Abstract
The growth/coalescence behavior of multiple cracks is investigated through computer simulation to present the effects of multiple cracks on the pipe leak-before-break (LBB) case. For the multiple crack behavior simulation, randomly distributed initial cracks are postulated in a typical vulnerable zone (such as weld) of pipe. The parameters such as the initial crack number, initial crack locations, initial crack lengths and the growth rates of the cracks are taken as random variables. Different crack distribution parameters, different crack growth laws, and different crack interaction rules are adopted to examine the sensitivity of the LBB case to these factors. The simulation results show that the effects of multiple cracks on the LBB case are different for different failure mechanisms, while the general trend is that multiple cracks always lead to shorter leak-free lifetimes and shorter allowable response time. Moreover, the undesired situation of sudden catastrophic break without previous leak may also be derived in the cases where the amount of initial cracks is large and the degree of crack interaction is strong.
Published Version
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