Limit loads for un-cracked and circumferential through-wall cracked pipe bends under torsion moment considering geometric nonlinearity

This paper is dedicated to providing a detailed plastic collapse load analysis for un-cracked and circumferential through-wall cracked pipe bends under torsion moment by three dimensional FE methods considering geometric nonlinearity. For un-cracked pipe bends results show that radius-to-thickness is the main factors affecting the plastic collapse load. For cracked pipe bends the weakening factor decreases with increasing crack length, and the decreasing rate exhibits three typical stages which performs a similar trend with that in bending case. Although the weakening factor in plastic collapse load shows the similar variation based on geometric nonlinearity with that based on geometric linearity change, the limit load solutions based on geometric linearity fail to be used in prediction for torsion load based on geometric nonlinearity. So estimating limit load solutions by FE method are proposed, which shows a better choice compared with the past solutions. Furthermore the effect of yield strain is considered with the normalized parameter proposed to represent this weakening effect of yield strain on torsion moment. Results show that pipe parameters bend radius-to-radius and crack length have little impact on the weakening parameter, however radius-to-thickness have an obvious impact on the weakening parameter, which increases with decreasing weakening parameter. Results also show that radius-to-thickness has a great impact on the ovality deformation, while bend radius-to-radius hasn't. Therefore geometry effect is significant for a high yield strain value and a high radius-to-thickness value.