Review of Tensile Strain Capacity Prediction Models for Strain-Based Design of Pipelines

Abstract

In this paper, three tenile strain capacity (TSC) prediction models developed for strain-based design (SBD) of girth-welded pipelines were reviewed, together with a brief introduction of technical backgrounds of their development. Most TSC models rely on small-scale mechanical and fracture toughness measurements to estimate the TSC of pipelines. Hence, we surveyed published experimental and computational data to examine the transferability of small-scale fracture toughness measurements to large-scale pipe fractures. Lastly, some gaps and issues that were found from the review are proposed for improvement of TSC models for SBD. The critical issues found with current TSC models and SBD are (a) differences in strain measurement for full-scale pipe tests/simulations, (b) multiple crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) definitions, (c) no application of J-integral as a toughness parameter, (d) no consensus on failure criteria, and (e) inconsideration of thermal and natural strain aging effects.