On the behavior of pressurized pipings under excessive-stresses caused by earthquake loadings

Five types of breaking experiments on pipe elements and piping structures had been carried out from 1971 to 1973 by the technical sub-committee of the Japan Electric Association under the leadership taken by Y. Udoguchi, one of the authors. One of the fruitful results was to realize the guillotine-type rupture of pipe element on a shaking table. However, it was also shown that the margin for the design is enough, and allowable stresses under earthquake loading are obtained by modifying those of the Emergency Condition of the ASME Code. The experiments effected were as follows: straight pipe elements, curved pipes and T-branch pipe connections, made of both ferritic and austenitic steels, were subjected to repeated bending moment, torsional moment and combined under pressurized condition. The pressure corresponded to their design value, but the stresses caused by such moments exceeded over their allowable stress of the Faulted Condition of the ASME Code. The wave patterns were both sinusoidal and natural earthquake records