Session: 04-01-06 Flexible Pipes VI

Submission Number: 181141

Viscoelastic Mechanical Analysis of Thermoplastic Composite Pipe Using Homogenization Method 

Thermoplastic Composite Pipe (TCP) has been increasingly employed in marine operations, owing to its lightweight, high strength, and corrosion resistance. However, the polymer matrix within its structure exhibits significant viscoelastic behavior, which cannot be overlooked. In the present work, an analytical model is proposed to investigate the viscoelastic mechanical response of TCP subjected to axisymmetric and bending loads in the frequency domain. The linear viscoelastic behavior is characterized using a Generalized Maxwell Model (GMM), composed of multiple spring-damper elements, with material properties represented by a Prony series. The master curves of the storage and loss moduli are constructed via the time-temperature superposition principle. Furthermore, the stiffness tensor of the laminate is derived from the constituent fiber and matrix properties through the Periodic Microstructure Model (PMM), enabling the determination of the corresponding engineering constants. The homogenization method is used to derive the homogenized elastic constants based on the force-deformation equivalence principle to obtain the stress distribution of each layer. This method effectively replaces the detailed pipe model with a simplified equivalent representation, essentially avoiding the explicit imposition of interface continuity conditions and the need to solve large algebraic systems usually caused by boundary and interface constraints, thereby significantly reducing the computational effort.

Presenting Author: Fan Liu Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

Presenting Author Biography: Fan Liu is a Ph.D. candidate at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), currently working at the Núcleo de Estruturas Oceânicas (NEO) Laboratory. Her research focuses on the structural analysis of Thermoplastic Composite Pipes (TCP) and the development of related numerical methods.

Authors:

Fan Liu Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Murilo Augusto Vaz Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Marcelo Caire Federal University of Rio de Janeiro