Limit Load Analysis of Pipe Bend With Extrados Wall Thinning

Since pipe bend has a characteristic that extrados becomes thinner and intrados thicker after fabrication process, it can be expected to be vulnerable to extrados wall thinning due to corrosion or erosion during its operation. In this paper, limit loads of pipe bend with the thinning are computed under the loading conditions of internal pressure and bending moment. Several case studies with varying geometries and wall thinning shapes are presented. The difference in the limit loads behavior between pipe bend and welded elbow is also reviewed. The calculated plastic limit loads of pipe bend are compared with other research results for the welded elbow. The results show that pipe bend can be applied to safety-related piping systems as far as the internal pressure and bending moment only are considered.