A REVIEW OF STATE-OF-THE-ART METHODS FOR PRESSURE VESSELS DESIGN AGAINST PROGRESSIVE DEFORMATION

Progressive plastic deformation is one of the damage mechanisms which can occur in pressure vessels subjected to cyclic loading. For design applications, the main rule proposed by codes against this failure mode is the so-called 3f (or 3Sm) criterion. During the last decade, studies have shown that this condition can be unreliable, and proposed to restrict its application. In parallel, theoretical developments enabled shakedown analyses to be considered as an interesting design methodology, and to be incorporated in codes and standards (EN13445, CODAP) from the early 2000'(s). This paper gives a review of innovative methods based on shakedown theory, that can be used in the determination of elastic shakedown limits, ratchet limits, or cyclic steady state. These approaches are based on different concepts, such as elastic compensation (Linear Matching Method), Gockfeld theory (Uniform Modified Yield, Load Dependent Yield Modification), or the research of stabilized cycle (Direct Cyclic Analysis). Each method is presented and applied on a Benchmark example in Abaqus, and results are compared to reference data from codes. A final assessment focuses on accuracy and computation time, and underlines the benefits that could be expected for industrial applications.