Sandwich Pipes With Strain Hardening Cementitious Composites (SHCC): Numerical Analyses

Sandwich pipes (SP) combining high structural resistance with thermal insulation have been considered as an effective solution for using in ultra deepwater pipelines. Research has been conducted at COPPE/UFRJ with different core materials aiming to develop qualified pipes to transport deepwater oil and gas, especially for the pre-salt reservoirs in offshore Brazil. SPs using SHCC material are easy to manufacture and cost-effective. Moreover, the composition of the SHCC material can be controlled to achieve structural requirements along with good thermal insulation. Investigation on the buckling under external pressure and feasibility of installation by reel-lay method is required. This study presents numerical analysis of the collapse, collapse propagation and bending of sandwich pipes with different geometries. The Drucker-Prager formulation is employed for SHCC constitutive model and it is calibrated through small-scale tests. Model geometries match full scale specimens manufactured and tested in bending apparatus and hyperbaric chamber. Numerical/experimental correlation is also presented.