What is a miter bend, and how does it occur?
A miter bend, sometimes referred to as a lobster-back bend, is a type of pipeline bend formed by welding short sections of pipe with mitered ends together. This method is often used in pipeline construction when a change in direction is needed.1
What are the risks of miter bends?
Miter bends are not suitable for high-pressure pipelines due to issues with weld quality and poor fatigue performance. Furthermore, pipelines with miter bends may be unpiggable, meaning that inspection tools cannot easily pass through them. In high-pressure pipelines, miter bends should be replaced with forged or induction bends, which provide greater strength and reliability.1
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Solutions for Unpiggable Pipelines
Miter bends can make pipelines difficult to inspect. Learn more about our solutions for unpiggable pipelines:
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Source reference
1 The Encyclopedia of Pipeline Defects, ROSEN UK, Edition 3, 2017.