Predicting the limit pressure capacity of pipe elbows containing single defects

•The effect of single defects on the pressure capacity of elbows was investigated and formulized.•Vast nonlinear parametric finite element analysis and artificial neural network were applied.•Roles of different geometric parameters and material properties were considered.•Length, depth and circumferential position of the defects have major effects.•Material properties do not affect the behavior of defects significantly.

Numerous studies have investigated the weakening effect of corrosion or erosion induced defects on the limit pressure capacity of straight pipes, but few have focused on elbows. In this paper the roles of material and geometric parameters of an elbow with a single defect were studied and formulized by means of a vast nonlinear parametric finite element analysis followed by artificial neural network. Results showed that length, depth and circumferential position of the corroded area have the most effects on the limit pressure capacity. In addition to the primary approach of this paper, an analytical approach was also used by combining some ideas from previous relevant studies to reach to a simple and easy-to-use formula. The predictions of the two methods were compared with each other. This paper presents the first part of two-part study investigating elbows with single defects (part 1) and interacting defects (part 2).