Reliability of pipelines with corrosion defects

This paper aims at assessing the reliability of pipelines with corrosion defects subjected to internal pressure using the first-order reliability method (FORM). The limit-state function is defined based on the results of a series of small-scale experiments and three-dimensional non-linear finite element analysis of the burst pressure of intact and corroded pipelines. A sensitivity analysis is performed for different levels of corrosion damage to identify the influence of the various parameters in the probability of burst collapse of corroded and intact pipes. The Monte Carlo simulation method is used to assess the uncertainty of the estimates of the burst pressure of corroded pipelines. The results of the reliability, sensitivity and uncertainty analysis are compared with results obtained from codes currently used in practice. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.