Numerical simulation of the crack propagation in a pipeline subjected to third-party damage
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Date
2015
Authors
Jackson, Marshall
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Abstract
With over 830,000 km of operating pipeline in Canada alone, their safe and continued functioning underpins much of daily life. A key type of risk associated with pipelines is third-party damage, damage caused by actions not associated with the pipelines normal operation. The question of whether the pressurized structure like pipeline or pressure vessel would undergo “unzipping” due to the third-party impact is crucial for the safety of pipelines or pressure vessels in service needs to be answered. Thus, we endeavour to develop a methodology for assessment of design solutions effectiveness to prevent a pipeline or pressure vessel failure in an abrupt explosion-like fashion due to third-party damage.
Model of crack propagation determining whether the “unzipping” rupture will occur is viewed as a key element in the safety-driven design procedure providing significant effect on the safety of operation. The crack propagation modeling is achieved through the use of nonlinear fracture mechanics technique. The method of singular integral equations is used to calculate the critical stress required for the catastrophic failure of pipeline or pressure vessel damaged due to third-party interference. The model was implemented as a FORTRAN program. Testing of the developed numerical tool was performed using experimental data available in the literature, with the results showing promising agreement.
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Keywords
Mathematics, Engieering, Mechanical engineering, Impact, Impact mechanics, Fracture mechanics, Single integral equations, Crack, Crack propagation, Numerical simulation, Fortran, Pipelines, Pipeline safety, Safety, Pipeline design, EPFM, Elastic plastic fracture mechanics