Limit loads for circular wall-thinned feeder pipes subjected to bending and internal pressure

Abstract

Flow Accelerated Corrosion (FAC) occurring during in-service conditions results in localized wall-thinning in the feeder pipes of CANDU. The wall-thinning of the feeder pipes is the main degradation mechanisms affecting the integrity of piping systems. In this paper, we assess the integrity of wall-thinned feeder pipes by limit load analysis. The limit loads for wall-thinning feeder pipes subjected to in-plane bending and internal pressure were determined on the basis of finte element limit analyses. The limit loads are determined from the results of limit analyses of elasticperfectly-plastic materials using the large geometry change. Closed-form approximations of limit load solutions for wall-thinning feeder pipes subjected to in-plane bending and pressure are proposed. © 2010 The Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers.