Plastic limit analysis of defective piping systems

In most cases, piping systems will experience the combination of internal pressure and temperature. Limit analysis can be used to estimate the carrying capacity of piping systems. This paper analyzed piping systems with a one dimensional elastic method. The key part of the piping systems was also analyzed with a 3 D limit analysis method to estimate the carrying capacity of the whole piping system. A direct iterative algorithm was used to determine the kinematic limit load of the 3 D structure. The effects of four kinds of typical slots on the limit loads of pipe elbows were investigated in detail. The failure modes corresponding to the different slot configurations are studied.