In this tutorial, the simulation of an internal explosion of a pipe with steel supporters in Abaqus is investigated. The steel pipe is modeled as a three-dimensional solid part, though it can also be represented as a shell. The upper and bottom supports are modeled as three-dimensional solid parts. To model the true behavior of the steel material, ductile, shear, and Johnson-Cook damage are used. The Johnson-Cook plasticity model, a specific type of Mises plasticity model with analytical hardening behavior, is used. It is suitable for high-strain-rate deformation of various materials, including most metals. This model is typically used in adiabatic transient dynamic simulations and can be applied alongside the Johnson-Cook dynamic failure model in Abaqus/Explicit. It can also be used with the tensile failure model to simulate tensile spall or pressure cutoff, and with progressive damage and failure models.

The ductile criterion is a phenomenological model used to predict the onset of damage due to void nucleation, growth, and coalescence. The Johnson-Cook criterion, available only in Abaqus/Explicit, is a special case of the ductile model and defines damage initiation based on equivalent plastic strain. The shear criterion is another phenomenological approach used to predict failure due to shear band localization.

A dynamic explicit step is chosen for this analysis as it is appropriate for simulating explosive events. Perfect contact is assumed between all parts. The CONWEP blast load method is selected to define the internal explosion within the pipe. Fixed boundary conditions are applied to both end plates of the model. A fine mesh is necessary to ensure accurate results.

After completing the simulation, all results—such as stress, strain, damage, failure, reaction force, and more are available for analysis.