Thermal buckling of steel tube using finite element method

Abstract

The present research work focuses on obtaining the critical buckling temperature (ΔTcri) of an offshore pipeline model from one-dimensional and three-dimensional finite element analysis. In this work, the pipeline model considered for analysis has a prismatic and hollow cross-section. The dimensions used for the pipeline model are: Length (L) = 360 mm, Outer Diameter (D) = 12 mm, and Thickness of the pipeline model (t) = 1 mm. The one-dimensional (1D) finite element analysis is conducted with proper element selection as BEAM188 element, and the three-dimensional (3D) finite element analysis is carried out using the SOLID186 element. The mesh element length or size for 1D analysis is 20 mm, while it is 1 mm for 3D analysis, as determined by a detailed convergence study on both 1D and 3D finite element models. The pinned–pinned boundary conditions used for 1D finite element analysis are (at × = 0 mm, u = 0 &v = 0; at × = 360 mm, u = 0 &v = 0). Similarly, the following boundary conditions are used for 3D finite element analysis: at z = 0 mm, u (x, y, 0) = 0, v (x, y, 0) = 0, and w (x, y, 0) = 0, and at z = 360 mm, u (x, y, 360) = 0, v (x, y, 360) = 0, and w (x, y, 360) = 0. The displacements along the ×,y, and z directions are represented in the 3D analysis as u, v, and w. The critical buckling temperature values (ΔTcri) obtained in the 1D and 3D thermal buckling analysis are (ΔTcri)1D = 72.06 °C and (ΔTcri)3D = 72.27 °C.