TUBULAR MEMBERS.

I: STABILITY ANALYSIS AND

PRELIMINARY RESULTS

By Spyros A. Karamanos l and John L. Tassoulas 2

ABSTRACT: This paper presents a finite-element technique for the analysis of tubular member stability under
combined external pressure and structural loads. A tube element is developed for the purposes of this research.
While polynomial (quadratic) interpolation is used in the longitudinal direction, Fourier series expansions of
the displacement components are adopted at the nodal cross sections. The formulation accounts f?~ I~rge
inelastic deformation and recognizes initial imperfections and residual stresses. To trace unstable eqUlltbnum
paths, arc-length procedures are implemented. A simple, yet effective estimate ?f the contribution .o~ external
pressure to the tube element stiffness matrix, particularly significant in the analysIs of slender tubes, IS mcluded.
Preliminary results regarding the behavior of tubular members subjected to pressure and bending are report.ed
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and discussed. The effects of initial imperfections and residual stresses on the response to pressure along with
bending are summarized. Finally, the influence of residual stresses on thrust-moment interaction in tubular
beam-columns is examined briefly.

INTRODUCTION Extensive analytical work has been reported by Han and

The present work is motivated by the stability problems of
tubes that are candidates for deep-water applications. Off-
shore compliant towers as well as offshore pipelines are ex-
amples of such applications in which the tubes are subjected
to a combination of axial force, bending, and external pres-
sure. Under such loading conditions, the tubes may buckle
with catastrophic consequences and, therefore, accurate pre-
diction of tube capacity is of particular importance for safe
offshore structural design.
The bending instability of elastic tubes due to extensive
ovalization was first analyzed by Brazier (1927). Brazier ex-
tended the classical Saint-Venant solution for elastic bending
in order to account for cross-sectional deformation, which
was assumed to be inextensional. This type of instability is
usually referred to as the "Brazier effect" and is described
in detail by Karamanos and Tassoulas (1991a). Ades (1957),
using a numerical technique, investigated inelastic effects on
bending ovalization, whereas Reissner (1959) was first to ex-
amine the case of pressurized bending.
The influence of bending-tension-pressure interaction on
pipeline stability was investigated by Kyriakides and ~haw
(1982) and Corona and Kyriakides (1988) through a senes of
small-scale tests of aluminum and stainless-steel tubes. In
addition, a Galerkin method for the investigation of cross-
sectional instabilities was formulated. Recently, Kyriakides
and Ju (1992) and Ju and Kyriakides (1992) presented ex-
perimental and analytical results on local buckling due to
bending. The analytical technique was based on Sander's non-
linear shell theory.
The beam-column behavior of tubular members was in-
vestigated by Fiala and Erzurumlu (1972) and Wagner et al.
(1976). Their work was based on the nonlinear beam-column
equation that was solved using a finite-difference technique.
However, the effects of external pressure and the possibility
of local buckling were not considered.
'Grad. Student, Dept. of Civ. Engrg .• The Univ. of Texas at Austin.
Austin. TX 7R712-1076.
'Prof.. Dept. of Civ. Engrg.. The Univ. of Texas at Austin. Austin.
TX.
Note. Associate Editor: Srinivasan Sridharan. Discussion open until
June I. 1996. Separate discussions should be submitted for the individual
papers in this symposium. To extend the closing date one month. a
written request must be filed with the ASCE M~nager of Jou~nals. The
manuscript for this paper was submitted for review and pOSSible pubh-
cation on November 17. 1993. This paper is part of the Journal of En-
gineering Mechanics, Vol. 122. No. I. January. 1996. ©ASCE, ISSN
0733-9399/96/0001-0064-0071/$4.00 + $.50 per page. Paper No. 7375.
Chen (1985), Toma and Chen (1979, 1982, 1983a, 1983b),
and Sohal and Chen (1984, 1987). The formulation was based
on the classical beam-column equation and plasticity effects
were taken into account through M - P - <l> curves (M, P,
and <l> denote the moment, axial force, and curvature, re-
spectively). To account for the pressure (Toma and Chen
1982), cross-sectional radial deformation was assumed to be
of the following form:
1
w = w" (1 _ / ) cos 26 (I )
P Pc
where W",p, p" and 6 denote the initial ovalization amplitude,
pressure, buckling pressure, and hoop coordinate, respec-
tively. Using the preceding cross-sectional shape, M - P -
<l> - p relationships were derived. It should be noted that no
further cross-sectional ovalization due to bending was con-
sidered and, therefore, the technique did not simulate Bra-
zier-type instabilities. Finally, a simple kinematic model was
used for local buckling deformation (Sohal and Chen 1987).
The strain level corresponding to local buckling initiation was
determined from an empirical formula.
The present work is aimed at developin~ a rigorous ~~n­
linear analytical technique in order to investIgate the stabilIty
of tubular members under structural loads and external pres-
sure. A nonlinear tube finite element is developed for the
purposes of this research. The formulation accounts for both
material and geometric nonlinearities. Furthermore, the ~f­
fects of residual stresses and initial imperfections are m-
c1uded. The constitutive equations are integrated using an
efficient iterative scheme while arc-length calculations are
implemented to obtain postbuckling equilibrium configura-
tions. Preliminary results regarding the capacity of tubular
members under pressure and bending are presented. Finally,
pressurized bending and the interaction between axial force
and bending are discussed briefly.
TECHNIQUE
The formulation adopts a Lagrangian description of the
tube using the convected-coordinate formulation pr~sented
by Needleman (1982). Nonlinear kinematics (large dIsplace-
ments and strains) can be modeled in this approach. The
material behavior is described through a Jrflow theory of
plasticity with isotropic hardening. This choice of hardening
rule is based on the monotonic nature of the loading path.
The constitutive equations (Needleman 1982), relating the
convected rate of the Kirchhoff stress tensor, ;-, to the rate-
of-deformation tensor, d, can be written as:

64 / JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING MECHANICS / JANUARY 1996

J. Eng. Mech. 1996.122:64-71.

 ;- = Rd = (D - L)d (2)
where D = elastoplastic rigidity; and L = geometric rigidity.
In addition, the basic requirement of shell theory that the
traction component normal to any lamina be zero is imposed
on the constitutive description.

TUBE FINITE ELEMENT

The geometry and displacements are interpolated using
defonned
quadratic polynomials in the longitudinal direction while reference
Fourier series expansions are used at each nodal cross section Une
(three-node isoparametric element, Fig. 1). A Cartesian co-
ordinate system (Xl' Xl' X 3) is used, the xraxis being in the
longitudinal direction. Let xj (j = 1, 2, 3) be the unit vector
along the coordinate axis Xj' Symmetry of the tube is assumed FIG. 4. Out-ot-Plane (Warping) Displacement and Rotation
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with respect to the Xl - X3 plane (uniaxial bending). Thus,

the position and orientation of the cross section at each node
3
k is defined in terms of three degrees of freedom (see Fig. xC<O L x(kWk)m
= (3)
2): two translational [U~kl and U~k) in the X l - and xrdirections, k~J

respectively] and one rotational [6\k l about xd. The deformed

centerline ofthe tube (tube axis), which contains the element where' = longitudinal material coordinate; X(k) posItIOn
nodes, is defined by vector of node k; and Nlk l (,) = Lagrangian interpolating
polynomials.
To describe cross-sectional deformation:

• a reference line is chosen within the cross section

• the thickness is assumed to remain constant
• in-plane deformation of the cross section is such that
fibers initially normal to the reference line remain normal
to the reference line
• warping of the cross section has two components:
out-of-plane fiber rotation about the reference line
out-of-plane displacement of the reference line itself
1UHle 1 • warping displacements and rotations are assumed to be
FIG. 1. Three-Node Isoparametrlc Tube Finite Element small (this avoids unnecessary complications in the ele-
ment formulation)
• p is the material coordinate in the radial (through-the-
thickness) direction and w is the corresponding displace-
ment
• 6 is the material coordinate in the hoop (azimuthal) di-
rection and v is the corresponding displacement

Consider the cross-section at node k (see Figs. 3 and 4).

The position of the reference line of the tube at this cross
section can be written as
X(k) + r(k)(e) = X(k) + x,(e)elk ) + y,(e)e~k) + z,(e)e~k) (4)
where x(kl = position vector of node k; r(kl(6) = vector from
FIG. 2. Nodal Displacements and Rotation node k to any point on the reference line; elk), e~kl, and e~k)
= unit vectors along the local cross-sectional axes X, y, and
z, respectively; and X n Yn and z, = reference line coordinates
with respect to the local cross-sectional axes.
Let n be the outward unit normal vector on the reference
line. The tube geometry is given by:
3
x(e, ~, p) = L ([X(k) + (x, + pnJelk) + (y, + pn..)e~.k)
k=l

(5)
"ybeing the out-of-plane fiber rotation.
Following the formulation by Brush and Almroth (1975),
the components of the position vector of the reference line
in the current configuration can be expressed in terms of the
radial, hoop, and out-of-plane displacements w, v, and U as
follows:
FIG. 3. In-Plane Cross-sectional Displacements x, = [R + w(e)]cos e - v(e)sin e (6a)

JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING MECHANICS / JANUARY 1996 / 65

J. Eng. Mech. 1996.122:64-71.

 y, = [R + w(O)]sin 0 + v(O)cos 0;
Since the displacements and the out-of-plane fiber rotation
z, = u(O) (6b,c)
oW,I = -p' ffl'
oU'o'dB' (16)

remain periodic functions of 0 in the course of deformation, In general, linearization of the integral over B' will disturb
they can be expanded in Fourier series: the (desirable) symmetry of the stiffness matrix. Instead, the
w(O) = a" + a l sin 0 = 2.:
1/=2.4.6,
an cos nO +
1/ =
2.:
3.5.7,.
an sin nO traction is estimated as:

(7) t' = -p'n (17)

1'(0) -a, cos 0 + 2.: b" sin nO + 2.: b" cos nO

o being the outward unit normal vector on B. The integral
11 = 2.-l,fl.. fI = 3.5.7, .. over B' [(16)] is replaced by the corresponding integral over
(8) B. This approximation amounts to neglecting the pressure

u(O) =
II =
"
L..
2, ... ,6....
c" cos nO + ,-'
L..
,,~.1.5.7 ....
c" sin nO (9)
contribution to the stiffness matrix. Of course, the load vector
due to pressure is not affected by the approximation. How-
ever, the omission of the pressure contribution to the stiffness
'1(0) = '10 + 'II cos 0 + 2.: 'I" cos nO + 2.: 'I" sin nO matrix can have an adverse influence on the performance
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11=2.~.6.. 1/=3.5,7 ... (convergence) of Newton equilibrium iterations, especially

(10) when analyzing slender tubes under high levels of pressure.
Only the terms exhibiting symmetry with respect to the x 2 - For problems involving uniform external pressure applied on
X3 plane have been retained in the preceding expressions. the entire tube boundary (cylindrical surface and capped ends),
Coefficients an, b", Cn, and "In are the degrees of freedom it is known that the pressure contribution to the tube stiffness
describing cross-sectional deformation. Notice that the coef- matrix is symmetric (Hibbitt 1979). In the present work, a
ficient multiplying cos e in the expansion of v [(8)] has been particularly simple symmetric form of the pressure contri-
bution to the element stiffness matrix is obtained by neglect-
set to the negative of a I' the coefficient multiplying sin e in
the expansion of w [(7)]. This choice ensures that the Fourier ing changes in the tube cross section but taking into account
series expansions produce a vanishing rigid-body displace- changes in the curvature of the tube centerline
ment of the cross section in the y-direction. Similarly, the
constant term as well as the coefficient multiplying sin e in
the expansion of u [(9)] have been set equal to zero. These
K" = (pA) r, (~~r (~~) (~;) d s (18)

terms would produce a rigid-body displacement in the z-di-
rection and a rigid-body rotation about the x-direction. As
mentioned earlier, the rigid-body displacements and rotation
of the cross section, i.e., U~k), U~k), and e\k), are included in
the computations as separate degrees of freedom.
The (linearized) incremental displacement vector is ob-
tained by differentiation of (5):
.1
~u = L ([~U(k) + (~x, + p~n,)e~k)
1.."--1
+ (y, + pnJ~e~k)] + (~z, +
where
and
Note that ~x,., ~y,., ~z" I1n" ~nv, and ~'Y are linear functions
of ~aH' ~bn, ~cn, and ~'Y". . stress components are predicted assuming elastic behavior
Using (5) and (11), the element stiffness matrix and load
vectors can be computed. Details can be found in the report
by Karamanos and Tassoulas (1993).
PRESSURE CONTRIBUTION TO THE
STIFFNESS MATRIX
Consider a deformable body at an equilibrium configura-
tion defined by the position vector x. In order to write the
incremental equation of virtual work, it is necessary to con-
sider the body at the nearby configuration x'. At this config-
uration, the body is subjected to uniform external pressure
p'. Let 0' denote the outward unit normal vector on B'. The
traction due to pressure can be written as
t' =
and the corresponding term in the virtual work equation be-
comes:
66/ JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING MECHANICS / JANUARY 1996
In the preceding equation, p = external pressure; A = TIR2
is the cross-sectional area (R is the tube outside radius); s =
length along the tube element centerline (~ is the longitudinal
material coordinate); and N = matrix of interpolation func-
tions for the (incremental) displacements. Under external
pressure, this matrix provides nonnegative lateral stiffness
and enhances the rate of convergence in the analysis of slen-
der tubes .
+ (~y, + p~n,)e~.k)
INTEGRATION OF CONSTITUTIVE EQUATIONS
p~'1)e~k) + fez, + P'l)~e~k)]N<k)(m For the integration of the constitutive equations, a scheme
(11) in which an elastic predictor is followed by plastic correctors
is used. The state of the material at the beginning of a load
step [indicated by the superscript "(0)"] is defined by the
(12) components of the Kirchhoff stress tensor T(O)'" and the ef-
fective plastic strain, d pill '. Let g1°) (k = 1,2,3) be the base
vectors, obtained from the tube geometry. Given the base
vectors gk (k = 1, 2, 3) at the current configuration (end of
(13, 14) the load step), the components of the Kirchhoff stress tensor
and the effective plastic strain are to be calculated. First, the
( 19)
where Eijkl and Ujkl are the components of the elastic and
geometric rigidities and g" - g~~) is computed by setting the
stress component in the radial direction (through the thick-
ness) equal to zero (consistently with classical shell theory):
(20)
Having obtained the stress components at the "trial" state
[identified by the superscript "(1)"], the trial effective (von
Mises) stress is calculated
.. .)'/2
-p'n' (15) yO) = ( -32 g.,kg. S(I)"S(I)"
J/
(21 )
j
S(l)i being the components of the deviatoric part of the

J. Eng. Mech. 1996.122:64-71.

 Kirchhoff tensor. It is then compared with the maximum (a) 0.4
effective stress, Y max( d pll ,) [the effective plastic strain at the
I
I
~
residual hoop stress
trial state, dl'lll, is initially estimated equal to dl'(II,] in order Chen and Ross (1977)
to determine whether yielding has occurred. If yO) does not '"'
~"'0.2

'~
exceed the maximum effective stress, the trial state is the b
.....
actual one in the current configuration. Otherwise, correc-
tions I1T ii and I1d p are estimated so that the Kirchhoff stress
.;: ~
falls on the yield surface: t; 0

"" ~~
1l
.!;i
(22) ';
E
~ -0.2

~
yO) - Ymax(dp(ll) I::
(23)
HII) + Q
-0.4
where o 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
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3G [S(I )13]2} distam:e from inner surfaee over tube thickness

Q -- 3G { 1 - -
E(I -
)JJJ1
--yO)
EI I )"" and H( I) being the elastic rigidity tensor components
and the plastic modulus at the trial state with
HI'I = dYmaxl
ddl' dl,lll
Thus, new estimates of the Kirchhoff stress components and
the effective plastic strain are obtained. Further corrections
are applied until y(l) and Ymax(dpll,) differ by less than a
specified tolerance.
RESIDUAL STRESSES
The forming process of fabricated tubes introduces residual
hoop stresses which vary through the thickness, while welding
at the seam is responsible for residual longitudinal stresses.
It is well known that residual stresses have an important effect
on member stability (Galambos 1988). The present formu-
lation has the capability to account for residual stresses and
examine their effect on tube stability. Residual stress distri-
butions have been proposed by Chen and Ross (1977). These
distributions, depicted in Figs. 5(a and b), are based on actual
measurements. As can be seen in Fig. 5(a), the residual hoop
stress distribution exhibits variation only through the thick-
ness, with a maximum level equal to 35% of the yield stress.
On the other hand, the residual longitudinal stress, shown in
Fig. 5(b), has a maximum value equal to the yield stress at
the seam and varies only in the hoop direction.
SOME COMPUTATIONAL ASPECTS
For the purpose of tracing unstable equilibrium paths, an
arc-length method (Crisfield 1983) is used. According to this
method, in each step of the analysis, the load and displace-
ment increments are determined so that
11/=
where I1P = load increment; l1u = vector which contains
the increments of the "selected" degrees of freedom; I1Po
and l1u o = normalization parameters; and 111 is the "arc
length" specified for the step.
The performance of the method can be affected by the
selection of degrees of freedom in l1u. Usually, convergence
near and beyond limit points is facilitated when monotonically
changing degrees of freedom are included in l1u. In this work,
for instabilities due to structural loads, nodal displacements,
and rotations are considered in l1u. In the analysis of bending
at high levels of pressure, a relatively difficult task, the tube
end-rotation was found to be most effective. On the other
(24)
(b)1.2
T
I~esidual longitudinal s,ress
Chen and Ross (1977)
I
'"'
b"'08
.......
(25)
~
/ r-- I
-0.4
V V
o a2 a4 a6 a8 1
angle from seam location over Tr
FIG. 5. Residual Stress Distributions: (a) Hoop Stress; (b) lon-
gitudinal Stress
hand, for instabilities due to pressure, the ovalization degrees
of freedom O2 and b 2 were used successfully.
Another important consideration in the formulation is the
minimum number of integration points required. If terms of
degree up to n are retained in the Fourier series expansions,
the stiffness matrix will contain trigonometric polynomials of
degree 2n, i.e., linear combinations of the functions 1, cos e,
sin e, cos 2e, sin 28, ... , cos 2ne, sin 2ne. In the case of
elastic behavior, the integrals of these polynomials can be
evaluated explicitly, or, using 2n + 1 equally spaced inte-
gration points over the full circumference of the cross section
(Davis and Rabinowitz 1974). Of course, more integration
points are needed when analyzing inelastic behavior. The
highest degree considered in this work was eight and an array
of 30 points over the full circumference were found to be
(26) sufficient. It should be noted that only the half circumference
(15 points) is analyzed because of the assumed symmetry of
cross-sectional deformation.
Linear interpolation is assumed in the radial direction and,
therefore, the analysis of elastic behavior requires two inte-
gration points. In this work, because of inelastic behavior,
three to five points were found to be sufficient. Of course,
the thinner the tube, the fewer the integration points that are
necessary. Finally, two integration points are used in the lon-
gitudinal direction.
PRELIMINARY RESULTS
Results are presented below in order to establish confi-
dence in the numerical technique. Except where noted other-
JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING MECHANICS I JANUARY 1996 I 67

J. Eng. Mech. 1996.122:64-71.

 0.4 (a) 600
theore'tical
~ifurc tion
If
t r--- t - - 500

-----
I--
0.3 ~
~ I ~400
::l limit '-' !
~ point ::l
..
'l:I

~
0.2 ~300
'"
';
<::l tube SA .5 200 tube C22J1
~ D/t=48 ~ material API SL-X42
~ 0.1 E = 200.5 GPa I--- c: (J = 387.8 MPa
(J =290 MPa
1
1 100 E = 204 GPa

o o
o o
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0.005 0.01 0.015 0.02 0.025 0.03 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2
normalized ovalization nominal strain
FIG. 6. Pressure-Ovalization Response of Tube SA (b) 500

0.35

0.3
,/""
I----

/
..--
_....
~
l'

-- I---
- ~
~
'-'300
400

/
~

~ 0.25
'"'" I / ..::
~
~
~

.. 0.15
~

~
<::l
~
0.2
/ /
I II
I ~e=O.0074
l~e=0.OO31
~e=0.OO06
r ';200
.5
Ii:
Q
c:
100
tube C6JS
material ASTM AS13
(J = 297 MPa
1
E =193 GPa
I--

-
~ 0.1
C22J1
/ D/t=42 o
0.05 no residual stresses
a
o I hydrostatic pressure 0.03 0.06 0.09
nominal strain
0.12 0.15

o 0.005 0.01 0.015 0.02
normalized ovalization
FIG. 7. Effects of Initial Imperfection on Pressure-Ovalization Re-
sponse of Tube C22J1
wise, the values of pressure moment, axial force, curvature,
and ovalization amplitude are normalized by the yield pres-
sure Py = 2U"yt/D m , plastic moment Mp = U"yD;"t, yield axial
force Py = 7TU"yD m t, reference curvature KI = t/D2 and tube
outside radius R, respectively (U"y and D m denote the yield
stress and mean tube diameter).
Fig. 6 shows the pressure response of an inelastic tube,
referred to as tube 5A, which has a D/t value of 48 and a
very small initial imperfection of the form
w;(O) = wo cos 20
where W o is chosen equal to 0.022% of the tube diameter. A
specimen of similar cross-sectional and material characteris-
tics (specimen 5A) was tested by Miller et al. (1982) at Chi-
cago Bridge and Iron (CBI). The tube has yield stress U"y and
Young's modulus E equal to 290 MPa (42.1 ksi) and 200.5
GPa (29,100 ksi), respectively. A bilinear stress-strain curve
with slope beyond initial yielding equal to E/400 is assumed.
In addition, the tube is taken infinitely long and, therefore,
only its cross section is analyzed (two-dimensional analysis).
Thus, one tube element is employed and the warping degrees
of freedom are restrained. Extensive ovalization occurs near
the theoretical bifurication point (p)Py = 0.34), which can
be calculated from the tube collapse formula given by Ti-
moshenko and Gere (1961), but the equilibrium path contin-
ues to rise. As soon as plasticity occurs, the path exhibits a
limit point and the pressure is reduced.
The pressure response of another inelastic tube, referred
0.025 0.03 0.035 FIG. 8. Material Curves: (a) Tube C22J1; (b) Tube C6JS
to as C22J1, is depicted in Fig. 7 for three values of initial
out-of-roundness. A similar tube was tested in the experi-
mental program of CBI ("Hydrostatic" 1989). Again, a cross-
sectional tube analysis is conducted. The initial imperfection
is measured by the parameter e = 2w"lR. The tube has a D/t
value of 42 and its stress-strain curve is shown in Fig. 8(a).
Limit points are marked with arrows in Fig. 7. Clearly, initial
ovalization reduces the capacity.
Pure bending is considered next. It is assumed that cross-
sectional deformation remains constant along the tube. Thus,
the analysis is performed using one element with all warping
degrees of freedom restrained.
(27) The moment-curvature curve of tube C22J1 is obtained for
different trigonometric expansions. The results are shown in
Fig. 9(a). Clearly, not all curves exhibit limit points. More
precisely, a limit point is obtained when terms of degree up
to at least four are included. The results indicate that the
solution found by Brazier, which includes terms of degree up
to two, is not satisfactory for pure bending of this inelastic
tube.
The bending response of a relatively thin inelastic tube,
referred to as C6J5, is shown in Fig. 9(b). The tube has D/t
equal to 63 and its material follows the stress-strain curve
depicted in Fig. 8(b). A tube with the same geometric and
material characteristics was tested at CBI ("Hydrostatic" 1989).
It is interesting to note that both tubes C22J1 and C6J5 have
a moment capacity above the plastic moment M p • It appears
that the presence of substantial strain-hardening is respon-
sible for this phenomenon.
The analysis of inelastic tubes C22J1 and C6J5 has indicated
that the cross-section ovalization amplitude at ultimate mo-

68 / JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING MECHANICS / JANUARY 1996

J. Eng. Mech. 1996.122:64-71.

 (a) 1.4 (a) 1.2

1.2

1
/ - - ~ ...
~
E
o
E
1

/
~ ~
- L------
~
~
"E
0 0.8
// -constant section
-degree I
-
~
"
~
~
0.8

/
V IDlt=200 I ~
E
V --degree 2 E0.6 IE =200 GPa I
~
....
"
::::
~

E
0.6

0.4
I
--degree 4
C22]I
f----

-
Cl
I::

:S' 0.4
~
/ v=O.32
I
0
I::

0.2 I
I Dlt=42
pure bending
perfect '---
~
oS 0.2 / -Brazier
-degree 8
-degree 6

0
no residual stresses "
o V -degree 4
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o 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 o 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3

normalized curvature normaliz.ed curvature

(b) 1.2 (b)0.5 +----li----+--+---t---+--r--t

1
l---""" t--
0.4 +----t-----If---1
~
I::

~
E 0.8
( ~
~
o li! 0.3 +----+------1f---+---+-r'----;.,L..f-:::::-,....-::~+
~
E
0.6
I Cl

"=l
~
~

E
o
0.4
I::
/ C6J5
Dlt=63
pure bending
"
~ 0.2 -I----+------1f----1----:~q----+---+
~

E
Cl -Brazier
perfect I:: 0.1 -/----+---il-~'""-+_--_H -degree 8
-degree 6
0.2 no residual stresses -degree 4

o
o 0.5 J 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 1
0.5 1.5 2 2.5 3
normalized curvature
normalized curvature
FIG. 10. Pure Bending of Thin Elastic Tube (Dlt = 200): (a) Mo-
FIG. 9. Moment-Curvature Response: (a) Tube C22J1; (b) Tube
ment-Curvature Response; (b) Ovallzatlon-Curvature Response
C6J5

1.2
ment is less than 5% of the tube radius. In fact, plasticity
effects rather than geometric nonlinearities are mainly re- X·52 tube
r---==.
sponsible for the nonlinear tube behavior. In order to inves-
tigate the geometric effects on bending response, a parametric
study was conducted for a thin elastic tube with a D/t of 200.
~
l:I
1

0.8
--~ Dlt=2I.6
,
a = 393 MPa

Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio have been assumed equal

to 200 GPa (29,000 ksi) and 0.32, respectively. Fig. lO(a)
E
"" 0.6
"=l
~
shows the moment-curvature curves for trigonometric expan-
sions of degrees 4, 6, and 8. The moment is ("elastically")
normalized by the reference moment Me = ERt2/~
~"
~

E 0.4
I-tube elements
I-shell elements
1
I
'\
\
<:>
(v is Poisson's ratio). Note that expansions of degrees 6 and I::

8 provide essentially the same results. On the other hand, it 0.2 I

is impossible to obtain a limit point using an expansion of
degree 4. As can be seen in lO(b), such an expansion under-
estimates cross-sectional ovalization which is the most im-
portant factor for limit-point instability. Note that the oval-
ization amplitude at limit moment is about 22% of the tube
radius.
Figs. lO(a and b) also show Brazier's solution (Brazier 1927)
in comparison with the tube element results. The ultimate
moment aswell as the corresponding curvature are very close.
On the other hand, Brazier's solution is not satisfactory for
the unstable part of the equilibrium path (beyond the limit
point). By examining Fig. lO(b) it appears that Brazier's model
overestimates cross-sectional deformation and, therefore,
underestimates the bending stiffness. Similar results are re-
ported in the recent article by Prinja and Clegg (1993), where
computations using eight-node shell finite elements are com-
pared with Brazier's analytical solution.
In previous work by Karamanos and Tassoulas (1991a,b),
i
o I
o 0.2
0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2
normalized moment
FIG. 11. Pressure-Moment Interaction for X-52 Tube: Comparison
of Results Obtained Using Tube and Shell Finite Elements
the effects of pressure on bending capacity were investigated
for a thick tube made of X-52 steel using nine-node shell
finite elements. The main conclusion from the analysis was
the bending capacity reduction in the presence of pressure.
The same interaction is recomputed for the X-52 tube using
tube elements and the results are depicted in Fig. 11. The
same tube is analyzed herein using tube elements, in order
to compare with the previous results. The X-52 tube has out-
side diameter and thickness of 323.8 mm (12.75 in.) and 15
mm (0.59 in.) respectively, which imply a D/t ratio of 21.6.
JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING MECHANICS / JANUARY 1996/69

J. Eng. Mech. 1996.122:64-71.

 0.35 whereas they have no significant effect in cases where bending
~
"-
is the major loading parameter.
0.3

~
--
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
>--
~ 0.25
E
.... 0.2 ~ 1"\ This research was sponsored by Shell Oil Company. The writers grate-
fully acknowledge the suggestions of Peter W. Marshall, C. David Ed-
wards and Denby G. Morrison.
..
~

~ 0.15 I C22ll I ""\ APPENDIX. REFERENCES

IDlt=42 I
E
~ 0.1
\\ Ades, C. S. (1957). "Bending strength of tubing in the plastic range."
J. Aeronautical Sci., 24, 605-610.
,\
0.05 H ~e=O.002, without residual stresses I
~e=O.Ol, I
Brazier, L. G. (1927). "On the flexure of thin cylindrical shells and other
thin sections." Proc., Royal Soc. A, London, U.K., 166, 104-114.

~
with residual stresses Brush, D.O., and Almroth, B. O. (1975). Buckling of bars, plates, and
I I I shells. McGraw-Hili, New York, N.Y.
o Chen, W. F., and Ross, D. A. (1977). "Tests of fabricated tubular
o
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0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 columns." I. Struct. Div., ASCE, 103(3), 619-633.
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Crisfield. M. A. (1983). "An arc-length method including line searches
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...., Offshore Techno!. Conf., Houston. Tex .• 480-486.
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~

~
. Han, D. J., and Chen. W. F. (1983). "Buckling and cyclic inelastic
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0.4
E
c:>
t:
0.2
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2
normalized moment
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The yield stress and Young's modulus are equal to 393 MPa
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