Mechanical behavior of metallic strip flexible pipe subjected to tension

Metallic strip flexible pipes (MSFP) are regarded as a potential alternative in the field of oil/gas transportation in shallow water. However, they will inevitably confront tensile loads that are important aspects affecting the integrity and security of the MSFP's utilization in installation and service. In this paper, the mechanical behavior of MSFP subjected to pure tension is investigated by both experimental and numerical methods. A finite element model that takes into account the geometrical and material nonlinearity as well as the sliding and friction interactions between the layers was created using ABAQUS. Full-scale laboratorial tests involving MSFP under pure tension were conducted and the relationship between axial loads and the extension of MSFP acquired from the experiment is compared with that of numerical simulations. Good agreement between the two sets of results illustrates the accuracy and reliability of the established finite element model. The detailed responses of the PE and reinforcement layers of the pipe under pure tension are analyzed. The impact of the steel strip reinforcement layers in undertaking the axial tension load and the effect of friction coefficient between the layers are also studied. Conclusions drawn from this research may be of interest to manufacturing engineers.