Testing and analysis of steel pipe segments

Steel pipelines buried in cold regions are subject to thermally induced axial loads, hoop stresses caused by the action of the fluids they convey, and differential settlements caused by factors such as thaw settlements, frost heave, and landslides. Due to these loads, pipelines may experience localized deformations well into the plasticity range of the pipe material. This paper presents an experimental program consisting of seven tests conducted to investigate and document the deformational behavior of full-scale pipes subjected to loads similar to those in the field. The specimens and loading conditions were carefully selected to match those in the field. A finite-element model was developed using the finite-element simulator ABAQUS to predict the local buckling behavior of pipes. The finite-element model was based on a large displacement, large rotation, finite-membrane-strain formulation and included material nonlinearity effects. The comparison between the numerical and the experimental results demonstrates the ability of the analytical model to predict the local buckling behavior of pipes when deformed well into the postyield range.