MEC4401 Engineering Practice: Project I Finite Element Modeling of pipes with various shapes of cutouts subjected to compressive loading Project supervisor: Soh Ai Kah No. of student: 1 Pre-requisite:...

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MEC4401 Engineering Practice: Project I Finite Element Modeling of pipes with various shapes of cutouts subjected to compressive loading Project supervisor: Soh Ai Kah No. of student: 1 Pre-requisite: MEC 3455 Solid Mechanics Duration: 2 semesters Objectives The objectives of this project are two-fold: 1. To develop finite element models for studying the buckling of cylindrical shells with various shapes of cutouts. 2. To develop semi-empirical equations for the buckling load as a function of geometric parameters. Introduction The studies of cylindrical shells are of great interest to many engineers and researchers because of the extensive use of these shells in oil refineries, offshore structures, etc. Extensive research has been devoted in the past to the study of such shells in the area of use of fastenings around these shells to strengthen them. A number of research projects have also been focused on the effect of cutouts on such structures [1, 2]. Cutouts are often made in these structures to allow access to the internal of the structures for the purpose of repairs, maintenance, etc. Due to the complexity in the analysis of the effects of such cutouts, the existing studies were mainly based on experimental techniques and finite element analyses. Much of these studies have been limited to the area of local buckling. This project thus attempts to look into Euler buckling of such structures subjected to the effects of various shapes of cutouts by employing the finite element method. Scope of work The works to be carried out are outlined as follows: 1. Development of finite element models to study the buckling behavior of cylindrical shells with various shapes of cutouts. 2. Development of semi-empirical equations for the buckling loads in terms of pipe diameter and thickness, cutout parameters, etc. References 1. Susumu Toda, “Buckling of cylinders with cutouts under axial compression”, Experimental Mechanics, pp. 414-417, 1983. 2. Sigge Eggwertz, Lars A. Samuelson, “Design of shell structures with opening subjected to buckling”, J. Constructional Steel Research, Vol. 18, pp. 155-163, 1991.