Fracture assessment of dented pipes with cracks and reliability-based calibration of safety factor

Mechanical damage, including dents and cracks to pipes, occurs frequently, mainly caused by operational activities and fabrication errors. Structural assessment of dented pipes with cracks is of importance, but reliability-based assessment is necessary to properly account for the uncertainties invloved. This paper proposes a new methodology for calculating the fracture strength of dented pipes with cracks. Comparisons between the predicted fracture strength based on the presented approach and test results are made and good agreement is observed. A fracture reliability model of dented pipes with cracks is predicted. Fracture reliability analysis of a damaged pipe is performed based on a design example and detailed parameter studies are also conducted. Calibration of the safety factor based on the reliability methods is carried out. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Limited. All rights reserved.