Mechanical Behavior of a Branch Pipe Subjected to Out-of-Plane Bending Load

*A numerical and experimental study on the behavior of a branch pipe is presented in this article. The test is the first one of a series analyzing the behavior of the branch pipe under out-of-plane bending load in the presence of a crack near the junction, a weld or internal pressure. It is performed under bending alone, without weld and without internal pressure, so as to constitute a reference for the series, and thus to estimate each parameter influence. In complement to the experimental study, finite element calculations are performed and presented in this article, so as to analyze the elastic-plastic behavior of the branch pipe and its limit state.