Modeling of Distortion in Girth-Welded Thin Pipes

Abstract

The axisymmetric distortion in girth-welded pipes is studied in this paper. A model is developed based on the fact that only a small part of the pipe near the welding arc undergoes high temperature changes, and thus behaves thermo-elastic-plastically, while the rest of the structure is elastic in nature and may, at most, have some thermo-elastic effects. The model is shown to match Finite Element Method in predicting the overall approximated axisymmetric shrinkage in girth-welded pipes. A qualitative agreement with published analytical and experimental results is achieved as well.