Practical estimation of the plastic collapse limit of curved pipes subjected to complex loading

In this paper a practical limit load estimating procedure is proposed for g eneral pipe-elbow structures subjected to complex loading (in-plane and out -of-plane bending, internal pressure and axial force). The explicit calcula ting formulae are presented on the basis of theoretical analysis combined w ith numerical simulation. Von Mises' yield criterion is adopted in both ana lytical and numerical calculation. The finite element examination shows tha t the method provides a simple but satisfactory prediction of pipe structur es in engineering plastic analysis.