Ductile failure analysis of API X65 pipes with notch-type defects using a local fracture criterion

A local failure criterion for API X65 steel is applied to predict ductile failure of full-scale API X65 pipes with simulated corrosion and gouge defects under internal pressure. The local failure criterion is the stress-modified fracture strain as a function of the stress triaxiality (defined by the ratio of the hydrostatic stress to the effective stress). Based on detailed finite element (FE) analyses with the proposed local failure criterion, burst pressures of defective pipes are estimated and compared with experimental data. For pipes with simulated corrosion defects, FE analysis with the proposed local fracture criterion indicates that predicted failure takes place after the defective pipes attain maximum loads for all cases, possibly due to the fact that the material has sufficient ductility. For pipes with simulated gouge defects, on the other hand, it is found that predicted failure takes place before global instability, and the predicted burst pressures are in good agreement with experimental data, providing confidence in the present approach.