Springer has here produced a major debut in English-language publications. It's the first book to describe very recent methods for pipe defect assessment such as notch fracture mechanics and critical gross strain. Pipelines remain the least expensive transcontinental mean of transport compared to the rail-bound or terrestrial transport. It has become increasingly paramount to ensure the safe utilization of such plant in order to prevent economical, social and ecological losses. This book adds much to the body of knowledge in this area.

"Pipes are of major importance for transport of liquids and gas mainly for water, natural gas and oil. The total length of gas pipes in the world is estimated at one million kilometres for gas transport (pipes with a diameter of 80 to 1000 mm). Pipelines remain the least expensive transcontinental means of transport compared to rail-bound or terrestrial transport. It has become increasingly paramount to ensure the safe utilisation of such plant in order to prevent economical, social and ecological losses. From a technical point of view, pipelines are complicated three dimensional structures that include straight pipes, nozzles, pipe-bends, dissimilar welded joints, etc. In addition, their operating conditions can be quite severe, that is, internal pressure and cyclic loading (vibration) combined with the influence of internal and external corrosive environments. The external defects, e.g., corrosion defects, gouge, foreign object scratches, and pipeline erection activities are major failure reasons of gas pipelines. All these types of defects and associated failure are described.

General Approaches of Pipeline Defect Assessment.- Application of Sintap to the Failure Assessment of Gas Pipes.- Interaction between Material Properties, Inspection Accuracy and Defect Acceptance Levels in Strain Based Pipeline Design.- Failure of Cylindrical Shells: Numerical and Experimental Study.- Leak Detection by Using the Impedance Method.- Corrosion Fatigue Cracking and Failure Risk Assessment of Pipelines.- Initiation of Stress Corrosion Cracking and Hydrogen-Induced Cracking in Oil and Gas Line-Pipe Steels.- Failure Analysis of Polyethylene Gas Pipes.- Stable and Unstable Crack Growth in Pipes.- Some Insights into the Fatigue Crack Propagation in Tubes Under Internal Pressure - Proposition of Predicting Models.- Hydrogen Effect on Fatigue Life of a Pipe Steel.- The Experience on Safety, Reliability and Risk Assessment of Some Ukrainian, Russian and Latvian Transite Pipe Lines.- Reliability Assessment of Pipelines using Phimeca Software.- On a New Software Project for Welding Simulations of Pipes (Fabrication, Repairs) and for the Evaluation of Fatigue Behaviour of Pipes in Service.- Welded Penstock, Produced of High-Strength Steel and Application of Fracture Mechanics Parameters to Structural Integrity Assessment.- The Thermal and Mechanical Behavior of a Joint Pipe System Calculated by Finite Element Method.- Degradation of the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Pipeline Material Depending on Exploitation Term.- Deformation Characteristics of Carbon Steels Under High Temperatures.- Fracture Mechanics Analysis of Repairing a Cracked Pressure Pipe with a Composite Sleeve.- Review of Gas Transmission Pipeline Repair Methods.