Experimental analysis on elasto-platic behaviour of T-branched stainless steel pipe

Paper relates on results of a research, still in progress at Laboratories of Istituto di Ingegneria Meccanica of Florence University with close cooperation of CNEN Casaccia Laboratories, on incremental collapse phenomena with progressively increasing deflections and plastic fatigue phenomena in stainless steel piping components subjected to variable repeated loads. The reference is to emergency and faulted load contitions as they are defined in ASME III Code. The models are made by stainless steel pipe and simulate some primary circuit piping components. Namely models are not-symmetrical T-branched pipes fixed at their flanged ends and loaded in two sections by variable repeated loads. Tests are carried out to determine: plastic collapse load; strain hardening behaviour; shackedown load conditions. A numerical model is also developed to describe the incremental collapse phenomena. (orig.)