Finite Element Analysis of Umbilical Cables Anchoring Systems

The connectors on an umbilical system are critical components that are subjected to high tensile loads. To ensure tension resistance to an umbilical cable connection, its structural elements must be properly anchored to the armor pot. One way to provide that connection is the use of the adhesive properties of an epoxy resin. In that context, it is necessary to perform a series of pull out tests in order to verify if the resin is capable of withstanding the tensile loads transmitted by the tensile armor layers or the steel tubes. For that purpose, a series of tridimensional finite element models are being developed to represent, as realistic as possible, the interaction between metallic layer and resin. These models allow a fully helical tensile armor to interact with a resin substrate. For this article, an early stage model considering bonded contacts is presented and the adhesion of the tensile armor tendons is evaluated in terms of the shear stresses in the contact regions.