Evaluating Welded and Mechanical Pipe Joint Strength for Seismic Design—Part 2: Testing Set-Up

Evaluating welded steel pipe and pipe joint strength for resisting seismic forces is essential for today’s conveyance infrastructure. Minimal guidance is available for seismic design of large diameter, thin wall, spiral-welded steel pipe, causing designers to employ design methods outside the welded steel pipe industry. Application of nonindustry information could lead to unconservative results with questionable seismic resilience. While the effects of internal pressure are known to augment the strength of welded steel pipe in some cases, accurate test data is currently unavailable. This paper describes physical tests to evaluate the strength of welded steel pipe, field-welded joints, and mechanical joints under both pressurized and nonpressurized conditions. Also presented is a discussion of expected test results, compared with codes, and standards for welded steel pipe. The goal is to determine how large diameter steel pipe and common joining methods will perform when subjected to compression, tension, and bending forces.