This work presents a numerical study of crack-front constraint for SENT specimens of X80 pipeline steel, to examine geometry effect on the correlation of crack-front stress field and constraint. An average measure of constraint over crack-front Am was employed to characterize the crack-front constraint. SENT specimens with varying geometries (different crack depth to specimen width ratio, a/W, and different specimen width and thickness, W/B) were analyzed by Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman model (GTN model). Results showed that the stress triaxiality Am can characterize the crack-front constraint of X80 pipeline steel very well. The level of the Am-△a curve rises with the decrease of crack depth, and increases first and then decreases with the increase of SENT specimen thickness.

Tie-in is a very important step on the final stage of pipe construction. The stress of the tie-in girth weld is really one of the key roles that affect the security of the pipeline in service. In this paper, Finite Element Method (FEM) was used to determine the stress of the tie-in girth weld. The factors of stress of tie-in girth weld were analyzed. The results show that uncovered pipe length, tie-in offset and misalignment were the important factors which affect the stress of tie-in girth weld. The maximum Mises stress and axial stress at tie-in girth weld increased with the uncovered pipe length decreasing and the tie-in offset increasing. The stress also increased significantly with girth weld misalignment, especially for axial stress.