Assessment of the integrity of a pipe under combined load and displacementcontrolled loading

A pipe containing a circumferential part penetrating defect in the heat aff ected zone of a weld is analysed under a combination of load and displaceme nt induced tension-bending. The defect tolerance for the pipe is estimated using a novel procedure for the assessment of the integrity of components c ontaining defects - the Method of Real Elements (MeReEl). The proximity of service conditions to the limiting state conditions was assessed in terms o f the lateral displacement of the end of the pipe (the deformation paramete r which governs its loading) and, for the purpose of comparison, in terms o f the bending moment in the section containing the defect. The results obta ined were compared with the results of conventional limit analysis. The ade quacy of using the dominant parameter (displacement) for the estimation of the safety margins was substantiated. The advantages and limitations of the proposed method are discussed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights r eserved.