Failure resistance of drilling rig casing pipes with an axial crack

• Failure of casing pipe with surface axial crack is considered.
• Dependence of failure resistance on the crack geometry is determined.
• Applicability of plane strain finite element models is analysed.
• Fracture behaviour of Ring specimens and standard SENB specimens is tested.
• Similar fracture conditions are obtained for both types of specimens.

Working conditions of casing pipes in drilling rigs can significantly influence the initiation and development of damage in the material, and therefore also the safe service of the entire system. In this work, an integrity assessment of a pipe with initial defect (machined surface crack) is presented. The position of this defect is on the external surface; unlike transport pipes, where internal surface is often endangered due to the contact with the fluid, casing pipes are also often exposed to damages at the external surface. A pipe segment exposed to internal pressure is examined experimentally and numerically, using the finite element method. Experimental setup included tracking of crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) values, as well as J integral. Criteria for pipe failure are determined on the finite element (FE) models of the pipe; fracture initiation and plastic collapse are considered as failure mechanisms. Several 3D models with different crack sizes are evaluated. 2D plane strain models are also examined, to determine the applicability limits of this simplified approach. Integrity assessment criteria for the analysed geometries are discussed. Assessment of fracture resistance of the pipeline material is also considered in this work. Besides the standard SENB specimens, Ring specimens cut from the pipe are tested, and the results are compared. Both specimen geometries are modelled using local approach to fracture, by application of the micromechanical Complete Gurson model (CGM), developed by Z.L. Zhang. It is shown that the Ring specimens have similar fracture conditions under bending load as SENB specimens. Since they are much simpler to fabricate from the pipe than standard specimens, it is concluded that they can be used for assessment of fracture of the pipes with axial cracks.