Our engineering capabilities are grounded in peer-reviewed research — published at IPC, PPIM, and in leading pipeline engineering journals for more than a decade.
Automated non-linear FEA for pipeline dents. Development of 3D shape-matching algorithms that converge in 1–3 iterations, enabling high-throughput Level-3 assessment without manual mesh preparation.
Monte Carlo-based fatigue and strain assessment for pipeline dents. Quantifying uncertainty from ILI measurement error, material variability, and operating pressure history to produce defensible probability-of-failure estimates.
Signal processing methods for caliper ILI data — including FFT-Gaussian noise filtering, 3D curvature computation, multi-apex feature detection, and k-NN quality classification applied at population scale.
Active members of the API 1183 committee, contributing to the development of the second edition. Our research on fatigue assessment, Level 3 assessment, and probabilistic methods helps inform the standard’s evolution.
These peer-reviewed publications validate the core capabilities behind DentSavant and provide the technical foundation for our broader engineering services.
Presents an automated Level-3 FEA workflow using a 3D full-field shape-matching algorithm with CalculiX. Validated against 13 field dents: convergence achieved in 1–3 iterations for all features, with RMS shape error of 0.85–2.50 mm. Solver runtimes ranged from 2.6 to 36.9 hours on local hardware. Demonstrates that high-throughput Level-3 assessment is achievable without manual FEA specialist involvement.
Proceedings of the International Pipeline Conference, September 2026.
Presents a complete Level 3 dent assessment automation framework covering preprocessing, shape-matching, post-processing, and probabilistic assessment using Monte Carlo simulation. Demonstrated on restrained and unrestrained dents with interacting features, the framework enables consistent, scalable high-fidelity assessment with reduced manual effort.
Pipeline Pigging & Integrity Management Conference, 2026.
Describes the complete automated screening framework — from ILI data quality control through Level-3 FEA — including k-NN-based QA/QC achieving 100% recall, FFT-Gaussian profile filtering, 3D profile-based feature detection, IMU integration for out-of-straightness, and Monte Carlo fatigue simulation. Introduces calibrated non-linear material properties in screening-level FEA to reduce conservatism for restrained dents.
Pipeline Pigging & Integrity Management Conference, Houston, January 2025.
Documents the implementation of API 1183 across a major Canadian liquid transmission system — screening over 5,000 dents using SQuAD, with approximately 200 assessed for fatigue and 100 for strain using QuAD. Framework validated against 79 excavated features: no false negatives in the validation dataset, 85% agreement with excavation findings. Identifies over-conservatism in S-N parameters and weld interaction reduction factors.
Proceedings of the International Pipeline Conference, September 2022.
Presents improvements to the SQuAD screening model including FFT-Gaussian filtering for ILI noise reduction, simplified FEA for stress calculation under pressure cycling, and S-N based fatigue probability of failure estimation. Demonstrates feasibility of the improved model as an effective system-wide screening tool within a reliability-based dent assessment framework.
Proceedings of the International Pipeline Conference, September 2020.
Presents FFT-Gaussian filtering methods for smoothing ILI dent profiles and quantifying uncertainty in dent depth and curvature-based strain calculations. The work shows how repeated noise perturbation can be used to generate distributions for dent characteristics needed in reliability-based assessment.
Proceedings of the International Pipeline Conference, 2020.
Demonstrates the effects of different loading sequences on remaining life of plain dents using validated finite element analysis. A parametric study confirms that dent severity cannot be fully assessed based on depth alone — restraint condition, indenter shape, loading sequence, and pressure-cycling history must be considered.
Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering and Practice, Vol. 10, Issue 2, 2019.
Presents a reliability-based approach to determine safe excavation pressure for dented liquid pipelines. Employs non-linear FEA to model dents interacting with crack features, coupled with uncertainties in pipe properties and ILI data. A fracture mechanics-based limit state estimates probability of failure at different excavation pressures. Demonstrates the methodology through feature-specific case studies.
Proceedings of the International Pipeline Conference, September 2018.
These publications extend our core dent assessment research into related areas including crack and leakage evaluation, safe excavation pressure, finite element analysis, and composite repair design.
Uses finite element analysis and computational fluid dynamics to characterize through-wall cracks and estimate resulting leak rates. The study highlights the importance of crack geometry, operating pressure, turbulence modelling, and crack surface roughness, and shows that simple analytical models can underpredict leakage in turbulent flow regimes.
Proceedings of the International Pipeline Conference, 2022.
Develops a reliability-based safe excavation pressure methodology for dented pipelines using non-linear FEA, API 579 failure assessment diagram concepts, and uncertainty treatment for material properties and ILI data. The approach was validated against ten full-scale burst tests and demonstrated through a feature-specific case study.
Proceedings of the International Pipeline Conference, 2020.
Examines the role of live pressure in composite overwrap repair design. The chapter combines analytical and finite element analysis methods to show that live pressure should not appear in the repair design equation, supporting simplification of existing code formulations.
Woodhead Publishing, 2015.
Investigates composite repair thickness design for corroded pipelines with explicit reference to ISO/TS 24817 and ASME PCC-2. Using both analytical and finite element methods, the study shows that required repair thickness is independent of live pressure and proposes a modification to existing design equations.
Composites Part B: Engineering, Vol. 58, 2014.
Our engineers are available for technical discussions on any of the methodologies described in our publications — or to walk you through how they're implemented in DentSavant.