A Comprehensive Parametric Finite Element Study on the Development of Strain Concentration in Concrete Coated Offshore Pipelines

Abstract

The strain concentration at the field joint (FJ) of the commonly used concrete coated offshore pipelines is considered and discussed in this paper. The details of a 3D finite element (FE) modeling framework, developed using the commercial software ABAQUS, are presented. The numerical results are verified against the experimental results available in the literature. The FE model considered in this study captures several nonlinear phenomena associated with the problem, including the plastic deformation of the steel and anticorrosion layer (ACL) material, the cracking and crushing of the concrete, and also the large deformation effects. The developed FE framework is subsequently used to perform a parametric study to assess the effect of each influencing parameter on the strain concentration factor (SCF) developed within the FJ region. The influence of the geometric features of the coated pipe and the relevant mechanical properties of the materials as well as various combined loading scenarios are investigated. Results indicate that pipeline diameter, thickness, and coating thickness affect the SCF more than the strength of either concrete coating or ACL. Also, the postyield properties of the steel, especially the strain hardening capacity, may significantly influence the SCF. The combination of the internal pressure loading (causing a biaxial stress state) or tensile loading with the primary bending load is found to also increase the SCF significantly after steel yielding is initiated. Moreover, these combined loading scenarios cause different and more severe plastic deformation patterns in the FJ.