Advanced numerical method for failure assessment of corroded steel pipes

Herein a new study is described to evaluate the accuracy of the wellknown burst capacity models and recent FEM studies which employed idealized pit shapes. For this purpose, several severe pits with different aspect ratios and natural complex shapes are modeled on the exterior surface of carbon steel pipes. The finite element models used in the present study are verified against experimental data. Results from present study show that complex pit shapes can be modeled numerically as idealized semi-elliptical shapes with a very good approximation. In addition, in most cases, the DNV model and PCORRC had the most accurate predictions on the burst pressure of the studied corroded pipes.