Ratchet Limit of Pressurized Pipes under Multiaxial Stresses

Analytical thermal ratchet limit of the pressurized pipes under multiaxial stress condition was deduced based on the non-cyclic method. The effect of axial compressive stress on the ratchet limit was stressed intensively. The corresponding design method was proposed and the closed-form solutions were validated by finite element method. Results revealed that the axial compressive stress will significantly decrease the ratchet limit under multiaxial loading. Moreover, the proposed ratchet limits are in very well agreement with those FEM results. The design method in this paper can be used to evaluate the ratchet limit of the pressurized pipes or other cylindrical structures under similar conditions, which has good engineering significance.