Mechanical Response of Steel Pipe Welded Lap Joints in Seismic Areas

Nonlinear finite element simulation tools are employed to investigate the bending capacity of internally-pressurized double-welded lap pipeline joints for a typical steel, with D | t value equal to 191.5. The study constitutes the first part of a comprehensive investigation on welded lap joints, which comprises both numerical simulations and experimental testing. The on-going research project is aimed at providing better understanding of welded lap joint behavior under extreme bending loading conditions, towards developing efficient design guidelines and safeguarding the structural integrity of steel water pipelines imposed to severe ground-induced actions. Herein, numerical work is presented, focusing on the global behavior of the lap joints, as well as on the value of local strains developed at critical locations. The present numerical results can be considered as preliminary, aiming at the efficient preparation and design of the upcoming experimental work.