Approximate Method for Evaluation of the J-Integral for Circumferentially Semi-Elliptical-Cracked Pipes Subjected to Combined Bending and Tension

In this study, an approximate evaluation method for ductile fracture analysis of a circumferentially semi-elliptical-cracked pipe, subjected to combined bending and tension, was newly developed. This method can explicitly incorporate the contribution of both tension and bending and, also, based on an analytical procedure, put no limit on the crack shape. The effect of a growing crack is neglected and only the J-integral is evaluated. These methods were then verified by full-scale pipe fracture tests. For comparison purposes, a finite element method was employed. The results obtained from the present method are in good agreement with FEM results.