Plastic loads for 90 degrees thick-walled elbows under combined pressure and bending

Abstract

This paper extends plastic load solutions proposed by the authors for 90 degrees thin-walled elbows, to thick-walled elbows, based on three-dimensional finite element analyses using the large geometry change option. For loading, internal pressure, in-plane, and out-of-plane bending, as well as combined pressure and bending, are considered. As no experimental data are available for thick-walled elbows, the proposed solutions are indirectly validated by comparing thin-walled solutions with exiting experimental data.