On fracture analysis of exploded pressure vessels and pipes

The main scope of this paper is the analysis of the specifications of deflagration-induced and detonation-induced deformation and fracture behaviors of cylindrical tubes. The main characteristics of deformation and fracture behaviors were studied through experimentations on steel pipes and failure analysis of a compressed natural gas (CNG) cylinder. The paper also reports the results of transient-dynamic elasto-plastic finite element (FE) analyses of the combustion-induced deformation and fracture behaviors of the pipe and the CNG cylinder. The FE models were composed of 3D brick elements equipped with interface cohesive elements for crack growth analysis. Very good agreements were found between the simulation results and the observed deformation and fracture patterns. It was shown that, because of different loading conditions, specific deformation and fracture features can develop during the explosion process.