Helical Wire Behavior of Unbonded Flexible Pipes Under Bending

The bending behavior of unbonded flexible pipe is governed by the response of the helical wires in the tensile armor to bending. The behavior of the helical wire, especially the axial strain, is influenced by the slip mechanism as a result of an increasing curvature under bending. In the present paper, two limit curves are considered with a certain curvature. A 3-D finite element model using ABAQUS is developed to simulate the practical behavior of the helical wires under bending. By comparing the FEA and theoretical results, a basic conclusion about the real slip path of the helical wire between two limit curves is introduced. A hysteretic bending moment-curvature relationship induced by the slip mechanism is obtained from the finite element model as well.