OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE PAPER

6200 North Central Expressway NUMBER aTe 2642

Dallas, Texas 75206

Improved Finite Elements for Analysis of

Welded Tubular Joints
By

C. Y. Liaw~ R. W. Litton~ and R. B. Reimer, PMB Systems Engineering, Inc.

THIS PAPER IS SUBJECT TO CORRECTION

Copyright 1976
Offshore Technology Conference on behalf of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Pe~roleutrJ
Engineers; Inc. (Society of Mining Engineers, The Metallurgical Society and Society of Petroleum. Engrnee~s),
American Association of Petroleum Geologists, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American SocIety
of Civil Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Institute of Electrical and Electronic~ En-
gineers, Marine Technology Society, Society of Exploration Geophysicists, and Society of Naval ArchItects
and Marine Engineers. .
This paper was prepared for presentation at the Eighth Annual Offshore Technology Conference, Houston,
Tex., May 3-6, 1976. Permission to copy is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words. //Iustrations
may not be copied. Such use of an abstract should contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by
whom the paper is presented.

ABSTRACT can provide more accurate resolutlon of

This paper describes the application of
three-dimensional isoparametric elements to
the analysis of welded tubular connections.
The elements are shown to provide more accu-
rate modell ing of joints when compared to the.
commonly used flat plate shell elements be-
cause of their curved shapes and three-
dimensional characteristics. This three-
dimensional nature permits their use in model-
ling grouted joints and in predicting the com-
plex state of stress in and near the welds in
these connections. The paper discusses the
features that are required in a practical com-
puter program that can take advantage of the
versatility of the elements. Results com-
puted by the program PMBSHELL for a grouted
and ungrouted K-Joint are presented and com-
pared to ungrouted joint results, computed by
a flat plate shell element program, KJOINT.
The analyses for this case are shown to agree
very well, although some differences are
noted in the "hot spot" stress regions.
These differences are discussed with regard
to the modelling assumptions required when
flat plate elements are used in shell analysis.
It is concluded that the three-dimensional
isoparametric elements, when implemented in
an efficient and versatile computer program,
References and illustrations at end of paper
stress concentration factors than would be
possible using flat plate finite elements.
In addition, because of their three-
dimensional nature, they are appropriate for
the analysis of grouted connections.
1. INTRODUCTION
The state of stress in welded tubular joints
has been a concern of offshore engineers for
many years and a significant technology has
developed as a result of this concern. This
technology has been based on both analytical
and experimental studies with many significant
contributions made in the past few years
[1,2.3J.
As larger offshore platforms are designed
and installed in increasingly deep water, de-
signers have been forced to develop innova-
tive underwater connection techniques such .
as grouted .connections between skirt-piles
and platform jackets, and more recently, be
tween major sections of the platform itself.
The behavior of grouted connections and the
stresses in the associated tubular members
and cement grout when subjected to the tre-
mendous design loads prescribed for deep-
water structures are often of critical im-
portance to a designer. Besides questions
of load capacity, the prediction of stress

!!!!~--===_.
~~-- =- ================
268 IMPROVED FINITE ELEMENTS FOR ANALYSIS OF WELDED TUBULAR JOINTS
"hotspots" in and near the welds used in
these complex connections has also been ex-
tremely difficult to evaluate. The calcula-
tion of these high local stresses, usually
characterized in terms of stress concentra-
tion factors, has been especially important
for fatigue considerations. A convenient and
efficient method of stress analysis of such
joints is the widely used finite element
method [4,5J. Over the past few years, the
finite element method has been implemented in
special purpose computer programs for the
analysis of simple K and T joints, and an
extension of this method to the analysis of
grouted and ungrouted tubular joints using
new element formulations is the subject of
this paper.
In order to effectively apply the finite ele-
ment method to tubular joints analysis,
several theoretical and practical require-
ments must be considered. Three important
considerations are (1) the choice of finite
element properties; (2) finite element mesh
generation; and (3) the computational effi-
ciency of the computer program used in the
analysis. These three topics are discussed
briefly in this section for purposes of des-
cribing the motivations for the present
study.
1.1 Finite Element Types
In the past, many finite element formulations
used for thin shell analysis have been
developed as a combination of flat plate
bending and plane stress elements. These
combination elements treat bending and mem-
brane actions as uncoupled; a consequence
of the basic Kirchhoff assumptions used in
formulating the bending element properties.
A widely used computer program for tubular
joint analysis, KJOINT makes use of such
elements [4J.
Among other limitations, these essentially
two-dimensional elements neglect the varia-
tion of displacement through the thickness
direction of the shell and the effects of
transverse shear distortion. In addition,
since the combined plate bending/plane stress
element is flat, the geometry of a curved
shell is only approximately modeled by them
as an assemblage of flat facets with nodal
points located at the midsurface of the
shell. These elements have been success-
fully used in the analysis of simple "K"
and "T" wel ded tubul ar joints for several
years. However, because of their two-
dimensional behavior, they are not well
suited to the analysis of the complex states
of stress in grouted or overlapped joints or
to the prediction of stresses in welds. An
alternative to the use of two-dimensional
OTe 2642
finite elements in tubular joint analysis is
a new class of three-dimensional isoparamet-
ric elements in which nodal points are de-
fined on inner and outer surfaces of the
shell. Using these curved elements, the
actual structure can be modeled as a true
three-dimensional system, and the major
kinematic constraints associated with reduc-
tion to a two-dimensional idealization are
eliminated. Until very recently, however,
three-dimensional isoparametric elements
only gave satisfactory results for thick
shell structures. Fortunately, the perform-
ance of these elements for thin shell analy-
sis has recently been greatly improved by
introducing appropriate incompatible dis-
placement modes and using reduced integra-
tion techniques [6J. Applying these newly
developed elements to the effective analysis
of tubular joints has therefore only
recently become possible.
An important limitation of flat plate ele-
ments used in the analysis of shells, is re-
lated to the rotational degree of freedom
about the normal to the surface tangent
plane at a node. This degree of freedom is
not present in flat plate bending formula-
tions but is present in a curved shell.
Elements originally formulated for plate
bending applications, like the element in
KJOINT, do not possess this "sixth" degree
of freedom so that in applying them to the
analysis of shells, artificial constraints
must be introduced to prevent rotations
about the surface normal. These constraints
generally have very minor effects on analy-
tical results except at nodal points where
elements intersect at an angle, such as a
branch-to-chord connection. For these nodes,
the surface tangent plane is not unique and
the proper choice of constraint direction is
not clear. Moreover, since the normals to
each of the candidate tangent planes at the
intersection nodes will have significant
components in the other plane, some con-
straint on the important in-plane rotational
degrees of freedom of one or both connected
elements will result no matter which normal
rotation is constrained. Greste has selec-
ted rotation about the normal to the chord
tangent plane for constraint in KJOINT.
Depending on the branch-to-chord intersec-
tion angle, this constraint influences the
computed hot spot stresses in the branch
and chord near the intersection of the com-
ponents, especially for cases where the
branch loading includes applied bending
moments. No such constraints are required
when a three-dimensional finite element is
used to model the important intersection
region in tubular joints. Hence an
improvement in the accuracy of stress
cODcentration factors and stress gradients
OTC 2642 C. Y. LIAW - R. W. LITTON - R. B. REIMER
may be expected for any joint configura-
tion and loading, when appropriate three-
dimensional isoparametric elements are used
in an analysis.
1.2 Mesh Generation
Even for the simpl est "K" and "T" joints,
the effort required to develop a general
three-dimensional finite element mesh can be
significant. First, the geometry of the
structure has to be described numerically,
including intersection curves between mem-
bers which may be overlapped and weld ~ro
files. Then a mesh scheme has to be
selected, taking into consideration the
degree of analysis accuracy desired and
necessary refinements in regions of anti-
cipated high stress gradients. The three-
dimensional coordinates of all nodal points
then must be computed, the nodes and ele-
ments must be appropriately n~mbered, and
the node number connectivity for each ele-
ment listed. All this information has to
be prepared in a form suitable for use as
input data for the stress analysis program.
It is certainly not feasible to prepare all
this data manually.
Greste [4] has developed a very convenient
finite element mesh generation scheme for
simply connected T and K joints. Four
different degrees of mesh fineness can be
selected and used in the program KJOINT.
The program automatically subdivides the
structure into several regions according
to the selected mesh pattern. Within each
region, the method of conformal mapping is
applied to obtain the best possible element
shapes in the developed two-dimensional
surface representing each member. Once the
mesh and coordinates of nodes in the
developed surface are calculated, the data
is transformed back to the three-dimensional
coordinate system. Element connectivities
are also automatically generated in the pro-
gram. Grest~'5 mesh generation approach in
the program KJOINT requires very little
engineering effort and produces satisfac-
tory meshes for T and K joints. Similar
methods can also be applied to more complex
tubular joints.
1.3 Numerical Efficiency
The cost of computer time required to per-
form a finite element analysis must be
reasonable in order for a computer program
to be considered a practical tool. When
three-dimensional elements with many
degree? of freedom per element are used in
an analysis, maintaining realistic computer
costs is especially difficult. Since the
time spent solving linear equations pro-
269
duces the most significant computing cost
for most finite element analyses, and, for
most equation-solving algorithms, this time
is proportional to the square of the band-
width of the stiffness matrix, any reduction
in band-width that may be possible using a
minimizing nodal point numbering strategy or
a substructure technique can result in worth-
while computer cost savings.
KJOINT utilizes both a minimizing nodal point
numbering strategy and a substructure pro-
cedure for solving equations. However, the
techniques used are restricted to analysis of
simple joint configurations. In recent years,
general computer programs for renumbering
nodal points to reduce bandwidth have been
developed [7J so that when used in conjunc-
tion with an effective substructuring pro-
cedure, the computer costs associated with
finite element analysis of complex joint
configurations may be reduced to practical
1evel s.
Although it may be recognized that an effec-
tive way to compute the stress distributions
in grouted connections and in welds is by
means of a three-dimensional finite element
idealization, neither the appropriate finite
element formulations nor an efficient com-
puter program with mesh generation capability
has been available for this purpose until
recently. In the following two sections,
improved three-dimensional isoparametric
elements and efficient procedures for gener-
ating meshes made up of these elements are
discussed more extensively. A brief de-
scription of a computer program which in-
corporates the improved elements, the mesh
generator and has substructure analysis
capability is then presented. Numerical
results comparing results from this proqram
to those from the program KJOINT for a typi-
cal ungrouted K joint are presented. The
capability of the improved elements and the
versatility of the new program are demon-
strated in the analysis of a grouted K-joint.
The analyses of arbitrary joints, both
grouted and ungrouted, are also discussed.
2. IMPROVED FINITE ELEMENTS FOR THIN
SHELL ANALYSIS
A new, curved, three-dimensional isopara-
metric finite element formulation which is
ideally suited to the analysis of welded
tubular joints, has recently been developed
by Dovey [6J. In this application, the
element permits the stress analysis of
grouted and ungrouted connections, the
direct evaluation of stresses in welds, and
because of improved modelling of weld zones
more precise calculations of stress concen-
tration factors in chords and branches.
 7n
61 u
IMPROVED FINITE ELEMENTS FOR ANALYSIS OF WELDED TUBULAR JOINTS
Because-it is a three-dimensional formula-
tion it also permits the evaluation of
transverse (through the thickness) shear
and normal stresses. It thus has distinct
advantages over the commonly used flat-
faceted two-dimensional elements. The six-
teen node configuration of the element is
shown in Figure 1 and its application to
grouted connections shown in Figure 2. Its
use in weld modelling is shown in Figure 3.
The element is also available in 8 and 20
node formulations.
Until now, three-dimensional finite ele-
ments have been found to be generally poor
performers in thin shell applications in-
volving significant bending deformations
[6]. This poor performance is caused by
the mobilization of extraneous strain
energy in the element in bending situations.
The excess strain energy arises from errors-
in the assumed finite element interpolation
functions, particularly in modelling shear-
ing strains, and is evidenced in the ele-
ment behavior as excessive stiffness.
Doveys research has resulted in a three-
dimensional finite element formulation
which makes use of appropriate additional
local displacement functions (incompatible
displacement modes) and reduced order
integration techniques. By optimizing the
use of these numerical procedures, Dovey
has eliminated the undesirable character-
istics of previous threa-dimensional formu-
lations in significant bending situations.
Moreover, unlike some previous three-
dimensional elements which use similar
numerical techniques, his element can be
shown to converge to the exact solution
with increasing mesh refinements under very
general conditions.
The 16 node element formulations, denoted
S18R, has the interpolation functions:
16 2
Ux z hiUxi +Xgci
i=l k=~ kxk
16 2
Uy= Z h.U (1)
i_l 1 yi + ;~lgkayk
_ geometry in terms of numerical coordinates
16 2
Uz = Z hiUzi
i=1 + k~igkazk
where Uxi, Uyj, Uzi are nodal point dis-
placements In the global coordinate sys-
tern,hi are second order polynomials, and
CXxk, Ciyk, and Ctzkare the coefficients of
the two incompatible second order poly-
nomial functions, gk. The coefficients a
OTC 2642
are eliminated at the element level by
minimizing the strain energy of the element
with respect to each of them. Although im-
proved bending performance can be obtained
and element converg~nce is possible with the
use of more than two incompatible mode func-
tions [6], their use imposes a significant
penalty in increased numerical effort. Dovey
has shown that the use of the two incompatible
mode functions recommended, gk, results in
excellent accuracy with guaranteed convergence
and no penalty in terms of computational
effort. An improved reduced order numerical
integration technique has also been used by
Dovey to further improve the behavior of the
new element. This integration technique,
while properly neglecting the undesirable
strain energy, avoids singularities in the
element stiffness matrices. The finite
element formulations developed by Dovey,are
very well suited to analysis of thin shells
under very general loadings. However,
several additional element modifications
were required before they could be incorpo-
rated in a practical computer program for the
analysis of tubular joints. The necessary
modifications to the 8, 16 and 20 mode
elements are related to stress calculations
and coordinate transformations. These modi-
fications were performed and incorporated
along with the mesh generation, plotting and
substructuring capabilities in the computer
program PMBSHELL. This program contains many
of the computational features of SAPIV [9]
but has been extensively modified for appli-
cation to tubular joints.
3. MESH GENERATION
Because of the quantity of data required and
the geometric complexities involved in
defining a general three-dimensional finite
element mesh for the analysis of arbitrarily
connected tubular joints,an automated mesh
generation procedure is required. In order
to maintain generality in the possible joint
configurations that can be analyzed, the mesh
generation procedure in PMBSHELL is accom-
plished in several steps.
The first step is to analytically define the
of all shell surfaces (inner and outer) and
intersection curves for branches and chord.
Since the members have a cylindrical form
they can be easily developed into two-
dimensional planes for easy visualization.
The next step is to divide each developed,
two-dimensional surface into several sub-
regions. Within each subregion, an appropri-
ate mesh layout is selected according to its
geometry and the required fineness of mesh in
OTC 2642 C. Y. LIAW-
the subregion. For arbitrary joint confin-
urations, some engineering judgment is re-
quired to develop a mesh that will accurately
model the behavior of the joint to be
analyzed. In general, the outside and
inside surfaces of a mesh will have the same
geometry when developed. If different num-
hers of nodes on the outside and inside of a
shell are desired, variable node elements
can be used. However, the variable node
elements are generally less accurate in
stress and displacement calculations, and
hence are not recommended for use in areas
of high stress gradients.
Within each subregion, coordinates of the
internal nodes are automatically calculated
by mapping a rectangular grid in the W-plane,
shown in Figure 4a, into the subregion
shown in Figure 4b. This mapping proceeds
using the nodal point coordinates at the
boundary of the subregion as the boundary
conditions for the two Laplace equations:
azxt:.=o
ax with boundary con-
ditions, X= XB
; au2 au2
a2Y +34=0 with boundary con-
ditions, Y = YB
~ av2 av2
The subregion boundary nodal point coordi-
nates which must be consistent with adja-
cent subregion-s, are provided by the
In the actual discretized system, the above
two Laplace equations can be solved by a
number of numerical techniques. In PMBSHELL,
the finite element method of analysis is
applied. The finite element solution of
the Laplace equations (2) and (3) is both
numerically efficient and more convenient
than a finite difference procedure. The
principal advantage of this conformal
mapping approach for computing nodal point
coordinatesand hence element shapes within
subregions is that more regularly shaped
quadrilateralelements are formed [4]: It
is well-known that poor performance is
generally obtained with highly skewed,
irregularly shaped elements. Other ad-
vantages of the conformal mapping mesh
generation procedure is that numerical
errors associated with manual data input
are minimized and the total engineering
time required to develop a suitable mesh is
very low.
After all internal nodes are located for
each subregion, all subregions on the same
surface are combined to form a complete
mesh for the branch or chord. Nodal point
numbers are also assigned automatically
at this time. Program options are avail-
R. W. LITTON - R. B. REIMER 271
able to either number or not number the
midside nodes of each element, depending
on the element type chosen. Since the mesh
is mapped from a regular grid (figure 4a),
the nodal numbers of nodes connecting each
element can be established in a systematic
pattern. Element connectivity data is then
easily generated automatically. The nodal
coordinates of all nodes in the developed
surfaces are then transformed back to the
original three-dimensional space.
An additional mesh generation feature in
PMBSHELL is its ability to automatically
generate weld profile geometry according to
AWS guidelines. Depending on the local
dihedral angle between tangent planes of
intersecting cylindrical surfaces, the co-
ordinates of toe, root and intermediate nodal
points are automatically computed and the
appropriate weld element connectivities
formed. Options are also provided for speci-
fication of other weld profile geometries.
SUBSTRUCTURING
(2) 4
The technique of substructuring can signifi-
cantly increase the computational efficiency
of finite element programs in certain appli-
(3) cations. For tubular joint analysis, it is
most attractive [3,4] for multiple
branched structures where the branches
very often have many degrees of freedom com-
pared to those at the branch-chord junctions.
user.
Substructuring involves dividing the com-
plete structure system into several sub-
structures (each branch can be conveniently
taken as a substructure) and a main struc-
ture (the chord in this case).
For equation-solving purposes, each sub-
structure is considered as a separate finite
element system, and its stiffness matrix is
formulated in the standard way. The tech-
nique of static condensation is then
applied to each substructure system to re-
duce its many degrees of freedom to only
those mobilized at the connection to the
main structure. In essence, each substruc-
ture is treated as a super finite element,
and its independent degrees of freedom
are those located only at the substructure
junction . All stiffness and load effects
within each substructure are condensed to
the junction degrees of freedom resulting in
a reduced substructure stiffness matrix and
reduced load vectors. The assembled sys-
ternof equations and load vectors, including
contributions from all substructures and the
main structure, is then solved. The dis-
placements within each substructure are
recovered by back-substituting the junction
displacements into the original condensation
-1~ IMPROVED FINITE ELEMENTS FOR ANALYSIS OF WELDED TUBULAR JOINTS OTC 2642
.

equations developed for each substructure. TABLE 1 EXAMPLE KJOINT ANALYSIS:

A more detailed description of the basic NUMERICAL PARAMETERS
theory is given in reference [8].
PMBSHELL KJOINT
Actually, substructuring can be viewed as an
approach to solving the complete system in Number of Nodal Points 1354 486.
several steps, where, within each step, the
size of the problem in terms of the stiff- Number of Elements 210. 452
ness matrix bandwidth is reduced. Since
the efficiency of many equation-solving Number of Degrees of
algorithms is very sensitive to bandwidth, Freedom 3552 2062 .
this reduction may be considered the princi-
pal advantage of substructuring. Number of Stress
Output Points 1890 486
In PMBSHELL an additional bandwidth reduc-
tion within each substructure is accomplished TOTAL SOLUTION TIME,
by a special algorithm [7]. This algorithm CENTRAL PROCESSOR
is used for all analyses performed by SECONDS 525 1284
PMBSHELL and hence efficient equation (CDC 6600) (CDC 6400)
solution is ensured independently of any
user specified nodal point number sequences. Comparisons of the axial stress on the
chord surface along the plane of symmetry
It should be noted that although no approxi- of the tension branch and the circular
mations are involved in substructuring, bending stress on the chord surface are
extra computational effort and data handling presented in figure 6. It seems apparent
may be required in this multi-step from these results that the overall agree-
solution. Whether there is an advantage ment between the analyses is satisfactory.
to using substructuring or not depends on The areas of major differences are in
the configuration and size of each indi- and near the weld zone where the PMBSHELL
vidual structure, the computer program elements with more precise modelling of the
coding in which the procedure is implemented complex geometry in this region, predict
and the computer system utilized. Based on higher hot spot stresses in the chord.
experience in this work, tubular joints Comparing the same stresses in the branches,
with more than three or four branches may it was notedthat significantlylower hot
benefit from substructuring. Substructuring spot stresses and more rapid stress. decay
is included in PMBSHELL as a user selected were obtained with the S18R elements in
option. PMBSHELL than with the flat plate elements
in KJOINT. The hot spot stresses in the
5. NUMERICAL RESULTS branch were also lower than would be pre-
dicted by the APT recommendedformula which
In order to test the accuracy of the im- is based on results from finite element
proved isoparametricelements, an analysis analyses using flat plate elements. These
of an example K-joint was performed using differences are undoubtedly due to the
PMBSHELL with the S18R element and the pro- rotational constraint approximation made
gram KJOINT using flat facet elements. A necessary whenever flat plate shell elements
plot of the PMBSHELL finite element model are used to model .the intersection zone in
of the joint is shown in figure 5. The tubular joints. In KJOINT this approxima-
physical dimensions and the loading and tion influences the branch results since
boundary conditions of the problem are the rotational constraint is applied in a
shown in figure 6. The medium mesh in direction normal to the chord tangent plane.
KJOINT was specified for the analysis; As indicated in figure 3, this significant
Other numerical parameters of the problem approximation in a zone of critical impor-
are summarized in Table 1. tance is not required in PMBSHELL since the
actual three-dimensional geometry is pre-
cisely model led by the S18R elements. This
improvement in hot spot stress calculation
accuracy must be considered a major advantage
of three-dimensional finite element analysis
of tubular joints.

The effect of grout on the chord stresses is-

shown in figure 7. For this analysis, a
1800.50 pin was assumed to be grouted in
the chord annulus. The grout modulus was
.-
OTC 2642 C. Y. LIAW - R. W. LITTON - R. B. REIMER
taken as 3000 ksi with Poissons ratio of
0.17. With reference to this figure, it is
apparent that if the grout elements remain
bonded to the inside surface of the chord
sleeve and the outside surface of the inner
pin, significant reductions in chord stresses
will be realized over the ungrouted casefl
The maximum shear and tensile normal bond
stresses on the outside surface of the
grout were calculated to be 1500 and
1174 psi respectively. These stresses were
experienced directly below the tension
branch. The maximum principal tensile
stress at the surface of the grout was cal-
culated to be 644 psi. For this 0.50 inch
grout thickness, these stresses are above
what may be considered the !yield point
of most cement grouts at least in the
immediate vicinity of the maximum tension
branch. An analysis which accounts for
the loss of stiffness in grout elements ex-
periencing high tensile stresses would un-
doubtedly result in less substantial reduc-
tion in chord stresses for the grouted
case. The effect of grout thickness on
these results should also be determined by
parametric studies.
The effects of grouting on the maximum prin-
cipal stresses in the welds are shown in
figure 8. From this figure the dramatic
reduction of stress at the toe of the weld
for the grouted case is clearly evident.
The input/output options of PMBSHELL pro-
vide many printing and plotting capabilities
both for mesh layout and for ease of inter-
pretation of analytical results. They
include:
1. Finite element mesh plots of each
component of the connection on its
developed plane with nodal points
and elements numbered.
2. Finite element mesh plot ofcom-
plete structure in three dimensions.
3. Plot of deformed shape of structure
in loaded state.
4. Plots of surface principal stresses
or Von Mises stress (inside or out-
side surfaces) on developed views
of components.
5. Plots of resultant shear and normal
stresses on surfaces of grout layers.
6. Printout of global stresses, princi-
pal stresses, Von Mises stresses
and surface stresses of elements.
27
7. Transformation and printout of stresses
in and near welds (including transverse
punching shear in chords) in special
local coordinate systems the orienta-
tions of which are specified by the
. user (see figure 3).
An example three-dimensional mesh plot for
a complex joint is shown in figure 9. A
plot of principal stresses on a developed
view of a chord is shown in figure 10.
6. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
The use of recently developed three-
dimensional isoparametric finite elements in
the analysis of welded tubular connections
can provide accurate modelling of the highly
stressed zones near the welds. Hence, it
appears likely that stress concentration fac-
tors and stress gradients that are obtained
using these elements will be more reliable
than those computed using flat plate finite
elements. A comparison of analytical results
for a K-joint indicated that the most signi-
ficant differences in computed stresses
occurred near the welds and were believed
related to the constraint of the sixth
degree of freedom necessary when flat plate
elements are used in shell analysis.
As demonstrated in an example application,
the three-dimensional elements are ideally
suited to the analysis of grouted connections.
The results of this analysis indicated high
bond stresses are experienced in the grout
near the branch intersection zones. Para-
metric studies should be performed to inves-
tigate the limits and extent of possible
grout unbending and to determine the effect
of unbending on the computed stress concen-
tration factors.
The practical application of three-dimensional
elements to the analysis of arbitrary joints
requires a computer program with:
1. Very general mesh generation
capability
2. High computational efficiency
3. Extensive input and output data
handling options.
Such capabilities are especially important
because of the possible complexities of
three-dimensional meshes with weld profile
modelling, the large number of linear equa-
tions that must be solved, and because of the
quantity of stress and displacement informa-
tion that can be produced with three-
dimensional elements. The program PBMSHELL
was developed specifically for the analysis
of tubular joints and is an example of the
type of program that is necessary if the
274 IMPROVED FINITIE ELEMENTS FOR ANALYSIS OF WELDED TUBULAR JOINTS
versatility of three-dimensional elements is
to be fully exploited in this application.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT_ __ .._ __
-The authors would like to express their
appreciation to Mr. P. W. Marshall of
Shell Oil Company who provided valuable
recommendations relating to mesh generation
features and output plotting options in the
program PMBSHELL. The program was initially
applied in a joint analysis project funded
by Shell Oil Company.
REFERENCES ... . .... ... . __.. ..
1. Marshall, P. W.: General Considerations
for Tubular Joint Design, Welding in
Offshore Construction, Welding Institute
Conference, Newcastle, 27-28 February,
1974.
2. Visser, W.: On the Structural Design
of Tubular Joints, Proceedings of the
y Con-
Sixth Annual Offshore Technolog.
ference? OTC 2117> Houston, Texas, .
May 1974, pp. 881-894.
3. Kuang, J. G., Potvin, A. B., and
Leick, R. D.: Stress Concentration
in Tubular Joints, Proceedings of the
Seventh Annual Offshore Technology
Conference,OTC 2205, Houston? Texas,
May 1975, pp. 593-612.
z r
Y
L 9
Fig. 1 - Three-dimensional
isoparametric, thin
finite element.
OTC 2642
4. Greste, O.: Finite Element Analysis
of Tubular K-Joints, Structural
Engineering Research Laboratories,
Report No. 70-11, University of
California, Berkeley, June 1970.
5. Bakhrebah, S. A. and Schnobrich,
w. c.: Finite Element Analysis of
Intersecting Cylinders, Civil
Engineering Studies, SRS No. 400,
University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign, 1973.
6. Dovey, H. H.: Extension of Three
___ Dimensional Analysis to Shell Structures
Using the Finite Element Idealization,
Report No. UC SESM 74-2, Department of
Civil Enc!ineering,University of
California, Berkeley, January 1974.
7. Everstine, G. C.: Recent Improvements
to BANDIT, NASTRAN: Users Experiences,
NASATM X-3275, September 1975,
pp. 511 - 521.
8. Przemieniecki,J. S.: TheowofMatrix.
Structural Analysis, McGraw-Hill,
New York, 1968.
9. Bathe, K. J., Wilson, E. L. and Peter-
son, F. E.: SAPIV. A Structural
Analysis Program for Static and Dynamic
Response of Linear Systems, EERC 73-11,
College of Engineering, University of
California, Berkeley, April 1974.
3
shel I
 OUTSIDE SLEEVE

GROUT ELEMENTS

INSIDE PIN

Fi g. 2 - Three-dimensional
model I ing of grouted
connections.

.,

Fig. 3 - Three-dimensional model Iing of

welds showing local coordinate systems.
 f e

E
d c

MAPS hf
INTO
u
-6 -
a

1-
W-PLANE ,.

,U

~;)i~W-p lane rectangular

a b

Y
z-PLANE
t-
(b) z~p ane fin te element
mesh.

F 9* 4-
 .,

/
/:
.,
/

,%\

.. .. . ..

.
 + + MELD
60 7 * ~ WELD

50
ISOPARAMEl_RICELEMENTS

FLAT FACET ELEMENTS

(GRESTE)
:/

y
\,
A
i

-lo J (d
180k 180k
\
10 3/4$0.25 /
+
A B /
,
+
60-
+ -4 D $
MELD
50-

40-
ISOPARAMETRIC ELEMENTS
1~
190
20($0 .50

30 - FLAT FACET ELEMENTS (GRESTE)

20 -

10 -

0 c D

{!(
-lo

-20

-30! (b)

Fig. 6- Comparisons of analytical results

between pmbshell and greste. (a) Axial
stress, chord surface. (b) Circular bendinq
stress; chord surface.
 60 +-+ WELD

50

W/O GROUT
40
.

~ W/GROUT

10

A \
B
/

-lo J

(a)

180k 18f)k
x

60

50 tr- WELD

40 D

30

!j 20

H 10
E
z
c D

-lo

-20

-30
(b)

Fig. 7 - Effect of grout on chord stress

results. (a ) As ial stress. chord surface.
(b) Circular bending stress, chord surface.
 SECTION E SECTION G

40

1
hi/OGROUT
30

20

10

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
E F G

MAxmn4 PRINcIPAL STRESS IN 14ELD (TENSION BRANCH)

Fi g. 8 - E ffect of grout on weld stress

results.
 .

.-

i\
.

---yl
\\ -
.:i
-+
!~, .~.
\,\
...
+

i
\ .
\

Fig. 9 - Three-dimensional
model I ing of complex
tubular joint.
 .
I

i
Y

.,

.\, +1+ +/+ --1+ ~j+ +\<.J)X\* \

Fig. 10 ~. C_omputer plot of chord surface principal

stresses.