Enhanced Multi-Layer Fatigue-Analysis Approach for Unbonded Flexible Risers

This paper proposes an enhanced approach for evaluating the fatigue life of each metallic layer of unbonded flexible risers. Owing to the complex structure of unbonded flexible risers and the nonlinearity of the system, particularly in the critical touchdown zone, the traditional method is insufficient for accurately evaluating the fatigue life of these risers. The main challenge lies in the transposition from global to local analyses, which is a key stage for the fatigue analysis of flexible pipes owing to their complex structure. The new enhanced approach derives a multi-layer stress-decomposition method to meet this challenge. In this study, a numerical model validated experimentally is used to demonstrate the accuracy of the stress-decomposition method. And a numerical case is studied to validate the proposed approach. The results demonstrate that the multi-layer stress-decomposition method is accurate, and the fatigue lives of the metallic layers predicted by the enhanced multi-layer analysis approach are rational. The proposed fatigue-analysis approach provides a practical and reasonable method for predicting fatigue life in the design of unbonded flexible risers.

Analytical and Numerical Models to Predict the Behavior of Unbonded Flexible Risers Under Torsion

This paper presents analytical and numerical models to predict the behavior of unbonded flexible risers under torsion.The analytical model takes local bending and torsion of tensile armor wires into consideration,and equilibrium equations of forces and displacements of layers are deduced.The numerical model includes lay angle,cross-sectional profiles of carcass,pressure armor layer and contact between layers.Abaqus/Explicit quasi-static simulation and mass scaling are adopted to avoid convergence problem and excessive computation time caused by geometric and contact nonlinearities.Results show that local bending and torsion of helical strips may have great influence on torsional stiffness,but stress related to bending and torsion is negligible;the presentation of anti-friction tapes may have great influence both on torsional stiffness and stress;hysteresis of torsion-twist relationship under cyclic loading is obtained by numerical model,which cannot be predicted by analytical model because of the ignorance of friction between layers.

An Analytical Approach for Assessing the Collapse Strength of an Unbonded Flexible Pipe

This paper presents an analytical scheme for predicting the collapse strength of a flexible pipe, which considers the structural interaction between relevant layers. The analytical results were compared with a FEA model and a number of test data, and showed reasonably good agreement. The theoretical analysis showed that the pressure armor layer enhanced the strength of the carcass against buckling, though the barrier weakened this effect. The collapse strength of pipe was influenced by many factors such as the inner radius of the pipe, the thickness of the layers and the mechanical properties of the materials. For example, an increase in the thickness of the barrier will increase contact pressure and in turn reduce the critical pressure.

Helical Wire Stress Analysis of Unbonded Flexible Riser Under Irregular Response

A helical wire is a critical component of an unbounded flexible riser prone to fatigue failure. The helical wire has been the focus of much research work in recent years because of the complex multilayer construction of the flexible riser. The present study establishes an analytical model for the axisymmetric and bending analyses of an unbonded flexible riser. The interlayer contact under axisymmetric loads in this model is modeled by setting radial dummy springs between adjacent layers. The contact pressure is constant during the bending response and applied to determine the slipping friction force per unit helical wire. The model tracks the axial stress around the angular position at each time step to calculate the axial force gradient, then compares the axial force gradient with the slipping friction force to judge the helical wire slipping region, which would be applied to determine the bending stiffness for the next time step. The proposed model is verified against the experimental data in the literature. The bending moment-curvature relationship under irregular response is also qualitatively discussed. The stress at the critical point of the helical wire is investigated based on the model by considering the local flexure. The results indicate that the present model can well simulate the bending stiffness variation during irregular response, which has significant effect on the stress of helical wire.

Behavior of Unbonded Flexible Risers Subject to Axial Tension

Owing to nonlinear contact problems with slip and friction, a lot of limiting assumptions are made when developing analytical models to simulate the behavior of an unbonded flexible riser. Meanwhile, in order to avoid convergence problems and excessive calculating time associated with running the detailed finite element （FE） model of an unbonded flexible riser, interlocked carcass and zeta layers with complicated cross section shapes are replaced by simple geometrical shapes （e.g. hollow cylindrical shell） with equivalent orthotropic materials. But the simplified model does not imply the stresses equivalence of these two layers. To solve these problems, based on ABAQUS/Explicit, a numerical method that is suitable for the detailed FE model is proposed. In consideration of interaction among all component layers, the axial stiffness of an eight-layer unbonded flexible riser subjected to axial tension is predicted. Compared with analytical and experimental results, it is shown that the proposed numerical method not only has high accuracy but also can substantially reduce the calculating time. In addition, the impact of the lay angle of helical tendons on axial stiffness is discussed.

Lateral load performance and seismic demand of unbonded scrap tire rubber pad base isolators

The scrap tire rubber pad(STRP)made by natural or synthetic rubber and high strength reinforcing cords exhibits substantial vertical stiffness and horizontal flexibility,and these properties can be regarded as suitable for seismic isolators for structures.The use of environmentally burdensome scrap tires as STRP isolators might be convenient as an efficient and low-cost solution for the implementation of aseismic design philosophy for low-to-medium rise buildings,especially in developing countries.Finite element analyses of unbonded square and strip-shaped STRP isolators subjected to a combination of axial and lateral loads are conducted to investigate its lateral deformation performance under seismic loading.The rubber of the isolator is modelled with Mooney-Rivlin hyperelastic and Prony viscoelastic materials,including the Mullins material damage effect.The influence of the length-to-width ratio and bearing height on the isolator performance is assessed in terms of the force-displacement relationship,horizontal stiffness,damping,and isolation periods.It is shown that the dependence of stiffness on the length-to-width ratio is significant in the longitudinal direction and minor in the transverse direction.The STRP isolators following the proposed design criteria are shown to satisfy the performance requirement at different levels of seismic demand specified by the ASCE/SEI 7-2010 seismic provisions.

Analysis and calculation of factors on curvature ductility of unbonded prestressed concrete beams

In consideration that behavior of curvature ductility of interior support directly influences the degree of moment modification of unbonded prestressed concrete (UPC) continuous structures, constitutive relationships of concrete, non-prestressed reinforcement and prestressed reinforcement used for nonlinear analysis are given. Through simulation analysis on simple beams subjected to single loading at the middle of the span, the law of factors influencing curvature ductility, such as global reinforcing index, prestressing degree, effective prestress, strength of concrete and grade of non-prestressed reinforcement are explored. Based on these researches, calculating formula of curvature ductility coefficient of UPC beams is established, which provides basic data for further research on plastic design of UPC indeterminate structures.

Fatigue Behavior of Unbonded Partially Prestressed Concrete Beams with Flexure

A study on fatigue behavior of unbonded partially prestressed concrete beams is presented. Model tests have been carried out in static loading and cyclic compressive loading on 15 beams with flexure. The ratios of the lower limit to the upper limit of fatigue load are 0.5 and 0.3 respectively, and the frequencies of cyclic loading are 8 Hz and 4.5 Hz respectively. The experimental results of the strains of the concrete and steel bars, the deflection of test beams, and the crack width of normal section are analyzed. According to statistics and analysis of test results, the corresponding calculation models are developed and presented.

Ultimate stress increase in unbonded tendons in prestressed concrete beams

Since the assumption of plane sections cannot be applied to the strain of unbonded tendons in prestressed concrete beams subjected to loadings,a moment-curvature nonlinear analysis method is used to develop analytical programs from stress increases in unbonded tendons at the ultimate limit state.Based on the results of model testing and simulation analysis,equations are proposed to predict the stress increase in tendons at the ultimate state in simple or continuous beams of partially prestressed concrete,considering the loading type,non-prestressed reinforcement index βp,prestressing reinforcement index βs,and span-depth ratio L/h as the basic parameters.Results of 380 beams studied here and test results for 35 simple beams obtained by the China Academy of Building Research were compared with those from prediction equations given in codes and other previous studies.The comparison reveals that the values predicted by the proposed equations agree well with experimental results.

Coupled Element Modeling Scheme for the Global Dynamic Analysis of Unbonded Flexible Risers

A coupled element modeling method is proposed for global dynamic analyses of unbonded flexible risers.Owing to the multi-layer structure of unbonded flexible risers, the global-dynamic-analysis method applied to the steel rigid risers is insufficient for flexible risers. The main challenges lie in the enormous difference between the anti-tension and anti-binding capacity of unbonded flexible risers which results in serious ill-conditional calculation in global dynamic analysis. In order to solve this problem, the coupled element modeling approach was proposed in this study. A time domain fatigue analysis was applied to illustrate the necessity of the proposed approach.A dynamic benchmark case is used to demonstrate the accuracy of the coupled element method respectively.Subsequently the validated coupling element method is employed to conduct the global dynamic analyses for a free hanging flexible riser. The results demonstrate that the proposed approach can give the accurate global dynamic response under the guidance of the fatigue failure mode for unbonded flexible riser. The parametric influence analyses also provide a practical and effective way for predicting the global dynamic response.

Effects of existing concrete pavement condition on performance of unbonded jointed plain concrete overlay

Unbonded concrete overlay(UBCO) is the most used pavement rehabilitation technique across United States with an overall usage of 47% amongst all the rehabilitation methods.It is aimed to improve the performance of any deteriorated/cracked jointed plain concrete pavement(JPCP).Unbonded JPCP overlay involves placement of a separation layer of hot mix asphalt(HMA),which acts as a stress relief layer between the existing concrete pavement and the overlay.There are numerous factors that affect the design and performance of UBCOs and out of these,existing pavement condition or the severity of damage of existing pavement is a prime factor.The severity of damage is described by the distressed elastic modulus thus,accurate determination of the distressed elastic modulus of the existing concrete pavement is essential for predicting the accurate performance of the unbonded overlay.This study focuses on analyzing the impact of distressed modulus by conducting simulations in the AASHTOWare pavement ME design software version 2.3 and evaluating the predicted performance of JPCP overlay for two different climatic regions.The results indicated that the distressed modulus of existing concrete pavement affects the performance of the overlay with regards to transverse cracking,joint faulting and pavement roughness.Transverse cracking is the most affected performance parameter with a change of 0.27% 2.31% with a unit change in distressed modulus.The impact of climatic conditions on the performance of unbonded overlay was also observed.The adverse effects of distressed modulus can be minimized by reducing the joint spacing or increasing the overlay slab thickness.

Comparison Between Different Finite Element Analyses of Unbonded Flexible Pipe via Different Modeling Patterns

Three kinds of models based on the same flexible pipe with 8 layers have been separately created to investigate the effects of different modeling approaches on numerical simulation results of finite element(FE)models for unbonded flexible pipes.Then the mechanical property of the unbonded flexible pipe under tension,torsion and bending load has been analyzed and compared via ABAQUS software on the basis of three created models.The research shows that different modeling methods of flexible pipes make a great difference in the results.Especially,modeling simplifications of the carcass and pressure armor have a great impact on the accuracy of the results.Model 3,in which the carcass is simulated by spiral isot ropic shell and other layers are Simula ted by solid element,possesses good adaptability,which has been proved by comparing the experiment data and other models.This paper can offer a reference for the FE modeling methods,selection and mechanical property analysis of unbonded flexible pipe.

Analytical and Numerical Modeling for Flexible Pipes

The unbonded flexible pipe of eight layers, in which all the layers except the carcass layer are assumed to have isotropic properties, has been analyzed. Specifically, the carcass layer shows the orthotropic characteristics. The effective elastic moduli of the carcass layer have been developed in terms of the influence of deformation to stiffness. With consideration of the effective elastic moduli, the structure can be properly analyzed. Also the relative movements of tendons and relative displacements of wires in helical armour layer have been investigated. A three-dimensional nonlinear finite element model has been presented to predict the response of flexible pipes under axial force and torque. Further, the friction and contact of interlayer have been considered. Comparison between the finite element model and experimental results obtained in literature has been given and discussed, which might provide practical and technical support for the application of unbonded flexible pipes.

An evaluation of force-based design vs.direct displacement-based design of jointed precast post-tensioned wall systems

The unique features of jointed post-tensioned wall systems, which include minimum structural damage and re-centering capability when subjected to earthquake lateral loads, are the result of using unbonded post-tensioning to attach the walls to the foundation, along with employing energy dissipating shear connectors between the walls. Using acceptance criteria defined in terms of inter-story drift, residual drift, and floor acceleration, this study presents a multiplelevel performance-based seismic evaluation of two five-story unbonded post-tensioned jointed precast wall systems. The design and analysis of these two wall systems, established as the direct displacement-based and force-based solutions for a prototype building used in the PREcast Seismic Structural Systems （PRESSS） program, were performed at 60% scale so that the analysis model could be validated using the PRESSS test data. Both buildings satisfied the performance criteria at four levels of earthquake motions although the design base shear of the direct displacement-based jointed wall system was 50% of that demanded by the force-based design method. The study also investigated the feasibility of controlling the maximum transient inter-story drift in a jointed wall system by increasing the number of energy dissipating shear connectors between the walls but without significantly affecting its re-centering capability.

Shake-table testing of a self-centering precast reinforced concrete frame with shear walls

The seismic performance of a self-centering precast reinforced concrete （RC） frame with shear walls was investigated in this paper. The lateral force resistance was provided by self-centering precast RC shear walls （SPCW）, which utilize a combination ofunbonded prestressed post-tensioned （PT） tendons and mild steel reinforcing bars for flexural resistance across base joints. The structures concentrated deformations at the bottom joints and the unbonded PT tendons provided the self-centering restoring force. A 1/3-scale model of a five-story self-centering RC frame with shear walls was designed and tested on a shake-table under a series of bi-directional earthquake excitations with increasing intensity. The acceleration response, roof displacement, inter-story drifts, residual drifts, shear force ratios, hysteresis curves, and local behaviour of the test specimen were analysed and evaluated. The results demonstrated that seismic performance of the test specimen was satisfactory in the plane of the shear wall; however, the structure sustained inter-story drift levels up to 2.45%. Negligible residual drifts were recorded after all applied earthquake excitations. Based on the shake-table test results, it is feasible to apply and popularize a self-centering precast RC frame with shear walls as a structural system in seismic regions.

Seismic performance evaluation of a self-centering precast reinforced concrete frame structure

The seismic performance of a five-story,four-bay,self-centering precast reinforced concrete frame(SC-RCF),which was redesigned using the direct displacement-based design method,was analytically investigated.The analytical model of the overall structure was developed in OpenSees.The multi-spring contact element was adopted to simulate gap open-close behavior at connection interfaces.The limit states of external mild steel dampers and unbonded post-tensioning strands were considered.Static pushover analyses were performed up to the roof drift of 10%.The nonlinear dynamic responses under four groups of ground motions(with different fault distances and site conditions)at six hazard levels(from the service to the very rare earthquake(VRE))were compared.Incremental dynamic analyses were implemented to quantify the structural collapse risk.The results showed that the structural responses of SC-RCF were satisfactory under all levels of earthquakes.The collapse safety of the structure under earthquakes up to VRE1 was adequate,while the structure would collapse to a large extent under VRE2 and VRE3.

后张无黏结预应力BFRP筋混凝土梁受弯性能试验研究

采用后张法,制作了玄武岩纤维增强塑料筋(BFRP筋)无黏结部分预应力混凝土梁、BFRP筋无黏结全预应力梁以及对比用BFRP筋非预应力梁,对其受弯性能进行对比试验,并对BFRP筋无黏结部分预应力梁中非预应力钢筋的配筋率对受弯性能的影响进行了研究。结果表明,对BFRP筋施加预应力,可以明显提高梁的抗裂度,有效减小梁的挠度和裂缝宽度,改善BFRP筋混凝土梁的正常使用性能;与全预应力梁相比,配置有非预应力钢筋的部分预应力BFRP筋梁的延性更好;且随着非预应力钢筋配筋率的增加,梁的屈服荷载和极限荷载随之提高,裂缝间距、极限裂缝宽度则随之减小。

Experimental research on mechanical properties of prestressed truss concrete composite beam encased with circular steel tube

Tests of 4 simply supported unbonded prestressed truss concrete composite beams encased with circular steel tube were carried out. It is found that the ratio of the stress increment of the unbonded tendon to that of the tensile steel tube is 0.252 during the using stage,and the average crack space of beams depends on the ratio of the sum of the bottom chord steel tube's outside diameter and the secondary bottom chord steel tube's section area to the effective tensile concrete area. The coefficient of uneven crack distribution is 1.68 and the formula for the calculation of crack width is established. Test results indicate that the ultimate stress increment of unbonded tendon in the beams decreases in linearity with the increase of the composite reinforcement index β0. The pure bending region of beams accords with the plane section assumption from loading to failure. The calculation formula of ultimate stress increment of the unbonded tendon and the method to calculate the bearing capacity of normal section of beams have been presented. Besides,the method to calculate the stiffness of this sort of beams is brought forward as well.

Dynamic response analysis of blocks-combined dam under impact load

In order to reduce the damage of ordinary gravity dam impacted by boulders in debris flow,a blocks-combined dam based practical project is proposed.The dynamic response of the proposed dam under impact load is investigated by using ABAQUS finite element software.Considering the impact velocity and impact height,the anti-impact performance of blocks-combined dam is discussed in terms of deformation,displacement,impact force,acceleration,and energy,and is compared with that of ordinary dam.Results show that the displacement,impact force and acceleration of dam increase with the increase of impact velocity and height.The impact energy of blocks-combined dam is mainly absorbed and consumed by the friction between the component interfaces,which is related to the location of impact point.Compared with the ordinary gravity dam,the blocks-combined dam has better impact resistance to boulders in debris flow.

Segmental Bridges under Combined Torsion, Bending and Shear

Segmental bridges with unbonded prestressed tendons have some advantages, such as the weather independence and the corrosion protection of prestressing tendons. This paper analyzed the behavior of a prestressed segmental bridge with unbonded tendons under combined loading of torsion, bending and shear. According to the experiment research, a modified skew bending model was developed to calculate the bearing capacity of segmental bridges subjected to combined bending, shear and torsion. The finite element method was used to investigate the deflection behaviors of such structure, also to check the theoretical model. The theoretical and FEM research results were compared favorably with the test results from Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany. Finally, suggestion for the design and construction of segmental bridges with external prestressing was made.