This work addresses the problem of describing ductile fracture behavior and predicting ductile failure initiation in dented pipelines under tensile loading based upon a 3-D computational cell approach coupled with a stress-modified, critical strain (SMCS) criterion for void coalescence. A series of tension tests conducted on notched tensile specimens with different notch radius for a carbon steel pipe provides the stress–strain response of the tested structural steel from which the SMCS criterion is calibrated. Full scale cyclic bend tests also performed on a 165 mm O.D tubular specimen with 11 mm wall thickness enable verification of the proposed approach in assessing ductile cracking behavior in damaged pipelines. These exploratory analyses predict the tensile failure load for the pipe specimen associated with ductile crack initiation in the highly damaged area inside the denting and buckling zone which are in good agreement with experimental measurements.

This study explores the capability of a computational cell methodology and a stress-modified, critical strain (SMCS) criterion for void coalescence implemented into a large scale, 3-D finite element framework to model ductile fracture behavior in tensile specimens and in damaged pipelines. In particular, the cell methodology provides a convenient approach for ductile crack extension suitable for large scale numerical analyses which includes a damage criterion and a microstructural length scale over which damage occurs. A series of tension tests conducted on notched tensile specimens with different notch radius for a carbon steel pipe provides the stress-strain response of the tested structural steel from which the cell parameters and the SMCS criterion are calibrated. To investigate ductile cracking behavior in damaged pipelines, full scale cyclic bend tests were performed on a 165 mm O.D tubular specimen with 11 mm wall thickness made of a pipeline steel with very similar mechanical characteristics to the structural steel employed in the tension tests. The tubular specimen was initially subjected to indentation by 3-point bend loading followed by a compressive axial loading to generate large localized buckling in the dented region. The axial loading was then reversed to a tension loading applied until a visible ductile crack could be observed in the pipe surface. These exploratory analyses predict the tensile failure load for the pipe specimen associated with ductile crack initiation in the highly damaged area inside the denting and buckling zone which is in good agreement with experimental measurements.