Fatigue life prediction of welded stiffened 350WT steel plates

The propagation of fatigue cracks under constant amplitude cyclic loading was studied in welded stiffened steel plates. The residual stresses in the stiffened plates were measured using the neutron diffraction strain-scanning technique. A finite element model of the stiffened plate was constructed to simulate the residual stresses by an uncoupled thermal and thermo-mechanical analysis. Both the finite element model and the neutron diffraction measurements indicated that in general the residual stresses were tensile near the welded stiffeners and compressive between the stiffeners and ahead of the starter notch tip. Fatigue testing indicated that the fatigue crack growth rates of the stiffened plates were in general lower than that of a corresponding unstiffened plate, especially near the notch tip where compressive residual stresses existed. Both the finite element method and Green's function predicted the fatigue crack growth rates with reasonable accuracy.     

A design equation for evaluation of strain concentration factor in concrete coated X65 pipelines

An extensive parametric study using detailed nonlinear finite element (FE) models, was conducted in order to develop a design equation for predicting Strain Concentration Factor (SCF) in field joints of X65 concrete coated pipelines under bending. Dimensions of the pipeline and coating, material properties of the coating and anti corrosion layer, as well as the loading level, were included in the design equation. Buckingham's theorem was incorporated to simplify the equation by introducing non-dimensionalized parameters. The design equation was fitted to FE data using the nonlinear least square regression, while additionally, margins of safety were defined using the confidence interval concept for practical applications. The interactive effect of parameters on SCF was studied, leading to the introduction of a single non-dimensional “coating parameter” that can accurately describe the upper limit of the SCF. This study concluded with a definition of a critical “coating parameter” which can be used to assess safe combinations of coating thickness and installation loads, thus preventing excessive strain concentration.     

Identification and mapping of spatial variations in travel choices through combining structural equation modelling and latent class analysis: findings for Great Britain

Transportation - This paper exploits some latest advances in structural equation modelling and latent class analysis for identification and mapping of the spatial variations in travel choices. The...     

A new look at the external pressure capacity of sandwich pipes

Sandwich Pipes (SPs) have been developed to overcome the required flow assurance and pressure capacity issues in deep and ultra-deep waters. This research aims at studying the influence of certain structural parameters on the pressure capacity (also referred to as the plastic buckling pressure) of Sandwich pipelines. The use of high grade steel pipes, as the internal or external pipes, has also been considered as one of the design parameters in this study. Moreover, a comprehensive parametric study, considering a practical range of the parameters that influence the response of SPs (and considering 3840 SP configurations) was conducted. The results from this large array of pipes were used to formulate a practical equation, capable of estimating the plastic buckling pressure of SPs. The accuracy of the proposed equation was evaluated by comparing the results with the experimental and numerical results available in the literature. The comparative results demonstrated that the proposed equation could predict the buckling capacity of such pipes with a reasonable accuracy. Furthermore, the proposed equation was used, along with a general optimization procedure, to establish the most optimum and cost-effective combination of structural parameters for SPs suitable for use in various water depths.