A Non-Destructive Method for Predicting Critical Load, Critical Thickness and Service Life for Corroded Spherical Shells under Uniform External Pressure Based on NDT Data

Abstract

A pressurized spherical shell that is continuously corroded will likely buckle and lose its stability. There are many analytical and numerical methods to study this problem (critical load, critical thickness, and service life), but the friendliness (operability) in engineering test applications is still not ideal. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a new non-destructive method by combining the Southwell non-destructive procedure with the stable analysis method of corroded spherical thin shells. When used carefully, it can estimate the critical load (critical thickness) and service life of these thin shells. Furthermore, its procedure proved to be more practical than existing methods; it can be easily mastered, applied, and generalized in most engineering tests. When used properly, its accuracy is acceptable in the field of engineering estimations. In the context of the high demand for non-destructive analysis in industry, it may be of sufficient potential value to be used as a reference for existing estimating methods based on NDT data.

Keywords

• pressurized spherical shell
• corrosion
• non-destructive method
• critical load
• critical thickness
• service life