DEVELOPMENT OF SIMPLIFIED PLASTIC COLLAPSE ASSESSMENT PROCEDURE FOR ELBOW WITH AN EXTERNAL SURFACE FLAW SIMULTANEOUSLY SUBJECTED TO INTERNAL PRESSURE AND EXTERNAL BENDING MOMENT

A simplified assessment procedure using the p-M (internal pressure ratio and external bending moment ratio) diagram, which can evaluate the plastic collapse load for an elbow with an external surface flaw simultaneously subjected to internal pressure, p, and external bending moment, M, due to earthquake, etc., is derived. The p-M diagram evaluation is an easy way to visualize the status of components with a flaw. For an elbow with an external surface flaw, the already-proposed p-M diagram by one of authors for the cylindrical part of pressure equipment such as vessels, pipes, etc. with a surface flaw can be applied if the parameters proposed in this paper are used. The plastic collapse loads derived from the p-M diagram method are being verified by comparison with existing experimental and FEA results.