Pipe Reel Load Simulator for Accurate Bending Moment Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for testing the suitability of steel pipe line construction assemblies for the pipe reeling process are inadequate, as they fail to accurately replicate the axial tension and bending moment and shear loads experienced during reeling, leading to false test positives and potential failures in pipeline construction projects.
Innovation Solution
A pipe reeling load simulator with a rigid frame, a movable pipe bending form, a rotating table, and a load cell to apply precise controlled loads, simulating the reeling process and allowing for computer analysis and validation of pipe construction designs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If simple bending tests with shear loads are used to test pipe assemblies, then the testing process is simple and quick, but the test results are inaccurate and do not reflect actual reeling conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates a physical model that copies the actual reeling process conditions. The pipe bending form replicates the reel geometry, the hydraulic cylinder system replicates the reeling tension forces, and the rotating table replicates the bending moment conditions. This allows accurate simulation of actual reeling behavior without requiring full-scale field tests, thus maintaining productivity while improving reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention performs preliminary testing under simulated reeling conditions before actual pipeline installation. By using the pipe bending form and hydraulic system to pre-test pipe assemblies under controlled conditions that replicate actual reeling, the system identifies potential failures beforehand, preventing costly field failures and delays.
2Reliability
If full scale tests using actual pipe reeling vessels are performed, then the test results accurately reflect actual reeling conditions, but the testing requires large amounts of specimen pipe and costly vessel operations
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates a scaled-down physical model that replicates the essential mechanics of full-scale reeling. The pipe bending form with controlled radius, the hydraulic cylinder system for applying tension, and the rotating table for creating bending moments together form a model system that accurately represents actual reeling conditions without requiring full-size vessels or excessive specimen pipe.
Solution Approach 2:
The testing system is divided into separate functional components: the pipe bending form for geometry replication, the hydraulic cylinder system for force application, the rotating table for moment generation, and the measurement instruments. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and enables testing without requiring a full-scale integrated reeling vessel, thus reducing specimen consumption and cost.
3Productivity
If current analytical and numerical methods are used to predict pipe behavior during reeling, then the prediction process is efficient, but the predictions are approximations and not accurate for plastic deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates a physical model that copies the non-linear plastic deformation behavior that is difficult to capture analytically. By using actual pipe specimens subjected to controlled reeling-like conditions with measurement instruments, the system directly observes and measures plastic deformation, residual stresses, and structural integrity outcomes, providing accurate data that validates and improves numerical models.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention incorporates measurement instruments including load cells, displacement sensors, and strain gauges that provide real-time feedback on pipe behavior during testing. This experimental data feeds back into analytical and numerical models, allowing for calibration and validation of prediction methods, thereby improving their accuracy for plastic deformation scenarios while maintaining computational efficiency.
Data Source
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AI summary
An arrangement of elements which are used to restrain and deflect a pipe specimen to a prescribed form with precisely controlled loads. A rigid frame includes a movable pipe bending form to which one end of a pipe specimen is connected and a rotating table to which the second end of the pipe specimen is connected. Means for assessing the drive torque used to draw the pipe specimen over the pipe bending form is provided in the form of a load cell. The rotating table is used in combination with a travelling pipe end truck foundation to generate a bending moment in the pipe specimen in the same plane as the pipe specimen is being bent by the pipe bending form. By the use of precise loads on the pipe specimen, computer analysis of the simulated reeling of the given pipe construction will produce predictions of the reeling tension, shear, and bending moment in the pipe at the point of the travelling pipe end as this point on the pipe approaches contact with the reel.