The objective of this study was to investigate the performance of pipelines repaired with carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) under external pressure. The repaired pipeline experienced defects in terms of thinning of its local inner wall. The three-dimensional finite element method was used to analyse the collapse pressure of repaired pipes with internal corrosion defects. The traction–separation law and interlaminar damage criterion were applied to simulate the collapse process of repaired pipes. The results show that the collapse pressure of the composite-repaired pipe increased and the CFRP significantly reduced the strain in the defect region. It was observed that the ovality of the corrosion defect region was reduced and that the repair effectiveness mainly depended on the length, thickness, and interlayer cohesion.
In this paper, the effects of different loading paths of axial tension and external pressure on the collapse pressure of sandwich tubes are studied by experiments and finite element models. The difference of the two loading paths is investigated. Eight experiments were carried out to study the influence of different loading paths on pipeline collapse pressure under the same geometric and material parameters. Parameterization studies have been carried out, and the results are in good agreement with the experimental results. The test and finite element results show that the loading path of external pressure first and then the axial tension (P→T) is more dangerous; the collapse pressure of the sandwich pipe is smaller than the other. Through parametric analysis, the influence of the axial tension and the diameter-to-thickness ratio of the inner and outer pipe on the collapse pressure under different loading paths are studied.
This study proposed a novel experimental platform to conduct dynamic loading tests of a truncated model steel catenary riser (SCR) within the touchdown zone (TDZ). The facilities of the platform, including a soil tank, a loading system, and a soil stirring system, were introduced in detail. The parameters of the test were determined through the simulation of an in situ riser. A steel pipe was adopted as the model riser, with its outer diameter equaling that of the prototype SCR. Before executing the dynamic loadings, the model riser developed its static configuration under the submerged weight and applied bending moment. Subsequently, cyclic vertical and lateral displacement loads were applied to the truncated point. The test results showed that when the vertical loading amplitude increased from 200 mm to 300 mm, the stress ranges at the front of the model riser increased by more than 100%, whereas the stress range only differed by less than 5% under different loading periods. Numerical models of the SCR were built based on the vector form intrinsic finite element (VFIFE) method. High similarities between the test and simulation results proved the reliability of the nonlinear soil model and the numerical model. During the test, a seabed trench was developed with a depth of 0.71 D and a width of 0.48 D, and its shape was similar to the in situ trench.