Effects of Cross-Section Ovalization of Subsea Thin-Walled Bends Under In-Plane Bending

Ovalization of the cross-section of bends under in-plane bending (a.k.a. Brazier effect) is a known phenomenon caused by the longitudinal stress acting on the cross-section as the pipe bends. Besides its tendency to induce stresses in the bend above what is predicted using simple beam theory, excessive cross-section ovalization is particularly critical to subsea pipes, as it can lead to collapse of the pipe under external pressure. Also, being in a plastic regime may cause the bend material to ratchet and undergo excessive strains under cyclic operational loads, especially under high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) conditions. Ovalization normally results in local increase of stresses and could lead to failure of the bend before the bend globally reaches its limiting capacity. The offshore industry standards and design codes address the impact of initial ovality in straight pipes, but their applicability to bends is not clear. Therefore, this paper presents an investigation into the increased tendency of thin-walled bends to ovalize, and the effect of bend cross-section ovalization on their stiffness and yielding and collapse limit states, with emphasis on offshore applications. Due to the lack of analytical solutions for the bend response taking into account cross-section ovalization, finite element analysis (FEA) is used in this study. Predictions of the bend models are compared with those of straight pipe models and predictions of models of the bend made of beam elements (with pipe section) are compared with those of models made of brick /shell elements. The increased tendency of thin-walled bends to ovalize compared to straight pipes is investigated (e.g. 100 times in the linear range), and the impact and significance of ovalization in bends are assessed (e.g., stress increase of the order of 35% has been observed in some example situations). Also discussed in the paper is the selection of proper element specifications in order to accurately capture the ovalization response while keeping the computational cost manageable. Recommendations as to how to account for ovalization effects are presented. This paper helps to gain a better understanding of the response of subsea thin-walled bends under in-plane bending and their comparatively high tendency to ovalize compared to straight pipe, and emphasizes the significance of local effects such as cross-section ovalization, the overlooking of which may result in a significant underestimation of involved stresses and strains.Copyright © 2010 by ASME