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Although uplift motion of flat-bottom cylindrical shell tanks has been considered to contribute toward various damages to the tanks, the mechanics were not fully understood. As well as uplift displacement of the tanks, fluid pressure accompanying the uplift motion of the tanks may play an important role in the cause of the damage. An accurate estimate of the fluid pressure induced by the uplift motion of the tanks is indispensable in protecting the tanks against destructive earthquakes. As a first step of a series of research, this study mathematically derives the fluid pressure on a rigid rectangular tank with a unit depth accompanying angular acceleration, which acts on a pivoting bottom edge. The rectangular tank employed herein is equivalent to a thin slice of the central vertical cross section of a rigid flat-bottom cylindrical shell tank. Assuming a perfect fluid and velocity potential, a continuity equation is given by the Laplace equation in Cartesian coordinates. The fluid velocities accompanying the motions of the walls and bottom plate constitute the boundary conditions. Since this problem is set as a parabolic partial differential equation of the Neumann problem, the velocity potential is solved with the Fourier-cosine expansion. The derivative of the velocity potential with respect to time gives the fluid pressure at an arbitrary point inside the tank. A mathematical solution for evaluating the fluid pressure accompanying the angular acceleration acting on the pivoting bottom edge of the tank is given by an explicit function of a dimensional variable of the tank, but with the Fourier series. The proposed mathematical solution well converges with a few first terms of the Fourier series. Values of the fluid pressure computed by the explicit finite element (FE) analysis well agrees with those by the proposed mathematical solution. For the designers' convenience, diagrams that depict the fluid pressures normalized by the maximum tangential acceleration given by the product of the angular acceleration and diagonals of the tank are also presented. Consequently, the mathematical solution given by the Fourier series converges easily and provides accurate evaluation of the fluid pressures on a rigid rectangular tank accompanying the angular acceleration acting on the pivoting bottom edge. Irregularity in the fluid pressure distribution increases as the tank becomes taller. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4000546] Keywords: flat-bottom cylindrical shell tank, fluid pressure, angular acceleration, uplift motion, Fourier-cosine expansion, velocity potential, normalized fluid pressure, rigid rectangular tank

To protect flat-bottom cylindrical tanks against severe damage from uplift motion, accurate evaluation of accompanying fluid pressures is indispensable. This paper presents a mathematical solution for evaluating the fluid pressure on a rigid flat-bottom cylindrical tank in the same manner as the procedure outlined and discussed previously by the authors (Taniguchi, T., and Ando, Y., 2010, 'Fluid Pressures on Unanchored Rigid Rectangular Tanks Under Action of Uplifting Acceleration,' ASME J. Pressure Vessel Technol., 132(1), p. 011801). With perfect fluid and velocity potential assumed, the Laplace equation in cylindrical coordinates gives a continuity equation, while fluid velocity imparted by the displacement (and its time derivatives) of the shell and bottom plate of the tank defines boundary conditions. The velocity potential is solved with the Fourier--Bessel expansion, and its derivative, with respect to time, gives the fluid pressure at an arbitrary point inside the tank. In practice, designers have to calculate the fluid pressure on the tank whose perimeter of the bottom plate lifts off the ground like a crescent in plan view. However, the asymmetric boundary condition given by the fluid velocity imparted by the deformation of the crescent-like uplift region at the bottom cannot be expressed properly in cylindrical coordinates. This paper examines applicability of a slice model which is a rigid rectangular tank with a unit depth vertically sliced out of a rigid flat-bottom cylindrical tank with a certain deviation from (in parallel to) the center line of the tank. A mathematical solution for evaluating the fluid pressure on a rigid flat-bottom cylindrical tank accompanying the angular acceleration acting on the pivoting bottom edge of the tank is given by an explicit function of a dimensional variable of the tank, but with Fourier series. It well converges with a few first terms of the Fourier series and accurately calculates the values of the fluid pressure on the tank. In addition, the slice model approximates well the values of the fluid pressure on the shell of a rigid flat-bottom cylindrical tank for any points deviated from the center line. For the designers' convenience, diagrams that depict the fluid pressures normalized by the maximum tangential acceleration given by the product of the angular acceleration and diagonals of the tank are also presented. The proposed mathematical and graphical methods are cost effective and aid in the design of the flat-bottom cylindrical tanks that allow the uplifting of the bottom plate. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4000374] Keywords: flat-bottom cylindrical tank, fluid pressure, uplift motion, Fourier--Bessel expansion, velocity potential pivoting edge, normalized fluid pressure, angular acceleration, slice model

The burst pressure of cylinders with hillside nozzle is determined using both experimental and finite element analysis (FEA) approaches. Three full-scale test models with different angles of the hillside nozzle were designed and fabricated specifically for a hydrostatic test in which the cylinders were pressurized with water. 3D static nonlinear finite element simulations of the experimental models were performed to obtain the burst pressures. The burst pressure is defined as the internal pressure for which the structure approaches dimensional instability, i.e., unbounded strain for a small increment in pressure. Good agreement between the predicted and measured burst pressures shows that elastic-plastic finite element analysis is a viable option to estimate the burst pressure of the cylinders with hillside nozzles. The preliminary results also suggest that the failure location is near the longitudinal plane of the cylinder-nozzle intersection and that the burst pressure increases slightly with an increment in the angle of the hillside nozzle. [DOl: 10.1115/1.3147987] Keywords: burst pressure, hillside nozzle, cylinder-nozzle intersection, finite element analysis

The loss of the initial tightness during service is one of the major causes of failure of tube-to-tubesheet joints. The initial residual contact pressure and its variation during the lifetime of the joint are among the parameters to blame. A reliable assessment of the initial contact pressure value requires accurate and rigorous modeling of the elastoplastic behavior of the tube and the tubesheet during the expansion process. This paper deals with the development of a new analytical model used to accurately predict the residual contact pressure resulting from a hydraulic expansion process. The analytical model is based on the elastic perfectly plastic material behavior of the tube and the tubesheet and the interaction between these two elements of the expanded joint. The model results have been compared and validated with those of the more accurate finite element analysis models. Additional comparisons have been made with existing methods. [DOI: 10.1115/1.3027462]

Weld repairs and alterations of pressure vessels and piping built to ASME codes may require pressure testing to prove the integrity of the weld and/or design. Conventional hydrostatic pressure testing requires filling an entire vessel or piping system with water and pressurizing it to the test pressure. In recent years, several designs were developed to employ bolted devices to perform local pressure testing of flange-to-nozzle, flange-to-pipe, and nozzle-to-shell attachment welds. Due to the cost and equipment down-time associated with performing a full conventional pressure test and the desire to reduce repair costs, several petrochemical companies adopted the use of such devices. The purpose of this paper is to compare the stress values and stress distribution associated with conventional and local pressure testing techniques. The advantages and disadvantages of both approaches are discussed and the conclusions are supported by a practical example. [DOI: 10.1115/1.2767372]

This paper examines the denting response of pipes subjected to lateral (transverse) quasistatic wedge loading, in the presence of internal pressure. Pipes are modeled with nonlinear shell finite elements and a simplified analytical model The analysis focuses on the significant influence of internal pressure on the denting resistance. Furthermore, the effects of wedge denting device orientation on the denting resistance are briefly discussed. Motivated by the experimental and numerical results, a two-dimensional heuristic model is proposed, which yields closed-form expressions for the denting force in terms of the corresponding displacement. The finite element results and the model equations are in good agreement with the experimental results and illustrate pipe denting response in an elegant manner. [DOI: 10.1115/1.2767345]

The present paper provides plastic limit load solutions for axial and circumferential through-wall cracked pipes based on detailed three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) limit analysis using elastic-perfectly plastic behavior. As a loading condition, axial tension, global bending moment, internal pressure, combined tension and bending, and combined internal pressure and bending are considered for circumferential through-wall cracked pipes, while only internal pressure is considered for axial through-wall cracked pipes. In particular, more emphasis is given for through-wall cracked pipes subject to combined loading. Comparisons with existing solutions show a large discrepancy in short through-wall crack (both axial and circumferential) for internal pressure. In the case of combined loading, the FE limit analyses results show the thickness effect on limit load solutions. Furthermore, the plastic limit load solution for circumferential through-wall cracked pipes under bending is applied to derive plastic [eta] and [gamma] factor of testing circumferential through-wall cracked pipes to estimate fracture toughness. Being based on detailed 3D FE limit analysis, the present solutions are believed to be meaningful for structural integrity assessment of through-wall cracked pipes. [DOI: 10.1115/1.2748828] Keywords: axial through-wall crack, circumferential through-wall crack, combined internal pressure and bending, combined tension and bending, finite element limit analysis, plastic limit load

An experimental study has been carried out to measure the pressure drop in a 271-pin fuel assembly of a liquid metal reactor. The rod pitch to rod diameter ratio (P/D) of the fuel assembly is 1.2 and the wire lead length to rod diameter ratio (H/D) is 24.84. Measurements are made for five different sections in a fuel assembly; inlet orifice, fuel assembly inlet, wire-wrapped fuel assembly, fuel assembly outlet and fuel assembly upper region. A series of water experiments have been conducted changing flow rate and water temperature. It is shown that the pressure drops in the inlet orifice and in the wire-wrapped fuel assembly are much larger than those in other regions. The measured pressure drop data in a wire-wrapped fuel assembly region is compared with the existing four correlations. It is shown that the correlation proposed by Cheng and Todreas fits best with the present experimental data among the four correlations considered [DOI: 10.1115/1.1565076]

Yield pressure corresponding to a small permanent OD strain was measured in quasistatic laboratory tests of autofrettaged ASTM A723 steel cannon pressure vessels. Yield pressure was found to be a consistent ratio of the yield strength measured from specimens located in close proximity to the area of observed yielding. Yield pressure measurements for dynamic cannon firing with typically a 5-ms pressure pulse duration gave 14% higher yield pressures, attributed to strain rate effects on plastic deformation. Calculated Von Mises yield pressure for the laboratory test conditions, including the Bauschinger-modified ID residual stress and open-end vessel conditions, agreed with measured yield pressure within 3-5%. Calculated yield pressure was found to be insensitive to the value of axial residual stress, since axial stress is the intermediate value in the Von Mises yield criterion. A description of yield pressure normalized by yield strength was given for autofrettaged A723 open-end pressure vessels over a range of wall ratio and degree of autofrettage, including effects of Bauschinger-modified residual stress. This description of yield pressure is proposed as a design procedure for cannons and other pressure vessels.

The purpose of this work is to study the load-carrying capacity of pipe bends, with different pipe bend factor (h) values, under out-of-plane moment loading; and to investigate the effect of internal pressure on the limit moments in this loading mode. The finite element method is used to model and analyze a standalone, long-radius pipe bend with a 16-in. nominal diameter, and a 24-in. bend radius. A parametric study is performed in which the bend factor takes ten different values between 0.0632 and 0.4417. Internal pressure is incremented by 100 psi for each model until the limit pressure of the model is reached. The limit moments were found to increase when the internal pressure is incremented. However, beyond a certain value of pressure, the effect of pressure is reversed due to the additional stresses it engenders. Expectedly, increasing the bend factor leads to an increase in the value of the limit loads. The results are compared to those, available in the literature, of a similar analysis that treats the in-plane loading mode. Pipe bends are found to have the lowest load-carrying capacity when loaded in their own plane, in the closing direction. They can sustain slightly higher loads when loaded in the out-of-plane direction, and considerably higher loads under in-plane bending in the opening direction. [DOI: 10.1115/1.1425807]

This paper investigates the transient flow and pressure developments in a piping network due to design parametric and operational variations. Numerical simulations using both the method of characteristics and the finite difference formulation are performed and compared. The transient fluid pressure pulsations in the pipes are examined in both the time and frequency domains using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithm. The parametric studies consider changes in i) the main pipe size, ii) the valve closing time at the branch outlet, iii) the piping system configuration (both single and multiple branched systems), and iv) the frequency of pressure pulsation at the branch outlet (manifold effect). The paper discusses the sensitivity of the transient fluid pressure and the excitability of the piping natural frequencies at various locations of the pipes, due to valve closing and manifold effects at the branch outlet. The effects of resonance due to pressure frequency variation at the branch outlet are also studied and general conclusions are drawn from these results.

Options were added to the PRONTO2D and PRONTO3D structural dynamics finite element codes to include the effect of a traveling pressure front that follows a projectile while transiting pressurizing axisymmetric and nonstraight gun tubes. Pressure varied in magnitude and location with time and projectile displacement to predict the dynamic structural response of the projectile and gun tube. Two and three-dimensional simulations were performed to study the effect of this pressure front and its influence on projectile gun tube interaction and lateral movement of the projectile in the gun tube caused by variation of the gun centerline during projectile launch and recoil. Discussions of theory, implementation, and results from simulations are presented.

It is requested that steam generator tubes with defects exceeding 40% of wall thickness in depth should be plugged to sustain all postulated loads with appropriate margin. This critical defect size has been determined based on a concept of plastic instability, however, which is known to be too conservative for some locations and types of defects. The application of this concept may even cause premature retirement of steam generator tubes. In reality, a reliable structural integrity estimation for steam generator tubes containing a defect has received increasing attention. Although several guidelines have been developed and used for assessing defect containing tubes, most of these guidelines are focused on stress corrosion cracking or wall-thinning phenomena. Because some of steam generator tubes fail due to fretting and so on, specific integrity estimation schemes for relevant defects are required. In this paper, more than a hundred three-dimensional finite element analyses of steam generator tubes under internal pressure condition are carried out to simulate the failure behavior of steam generator tubes with specific defect configurations: elliptical wear-type, tapered wedge-type, and flat wear-type defects. After investigating the effect of key parameters such as defect depth, defect length, and wrap or tapered angle on equivalent stress across the ligament thickness, burst pressure estimation equations are proposed in relation to material strengths. Predicted burst pressures agreeded well with the corresponding experimental data, so the proposed equations can be used to assess the structural integrity of steam generator tubes with wear-type defects. [DOI: 10.1115/1.2937741] Keywords: burst pressure, plastic limit pressure, steam generator tube, wear-type defects