Optimizing Piping Plant Life Cycles and Assessing Lifetime Performance with AutoPIPE Advanced Fatigue Analysis 

By Shyla Lintz

Bentley’s AutoPIPE Advanced has released new capabilities that significantly enhance fatigue analysis for piping systems under cyclic and dynamic loading. These updates help engineers evaluate fatigue life more accurately and efficiently — critical for systems where pressure, temperature, or mechanical loads fluctuate over time. 

 

What Is Fatigue in Piping Systems? 

Material fatigue occurs when repeated or fluctuating loads—such as pressure cycles, temperature changes, or vibration—cause small, incremental damage to the material over time. This can lead to macroscopic crack propagation and sudden failure. Fatigue is a leading contributor to unplanned shutdowns and costly maintenance. Whether it’s a thermal transient during startup/shutdown or flow-induced vibrations from rotating equipment, the cumulative effect of these cycles can significantly shorten the usable life of a plant. 

A pipe section under stress due to a static seismic load, visualized

    

Why Fatigue Analysis Matters 

Fatigue failure is a common and persistent risk in piping systems. Parts exposed to operational cycling and equipment-induced vibrations are particularly at risk. By performing fatigue analysis, designers can enhance safety, reduce maintenance costs, and improve overall performance. This analysis is essential for designing and maintaining structures and components in various fields such as aerospace, power generation, chemical processing, and oil and gas. 

AutoPIPE Advance’s fatigue analysis allows engineers to: 

• Create a custom-tailored fatigue load profile from any number of conditions 

• Utilize one of ten pre-loaded fatigue curves for each pipe, or create your own 

• Identify susceptible locations based on stress ranges and cycle counting 

• Evaluate the cumulative effect of multiple loading scenarios simultaneously 

• Modify geometry, loading, or expected cycles to reduce fatigue effects 

 

Want to See It in Action? 

Join our upcoming webinar: 
“Critical Piping Life Cycle Insight with Fatigue Analysis in AutoPIPE Advanced” 
📅 Wednesday, August 20, 2025 – 1 pm EST 
This session will walk through a real-world example of fatigue-driven design improvements using the new features in AutoPIPE. Engineers will see how to run our straightforward fatigue workflow, read and interpret results, and utilize fatigue analysis curves. 

Register and learn more here: Bentley Webinar: Critical Piping Life Cycle Insight with Fatigue Analysis in AutoPIPE Advanced 

  

Why Pipe Stress Engineers Need Fatigue Analysis 

Piping systems in the real world are rarely static. When looking at anticipated lifespans and longevity over time, engineers must consider how cyclic loading can cause progressive material damage and, ultimately, failure. Unlike static stress checks, fatigue analysis helps engineers understand how a system will perform over time. It enables: 

• Prediction of life expectancy based on the anticipated number and magnitude of load cycles, whether that’s years or decades 

• Design optimization to make smarter decisions about pipe routing, support placement, and material selection 

• Code compliant with global standards ASME B31.3 and Section VIII Division 2 

• Identify high-risk locations and target maintenance planning based on fatigue-critical locations with high stress concentrations 

Without proper fatigue analysis, a piping system might pass all initial stress checks but still develop failures prematurely due to repeated loading that wasn’t properly evaluated. 

Results of an AutoPIPE Fatigue Analysis on a point of a piping system

  

Why Choose AutoPIPE for Fatigue Analysis? 

AutoPIPE Advanced stands out with a fatigue analysis engine that’s not only more capable, but significantly more flexible and modern than other products on the market. Unlike other tools that limit the model to a single fatigue curve, AutoPIPE allows engineers to assign different fatigue curves to different pipe properties within the same model, supporting greater accuracy and alignment with real-world material behavior. Its user-defined fatigue curve capability supports up to 100 data points, far surpassing the restrictions found in older tools, and ensuring more detailed curve fitting for critical applications. 

The fatigue module in AutoPIPE also offers load set optimization, intelligently combining load cycles to produce the most conservative fatigue damage estimates rather than forcing engineers to manually balance all combinations. Combined with convenient data input through the Combinations dialog, and a library of predefined fatigue curves based on global design codes, AutoPIPE makes fatigue analysis both powerful and efficient. 

AutoPIPE’s fatigue capabilities build on decades of experience in the nuclear sector, and benefit from the same nonlinear analysis engine and advanced load sequencing tools used in high-end structural evaluations. With a modern interface, up-to-date analysis methods, and a workflow optimized for real project conditions, AutoPIPE provides engineers with a future-ready platform for comprehensive fatigue assessment. 

  

Get Started 

Fatigue analysis is essential for any piping system exposed to cyclic or dynamic loads. With its expanded capabilities, AutoPIPE Advanced 2025 gives engineers more control over fatigue assessment, from detailed damage tracking to dynamic load integration and improved code compliance. 

📢 Want to learn more? Register for the webinar to explore how fatigue analysis in AutoPIPE can help extend system life and reduce the risk of failure: 
Bentley Webinar: Critical Piping Life Cycle Insight with Fatigue Analysis in AutoPIPE Advanced