Pipe Stress analysis

Thermo-Mechanical analysis

Caesar:
Weight: 23697 kg

Displacements:

Max DX: 58.8 mm @ bend

Max DY: -115 mm @ tee

Max DZ: 94.57 mm @ EJ

STG-Na-2 Entry: -61.19 mm

STG-Na-2 Bottom: -72 mm

Reactions:

Max FY: -101166 N

@SSP: -70284 N

@DCT: -72437 N

@Spring 25-SSV-NA-121: -5254 N

Stress: 515.96 MPa

Diagram:

Without Tee junction SIF in ansys:

Weight: 23725 kg

Displacements:

Max In mm

Max DX: 64 mm @ bend same location

Max DY: -66 mm @ steam generator

Max DZ: 90.24 mm @ EJ same location

STG-Na-2 Entry: -61.27 mm

STG-Na-2 Bottom: -66.68 mm

Reactions:

Max FY: -142850 N

@SSP: -108516 N

@DCT: -90172 N

Stress: 255.4 MPa

Diagram:

With tee junction SIF in Ansys:

Here the model is pipe element in, but in Caesar the software is itself used for piping analysis so we
have the option to give SIF, but in Ansys we can’t

The major problem in Ansys is the modelling of the tee junction and the should be modelled as shell
element

Shell element is used because

Shell elements are recommended to model thin structures.

Thin structure means that one dimension (thickness) is much smaller than the other2 dimensions.
Shell elements are usually created by meshing a surface representing the position and shape of the
structure, and associating them with section data to represent shell thickness and properties.

More accurate results can be generated using shell element this can be proven by the foolowing
example solved in Ansys.

1. With pipe element

2. With shell element (surface body)

Inputs are identical for both analysis

Material used here is SS 316 LN

Length of the elbow: 1x1 m

Bend radius: 609.6 mm= 0.6096 m

Cross sectional area:

Inner radius: 0.1932 m

Outer radius: 0.2032 m

Boundary conditions:

Fixed support at one end

Force at the other end: 100 N in +X direction to create an Inward bending moment

Pipe idealization at the bend for pipe element only

Results

This is shown in thick shell elements only for the observer to comprehend the resultant stresses.

The pipe view would be like this

Now we look what happens if we model it as shell element

Inputs are identical to that of pipe model, the only thing new here the surface body is generated
with help of Sweep command.

It then creates a solid model, but we can set its thickness to 0 mm to generate a surface body (shell
element)

Boundary conditions are the same

Meshing
Results

As we can see the stresses are high at the tee junction when we use shell element

As we have did the flexibility analysis using pipe element in Ansys the stress was less compared to
Caesar.

So we should model shell elements on tee junctions and bends