Local buckling failure analysis of high-strength pipelines

Pipelines in geological disaster regions typically suffer the risk of local buckling failure because of slender structure and complex load. This paper is meant to reveal the local buckling behavior of buried pipelines with a large diameter and high strength, which are under different conditions, including pure bending and bending combined with internal pressure. Finite element analysis was built according to previous data to study local buckling behavior of pressurized and unpressurized pipes under bending conditions and their differences in local buckling failure modes. In parametric analysis, a series of parameters,including pipe geometrical dimension, pipe material properties and internal pressure, were selected to study their influences on the critical bending moment, critical compressive stress and critical compressive strain of pipes.Especially the hardening exponent of pipe material was introduced to the parameter analysis by using the Ramberg–Osgood constitutive model. Results showed that geometrical dimensions, material and internal pressure can exert similar effects on the critical bending moment and critical compressive stress, which have different, even reverse effects on the critical compressive strain. Based on these analyses, more accurate design models of critical bending moment and critical compressive stress have been proposed for high-strength pipelines under bendingconditions, which provide theoretical methods for highstrength pipeline engineering.

Mechanical performance study of the retractable pier column after stiffening

To solve the problem that the overlapping parts of a retractable pier column are prone to damage,this paper proposed the reinforcing measure of setting a stiffener ring at the bottom of the steel pipe.To study how the stiffener-ring parameters influence the mechanical properties of the pier column.12 scale model specimens(including nine specimens with stiffener-ring widths of 40,50,and 60 mm and three unstiffened comparison specimens)were tested under axial compression.Based on the test results,the specimen load-displacement,load-deflection,and load-strain curves were analyzed,and a finite-element model of a pier column under axial compression was established to determine the optimal stiffener size.The results show that setting a stiffener ring enhances the cooperative working ability between the steel pipe and the internal filling material and restrains the lateral deformation of the pier column,thereby improving the ultimate bearing capacity and overall stability of the pier column.The ultimate bearing capacity of the pier column is related to the width and thickness of the stiffener ring.The optimal size of the stiffener ring of the model pier column is 70 mm in width and 4 mm in thickness.The present research results provide a reference for designing compressible pier columns and column stiffening in mines and have important practical significance.

Optimization design of wide face water slots for medium-thick slab casting mold

A three-dimensional finite-element model has been established to investigate the thermal behavior of the medium-thick slab copper casting mold with different cooling water slot designs. The mold wall temperatures measured using thermocouples buried in different positions of the mold with the original designed cooling system were analyzed to determine the corresponding heat flux profile. This profile was then used for simulation to predict the temperature distribution and the thermal stress distribution of the molds. The predicted temperatures during operation matched the plant measurements. The results showed that the maximum temperature, about 635 K in the wide hot surface, was found about 60 mm below the meniscus and 226 mm from the center of the mold. For the mold with the type I modified design, there was an insignificant decrease in temperature of about 5 K, and for the mold with the type II modified design, the maximum temperature was decreased by about 15 K and the temperature of the hot surface was distributed more uniformly along the length of the mold. The corresponding maximum thermal stress at the hot surface of the mold was reduced from 408 MPa to 386 MPa with the type II modified design. The results indicated that the modified design II is beneficial to the increase of mold life and the quality of casting slabs.