Numerical simulation of the mechanical behaviour of steel pipe bends under strong cyclic loading

Abstract The present study uses advanced numerical tools to examine the mechanical behavior of steel pipe bends (elbows), subjected to strong cyclic loading, associated with repeated plastic deformations of alternate sign. The elbows are modeled with finite elements, accounting for the measured elbow geometry and the actual properties of steel elbow material. The main feature of the present work is the simulation of material response using an advanced cyclic-plasticity model, based on the bounding-surface concept, implemented through an in-house material subroutine. Upon appropriate calibration with material tests in strip specimens, extracted from the bends under consideration, the constitutive model is employed for predicting the mechanical response of large-scale physical laboratory experiments. Very good predictions are obtained in terms of global load-displacement response, as well as in terms of local strains and their accumulation over the loading cycles (ratcheting) at specific elbow locations. This indicates that the bounding-surface model can be an efficient tool for predicting accurately the mechanical response of piping components under severe cyclic loading conditions. Finally, using the validated numerical models, extensive results are obtained, focusing on the effects of internal pressure on strain accumulation at specific locations of the elbow, for three values of pipe thickness.