A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF PLASTIC BEHAVIOR DATA AND A UNIFIED DEFINITION OF PLASTIC LOADS FOR PRESSURE COMPONENTS ; INTERPRETIVE REPORT ON LIMIT ANALYSIS AND PLASTIC BEHAVIOR OF PIPING PRODUCTS ; INTER (To Purchase Call 1-800-854-7179 USA/Canada or 303-397
For over two decades@ the various subcommittees under the Design Division have been carrying out analytical and experimental research into the plastic behavior of pressure components consisting of pressure vessel heads@ cylindrical piping@ curved piping and elbows@ nozzles in spherical vessels@ nozzles in cylindrical shells@ and flat circular plates. The analytical methods developed to quantify the plastic strength were primarily based on the concept of limit analyses which is strictly applicable to idealized elastic/perfectly plastic materials. Due to the obvious differences between the ideal and actual material behavior@ several different methods were used to determine the plastic strength in experimental investigations. Discussions among the members of ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code as well as among the active investigators indicated that there is a considerable amount of controversy about the basis and applicability of these methods. Since plastic strengths@ determined by the methods of limit analysis as well as experimental procedures@ have been used in the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code as an alternative basis for setting allowable limits on primary loadings@ the Design Division of the PVRC felt it necessary to resolve this controversy. Consequently@ the Task Group on Characterization of Plastic Behavior of Structures was set up in 1975.