Development of Defect Interaction Criteria for Pipeline Girth Welds Subjected to Plastic Collapse Conditions

Multiple defects in welds, when detected, have to be assessed for interaction. Current defect interaction rules are largely based on linear elastic fracture mechanics principles (brittle material behaviour). Pipeline welding codes, however, specify toughness requirements to ensure ductile failure by plastic collapse. Therefore, the use of current (elastic) interaction rules for ductile girth welds can lead to unnecessary and possibly harmful weld repairs or cutouts. This paper reports on an assessment of the engineering significance of existing pipeline specific interaction criteria and on the development of new criteria. Rules for the interaction of coplanar surface breaking defects and ductile material behaviour have been developed on the basis of the performance requirement of remote yielding. The results of large-scale tensile tests illustrate that current interaction rules have a high degree of conservatism for plastic collapse conditions. The test data have been used to demonstrate that the developed procedure can be safely used for ductile girth welds.