Flexible Pipe Armor Strip Winding Guide Offset
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge lies in applying armor strips around a tubular core of flexible pipes used for hydrocarbon transport, where residual stresses and deformation occur due to improper winding, leading to instability and potential mechanical stress concentrations.
Innovation Solution
A method involving guide members with adjustable downstream guide members that offset the armor strips' faces by greater than 90° to ensure flat bending and helical winding, reducing residual stresses and enhancing stability by matching the armor strip's geometry to the tubular core.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If armor strips are wound helically around the tubular core using conventional methods, then the armor ply can be constructed, but residual stresses and deformation occur leading to instability and potential swelling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-bending the armor strips to match the curvature radius of the tubular core before winding. This pre-forming step ensures that the strips conform to the required geometry from the start, eliminating subsequent deformation and instability issues that would occur with conventional straight-strip winding methods
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the armor strips by bending them to a specific curvature radius that matches the tubular core. This parameter modification (from straight to curved) allows the strips to wrap smoothly around the core without residual stresses, directly resolving the stability issue
2Duration of action of moving object
If armor strips are wound with improper alignment, then the winding process can proceed, but mechanical stress concentrations occur reducing service life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses preliminary action by pre-positioning and pre-bending the armor strips to the correct curvature and orientation before the winding process. This ensures proper alignment and distribution of stress throughout the armor ply, preventing stress concentrations that would reduce service life
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the geometric parameters of the armor strips by bending them to match the tubular core's curvature radius. This parameter change ensures uniform stress distribution during operation, eliminating stress concentration points and extending the pipe's service life
Data Source
AI summary
A method and an installation for constructing a layer (12) of armor strips around a tubular core (10) of a flexible pipe. The installation has a support wheel (14) of a plurality of armor strips (32, 34) having, respectively, two opposite faces (44, 46) and a plurality of pairs of guide members (20, 22). The pairs of guide members include upstream guide members (52, 54) and downstream guide members (56, 58) which sets of guide members extend along axes that are angularly offset from one another. The support wheel (14) has devices (78, 92) for adjusting the downstream guide members (56, 58) into a position such that the two opposite faces (44, 46) of the armor strip entering and leaving the downstream guide members (56, 58) are substantially perpendicular to the plane of flexing (Pf) defined by the entering and leaving armor strip.