Prediction of Failure Pressure of Corroded Pipelines Based on Finite Element Analysis

A numerical model for predicting the burst failure of corroded pipeline is constructed using the non-linear finite element method, in which the technical points including element mesh, materials model, non-linear solution and failure criterion are recommended. Using this model, the full-size pipe burst experiments in different material, size and defect was analyzed and computed. The proposed FEM model was validated. Based on the calculation result using the model, a new formula predicting failure pressure is proposed, in which depth, length and width of a defect was involved. Comparison of the formula with the other assessment method and experiments show the formula had a satisfactory precision.