Steel Pipe Research Articles

Free Vibrations of Thin-Walled Gas Pipelines Taking into Account the Influence of Longitudinal Force During Trench Laying

A numerical experiment was carried out to determine the frequencies of free oscillations of an inhomogeneous pipeline at various mechanical and geometric parameters.This made it possible to establish the influence of factors such as longitudinal force, thickness of the reinforced concrete shell, internal working pressure and the coefficient of the soil bed on the system’s own vibrations. For calculations, a model of an inhomogeneous cylindrical two-layer shell of finite length consisting of a steel pipe and a protective reinforced concrete layer was chosen.

Geometric Parameter Effects on Bandgap Characteristics of Periodic Pile Barriers in Passive Vibration Isolation

To investigate the impact of the geometric parameters of periodic pile barriers on bandgap characteristics in passive vibration isolation, a two-dimensional, three-component unit cell was developed using the finite element method (FEM). This study analyzed the bandgap properties of periodic pile barriers and validated the effectiveness of the FEM through model testing. The FEM was then methodically applied to evaluate the effects of pipe pile thickness, periodic constant, arrangement pattern, and cross-sectional shape on the bandgap characteristics, culminating in the proposition of a novel H-shaped cross-section for the piles. The results demonstrated that the FEM-calculated bandgap frequency range, featuring steel piles arranged in a square pattern, closely aligned with the attenuation zone in the model tests. The lower band frequency (LBF) was primarily influenced by the pipe pile’s inner radius, while the upper band frequency (UBF) was predominantly affected by its outer radius. As the periodic constant increased, the LBF, UBF, and the width of band gap (WBG) all decreased. Conversely, changing the arrangement pattern from square to hexagonal led to increases in UBF and WBG, while the LBF diminished. Notably, the WBG of the H-section steel piles, possessing the same cross-sectional area, was 1.31 times greater than that of the steel pipe piles, indicating an enhanced vibration isolation performance. Additionally, the impact of transverse and vertical characteristic dimensions of the H-shaped pile on the band gap distribution was assessed, revealing that the transverse characteristic dimensions exerted a more significant influence than the vertical dimensions.

A Rapid Screening Method for Suspected Defects in Steel Pipe Welds by Combining Correspondence Mechanism and Normalizing Flow

A Rapid Screening Method for Suspected Defects in Steel Pipe Welds by Combining Correspondence Mechanism and Normalizing Flow

Structural Performance of Coated Steel Pipe Connections Subjected to Various Loading Conditions: An Analytical Study

Structural Performance of Coated Steel Pipe Connections Subjected to Various Loading Conditions: An Analytical Study

Wave Pressure and Wave Height Distribution around Seawall Structure Constructed by an Array of TSP Circular Piles

An analytic solution for the interaction between an array of circular piles made by joining trapezoid steel pipes (TSP) and waves was obtained using an eigenfunction expansion method. First, an analytic model for the wave scattering of multiple piles fixed at arbitrary positions was derived, and then a simplified model was obtained assuming that an infinite array of identical piles were deployed perpendicular to the propagating direction of incident waves. A regular wave experiment was conducted using an experimental model with a scale ratio of 1/100 in a two-dimensional wave tank to verify the analytic solutions. The analytic results and experimental results were qualitatively consistent with each other. Using a developed analytic model, we examined the wave force on the multiple piles and the wave deformation in front of the arrayed piles. The period for the installation is greatly reduced as the TSP pile can be prefabricated in a factory. In particular, it is possible to install at the soft seabed. A seawall structure using arrayed TSP piles will be an ideal complement for a concrete seawall in future.

A novel method for investigating ice-substrate interfacial rheology and long-term adfreeze strength through loading-unloading creep test

Ice cementation and ice-substrate adfreeze force are the primary contributors to the high bearing capacity of pile foundations in cold regions and the stability of frozen walls in areas subjected to artificial freezing. Given the significant temperature sensitivity of ice’s shear rheology, engineering structures in ice or ice-rich soils continue to deform even under constant external loads. A thorough understanding of shear creep and the long-term adfreeze force at the ice-substrate interface is essential for predicting the continuous deformation of these structures. However, research into the shear creep behavior at frozen interfaces has historically been constrained by the precision of temperature control in experimental settings and the complexity of load paths in shear testing devices. In this study, a temperature- and stress-control device for interface shear creep is assembled firstly, and multilevel loading-unloading creep tests on steel pipes embedded in layered frozen ice were conducted. Through the decoupling of deformation progression, the viscoelastic and viscoplastic shear behaviors at the steel-ice interface under various temperatures and shear stresses were characterized, the principle of sustainable interfacial shear creep along with its underlying physical mechanism were proposed. Subsequently, with the aid of a modified nonlinear Burger model, various interfacial shear creep parameters were derived. Results reveal that the interfacial generalized shear modulus continuously improves but with a gradually weakening degree until a point of accelerating creep is reached. Additionally, the long-term adfreeze force is found to be less than half of the short-term strength, which significantly decreases as the temperature approaches the water phase transition zone. Interestingly, the stress exponent associated with the interfacial steady creep rate is considerably smaller than that predicted by Glen’s law. This research provides a theoretical basis instrumental in the engineering design in cold regions and those structures employing artificial freezing techniques.

Experimental Study on Seismic Performance of Transversely Ribbed Corrugated Steel Plate–Steel Pipe Concrete Shear Wall

Experimental Study on Seismic Performance of Transversely Ribbed Corrugated Steel Plate–Steel Pipe Concrete Shear Wall

Experimental investigation of material properties of GFRP pipe for numerical simulation of novel nuclear power plant cooling water intake system

The cooling systems of nuclear power plants are typically made of reinforced concrete water intake structures and special steel pipes, making them large, important structures that necessitate very expensive special productions. In the scope of this research, an innovative design for 4-meter diameter GFRP composite pipes used in nuclear power plant cooling systems was developed using the circular wrapping method. The composite GFRP pipe used in the study has a substantial embedment depth. For this reason, an innovative design was created using unique stiffening rings, and the impact of these rings on the overall behavior was investigated. The nonlinear numerical analysis model of the nuclear power station cooling system, which consists of three pipes with a diameter of 4 m, was then created with ANSYS finite element software using the determined material models, and the results were interpreted. As a result of the study, a composite GFRP pipe design that can be used as a cooling system in significant structures like nuclear power plants has been developed.

Experimental investigations on normal mode nodes as support positions of a resonant testing facility for bending fatigue tests

AbstractLarge‐scale fatigue testing is very important to the research on scale effects, which occur in large cyclic loaded structures, such as wind turbine towers. However, such experimental testing has a very high energy consumption. As an efficient alternative, this paper presents a new resonant testing facility for large‐scale specimens under cyclic bending loads. The facility works as a 4‐point bending test, in which the specimen is supported in the nodes of its first normal bending mode, where theoretically no reaction forces occur. Two counter‐rotating imbalance motors with excitation frequencies near resonance generate a harmonic force acting on the specimen. Experimental trial fatigue tests on a steel pipe as a specimen were carried out, in order to validate the new testing setup. A great decrease in the support forces was reached by placing the supports at the normal mode nodes. Additionally, the behavior of the support forces under varying positions and excitation frequencies was also investigated. In summary, the resonant testing method combined with the supports at the normal mode nodes offers an efficient and energy‐saving testing setup for large‐scale fatigue tests.

Thermo-mechanical behavior of steel pipe energy piles under thermal imbalance cycles

There is an effect on the thermo-mechanical behavior of the energy pile from the thermal imbalance conditions (heating with different amplitude than cooling). In this study, 5 cycles with a heating amplitude of 25℃ and a cooling amplitude of 15℃ were performed on ordinary concrete energy piles (OCEP), steel pipe concrete energy piles (SPEP), and steel pipe phase change energy piles (SCEP), respectively. The results show that imbalanced heating and cooling conditions alter the temperature distribution of the energy pile, causing irreversible displacement accumulation. However, including steel tubes reduces the loss of load bearing capacity caused by the heating and cooling cycles. The maximum increase in pile temperature was 6.7℃ for OCEP, 7.9℃ for SPEP, and 7.1℃ for SCEP. The final normalized displacement rates were −0.462 %, −0.558 %, and −0.515 %, respectively. The ultimate bearing capacity of the piles was reduced by 10 %, 9.1 %, and 9.1 %, respectively. The heat exchange efficiency of the 5th heating and cooling phases of SCEP increased by 67.4 % and 65 % compared to OCEP and by 26.3 % and 20 % compared to SPEP, finally stabilizing at 72 W/m and −66 W/m, respectively. This study provides a qualitative analysis of energy piles operating under heating and cooling imbalance conditions.

Hydrogen Embrittlement Detection Technology Using Nondestructive Testing for Realizing a Hydrogen Society.

Crack detection in high-pressure hydrogen gas components, such as pipes, is crucial for ensuring the safety and reliability of hydrogen infrastructure. This study conducts the nondestructive testing of crack propagation in steel piping under cyclic compressive loads in the presence of hydrogen in the material. The specimens were hydrogen-precharged through immersion in a 20 mass% ammonium thiocyanate solution at 40 °C for 72 h. The crack growth rate in hydrogen-precharged specimens was approximately 10 times faster than that in uncharged specimens, with cracks propagating from the inner to outer surfaces of the pipe. The fracture surface morphology differed significantly, with flat surfaces in hydrogen-precharged materials and convex or concave surfaces in uncharged materials. Eddy current and hammering tests revealed differences in the presence of large cracks between the two materials. By contrast, hammering tests revealed differences in the presence of a half size crack between the two materials. These findings highlight the effect of hydrogen precharging on crack propagation in steel piping and underscore the importance of early detection methods.

Experimental and DEM Study on Shear Properties of Steel Pipe–Soil Interface

Experimental and DEM Study on Shear Properties of Steel Pipe–Soil Interface

Experimental Study on the Chlorine-Induced Corrosion and Blister Formation of Steel Pipes Coated with Modified Polyethylene Powder.

In this study, chlorine-induced corrosion and blister formation on steel pipes (SPs) coated with modified polyethylene powder (MPP) were evaluated through various tests, including chlorine exposure, wet immersion, and temperature gradient experiments. The results confirmed that the extent of corrosion and iron leaching varied with the coating type as expected. In batch leaching tests, no corrosion was observed on modified polyethylene-coated steel pipes (MPCSPs) within a chlorine concentration range of 0 mg/L to 10 mg/L; similarly, there were no significant changes in specimen weight or iron levels. In contrast, the control group with uncoated SPs exhibited significant iron leaching and corrosion, a trend consistent in sequential leaching experiments. SEM analysis after a month of chlorine exposure revealed no significant corrosion on MPCSPs, and SEM-EDX confirmed no major changes in the carbon bond structure, indicating resistance to high chlorine concentrations. Comparative analysis of wet immersion and temperature gradient tests between MPCSP and conventional epoxy-coated SP (ECSP) specimens revealed that MPCSPs did not develop blisters even after 100 days of immersion, whereas ECSPs began showing blisters as early as 50 days. In temperature gradient tests, MPCSPs showed no blisters after 100 days, while ECSPs exhibited severe internal coating layer blisters.

Optimisation of Parameters and Application of Green Recyclable Precast Hollow Steel Pipe Concrete Supports

Underground space development is a crucial approach to addressing traffic congestion in China’s cities, especially through underground construction. However, the traditional pit internal support system, particularly the concrete internal support system, has significant drawbacks. These include high energy consumption and carbon emissions, which are increasingly prominent issues. In this paper, a hollow precast concrete-filled steel tube (H-CFST) internal support system is proposed and a node connection scheme is designed. Through numerical simulation, the load-bearing characteristics of H-CFST with different aspect ratios, hollow ratios, hoop thicknesses, and hoop lengths are investigated, and the optimal design parameters are obtained. Finally, following a field application, monitoring data reveal that the precast H-CFST internal support demonstrates superior load-bearing capacity compared to the concrete internal support, successfully meeting the criteria for replacement of the concrete support.

Advanced methods of studying the structure when developing technology for production of microalloyed pipe steel

Advanced methods of studying the structure when developing technology for production of microalloyed pipe steel

Thermal modeling and simulation applied to novel microwave hybrid heating process

Owing to the unique encouraging characteristics of microwave hybrid heating, primarily volumetric heating, and additional potentials such as being repeatable, quick, economical, and green; it has been utilized in various processing techniques. The efficient joining of mild steel pipes through microwave hybrid heating in a multimode applicator at 2.45 GHz and 900 W for an operational time of 480 s has already been performed. The modeling and simulation of the process have been performed in this research paper as the numerical analysis of the working environment is crucial for evaluating various aspects of a technique, decreases process-design cycle time, and found to be more economical than experimental trials. The numerical analysis provides in-depth insight-taking into consideration of the electromagnetic field distribution, its interaction with the materials, heat generation and transfer, along with the thermal analysis of the experimental assembly, in addition to the comprehensive parametric analysis. The numerical model of the assembled set-up was developed in order to simulate a real-life heating environment by solving electromagnetic and heat transfer equations and providing analytically predicted results with an accuracy of 3.75% against the experimental results. The analytical modeling and simulation have been strategically fragmented into three phases which are pre-processing, processing, and post-processing phase and elucidated extensively, providing a systematic working of the analytical model. This research will be utilized further in optimizing the microwave hybrid heating process in order to make it time-efficient and inexpensive for its applications to industrial environments.

Analytical approach for lateral dynamic responses of offshore wind turbines supported by cement-soil composite steel pipe pile embedded in gassy marine sediment layer

This study aims to clarify and gain an insight into the lateral dynamic response of offshore wind turbines (OWTs) supported by cement-soil composite steel (CCS) pipe pile embedded in gassy marine sediment layer by developing an analytical approach. In the proposed approach, the CCS pipe pile-supported OWT system is divided into three parts including the tower part, the seawater-immersed steel pipe pile part, and the embedded CCS pipe pile part. The lateral dynamic behaviours of the CCS pipe pile-supported OWT system have been determined and then validated by solving the analytical solution of lateral displacement for the above three parts. Numerical discussions are finally conducted to analysis the influence of some physical parameters on the lateral displacement and the first-order natural frequency of the CCS pipe pile-supported OWT system. The main findings can be summarized as: (i) the offshore deep cement-soil mixing (ODCM) pile is an effective reinforcement method to reduce the lateral vibration of conventional steel pipe pile-supported OWTs; (ii) the increase in tower height and seawater layer thickness will have a serious negative impact on the lateral dynamic response of CCS pipe pile-supported OWTs; (iii) the increase in gas saturation of gassy marine soil will lead to a negative influence on the maximum lateral displacement of CCS pipe pile-supported OWTs.

Comparative Analysis of Water Hammer Performance in Different Pipe Parameters with FSI

Water hammer (WH) is a critical phenomenon in fluid-filled piping systems that can lead to severe pressure surges and structural damage. The characteristics of the pipe material, geometry, and support conditions play a crucial role in the fluid–structure interaction (FSI) during WH events. This study investigates the impact of various pipe parameters, including material, length, thickness, and diameter, on the WH behavior using an FSI-based numerical approach. A comprehensive computational model was developed based on the algorithm presented in Delft Hydraulics Benchmark Problem (A) to simulate the WH phenomenon in pipes made of different materials, such as steel, copper, ductile iron, PPR (polypropylene random copolymer), and GRP (glass-reinforced plastic). This study examines the influence of pipe parameters on WH performance in pipelines, utilizing FSI to analyze the phenomenon. The results show that the pipe material has a significant influence on the pressure wave speed, stress wave propagation, and the overall system response during WH. Pipes with lower modulus of elasticity, such as PPR and GRP, exhibit lower pressure wave speeds but higher stress wave speeds compared with steel pipes. Increasing the elastic modulus, pipe wall thickness, length, and diameter enhances the pipe’s stiffness and impacts the timing, magnitude of pressure surges, and the likelihood of cavitation. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the design and mitigation of WH in piping systems.

Mechanism clarification and mitigation measures of radial deformation induced by girth welding of thin-walled pipes

Girth welding is extensively utilized in connecting pipeline structures. Excessive welding deformation may result in a decrease in ultimate bearing capacity and fatigue life. This research explores the characteristics and underlying mechanics of radial deformation in thin-walled girth welded pipes and proposes mitigation measures. Initially, several 304 stainless steel pipes were joined utilizing four distinct welding procedures. Welding deformation and residual stress distribution were measured using a 3D coordinate measuring machine (CMM) and the Cos α X-ray diffraction (XRD) method, respectively. Subsequently, numerical models were developed to simulate the welding process and verify the accuracy of the fusion zone, residual stress field, and radial deformation in the models. The mechanism of radial deformation was further elucidated based on the inherent strain method. The results show that the direction of radial deformation relies substantially on the hoop plastic strain. Hoop tensile plastic strain corresponds to radial outward deformation, while hoop shrinkage plastic strain corresponds to radial inward deformation. In addition, the influence of axial constraint on the formation process and results of hoop plastic strain, as well as the effect of heating zone width on radial deformation, was studied. Through simulation outcomes, the research suggests employing a regulated heat source method to mitigate radial deformation, which could potentially reduce deformation by 92.8%, offering considerable advantages in deformation mitigation and welding efficiency augmentation.

A Multi-Strategy Hybrid Sparse Reconstruction Method Based on Spatial-Temporal Sparse Wave Number Analysis for Enhancing Pipe Ultrasonic-Guided Wave Anomaly Imaging.

Ultrasonic-guided waves (UGWs) in defective pipes are subject to severe coherent noise caused by imperfect detection conditions, mode conversion, and intrinsic characteristics (dispersion and multiple modes), inducing the limited performance of anomaly imaging. To achieve the high resolution and accuracy of anomaly imaging, a multi-strategy hybrid sparse reconstruction (MHSR) method based on spatial-temporal sparse wavenumber analysis (ST-SWA) is proposed. MHSR leverages the capability of ST-SWA to extract the wavenumber dispersion curves, thereby providing a more refined and precise search space for MHSR. Furthermore, it mitigates the impact of coherent noise by conducting dispersion compensation on the reconstructed signal. The sparse compensated signals through MHSR are employed for sparse reconstruction imaging. To validate the efficacy of the proposed method, UGW testing is performed on the defective steel pipe, and the results demonstrate the significant enhancement of anomaly imaging in defect resolution and positioning accuracy. The lowest estimated errors for axial and circumferential defect positions are 10 mm and 4 mm, respectively.