A Multi-nodal Ring Finite Element for Analysis of Pipe Deflection

The main objective of this work is to present a numerical formulation to solve the problem of the deformation analysis of thin-walled circular cylindrical pipes under concentrated loads. The solution is based on a displacement field entirely defined from a set of trigonometric functions where the amplitudes are assigned as nodal parameters in a multi-nodal finite element. With this formulation it is possible to provide an easy alternative tool when compared with a complex finite shell or solid element modelling for the same type of applications. The present work permits to examine the deflection of pipe rings subjected to lateral (transverse) static loading conditions. Several case studies presented have been compared and discussed with numerical analyses results obtained with a shell element from Ansys® programme.