed that corrosion defects significantly reduce the burst pressure of pipe elbows, with longitudinally aligned interacting defects causing the largest reduction of 20.9 % compared to pristine pipe. The comparison between the Level 3 numerical assessment method and burst test showed close agreement with a maximum difference of 4.79 %, confirming the accuracy and reliability of the numerical method.