Plastic collapse stresses for pipes with inner and outer circumferential cracks

Mare, V.*; Hasegawa, Kunio; Li, Y. ; Lacroix, V.*

Appendix C-5320 of ASME BPV Code Section XI provides an equation of bending stress at the plastic collapse, where the equation is applicable for both inner and outer surface cracks. That is, the collapse stresses for pipes with inner and outer surface cracks are the same. Authors considered the separated pipe mean radii at the cracked ligament and at the un-cracked ligament and equations of plastic collapse stresses for both inner and outer cracked pipes were developed. As the results of the calculations, when the crack angle and depth are the same, the collapse stress for outer cracked pipe is lower than that calculated by the Appendix C equation. It is found that the Appendix C equation gives un-conservative plastic collapse stress.